I moved into George’s opulent family house shortly after our nuptials, which seemed straight out of a storybook with its soaring ceilings, graceful arches, and flower-filled gardens. Before we left for our honeymoon in the South of France, George had been eager for me to settle in.
However, things were not as perfect as they seemed. The maid, Valerie, gave me looks right away that seemed to be screaming, “You’re an outsider.” I was determined to make this my new home, even with the cold look in her eye. All Valerie had to do was accept it.
I made the decision to make a large breakfast for all of the residents of the house, including George’s younger brothers who were still living there, a few days after we moved in.
Valerie cleaned all around me while keeping a close eye on my every move as I hurried around the kitchen. Her very presence unnerved me. I reached for my phone to search for a recipe, but it was not there.
Do you know where my phone is? Valerie confirmed that it had been on the table when I asked.
She did not even glance up; she just shook her head.
“If I were you, I would quickly prepare breakfast,” she said icily. “The family is about to go.”
Following her suggestion, I concentrated on consuming the entire breakfast. My phone was on the seat she had just vacated when she came out of the kitchen. But what really turned my life upside down was the phrase displayed on the screen:
Examine your spouse’s drawer. the upper left one. Then, bolt!
With my heart pounding, I rushed to our bedroom while mentally repeating the warning. By then, Valerie had already cleaned our room.
I pulled open the drawer with a palpable sensation of dread. I found an ancient key and a bundle of letters tied with an old ribbon inside. George was writing to a woman named Elena in the letters.
I read each letter while sitting on our bed, my heart growing less and less with each promise and expression of love for another lady.
The final letter was a farewell that was sent a few days before George asked me to marry him.
I asked George’s sister Ivy about the key because I was curious about it. She said, “It might go to the attic,” pointing out that George like to hide there.
The reality was staring us in the attic. There were pictures of George and a woman on the walls, perhaps Elena. Every picture serves as evidence of their bond.
Another shocker was the ultrasound scan posted beneath one of the pictures, which showed that George and Elena were expecting a child.
How was he able to hide this from me?
Valerie stood at the doorway as I was still processing the extent of his betrayal.
She whispered, “You weren’t meant to find out like this.”
“You were aware?” I went up to her.
She gave a nod. She’s my sister, Elena. She believed that you should be informed. Earlier today, I deposited those letters.
“And the infant?” I gasped as I asked the question.
Leaning against the wall, Valerie described how George had fallen in love with Elena, a former maid, and how the discovery that the baby had Down syndrome had completely changed their lives. George was unable to deal with the consequences.
Then, when George entered the living room, Valerie and I turned to face the family and revealed everything.
With his gaze fixed on George, his father asked, “Is this true?”
Everything was confirmed by George’s silence.
The consequences came quickly. Elena and her kid received George’s inheritance, and his future earnings were reallocated to support them.
For my part, I got a quick divorce and the family gave me some assets that were supposed to go to George.
Using some of those resources, I established a foundation for kids with impairments, which Valerie is currently running under my direction and that of George’s mother, who had rejected him.
What would you have done if you were in my shoes?
