Abbie’s life is turned upside down when her husband disappears without a word, leaving behind only a mysterious note. After several days, her mother-in-law calls with a surprising secret that deeply shocks Abbie. The big question remains: Where is Matthew?
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“Matthew? This isn’t funny, where are you?” I called out, hoping to hear his voice from another room.
But the house was quiet, with only the soft hum of the refrigerator breaking the silence.
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My heart raced when I saw a note on the kitchen table.
It said, “Don’t search for me.”
I stared at the note, hoping it was just a bad joke. Matthew loved pranks, but this felt different. I called his number, but it went straight to voicemail.
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“Matthew, call me back,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “This isn’t funny.”
Next, I called his mom. “Hi, it’s Abbie. Have you heard from Matthew?”
“No, dear,” Claire replied. “Is everything alright?”
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“Yes, yes, it is. Sorry, I guess he just went out for a walk.”
I hung up and tried calling his best friend, James.
“No, Abbie, we haven’t heard from him,” James said, sounding worried.
Matthew never came back.
The kids kept asking, “Where’s Daddy?”
I didn’t know what to tell them. Finally, I went to the police, clutching the note.
“Ma’am, with the note he left, we can’t start a search,” the officer said.
“But he’s missing!” I argued, feeling tears well up. “What if something happened to him?”
The officer shook his head. “I’m sorry, but adults have the right to disappear if they want to. There’s nothing we can do.”
I left the station feeling helpless and alone.
I gathered the children in the living room.
“Kids, I need to tell you something,” I began, my voice shaking. “Daddy is… he’s gone away for a while.”
“Why, Mommy?” my youngest asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “But we’ll be okay. We have each other.”
“I don’t know, sweetheart,” I replied, pulling her into a hug. “But we have to be strong, okay?”
The days that followed were a blur of tears and unanswered questions. Every corner of the house reminded me of Matthew.
His favorite coffee mug on the counter, his shoes by the door, and the jacket he always wore still hanging in the closet were constant reminders of his absence.
I tried to keep things normal for the kids, but it was a struggle. Every time they asked about their father, my heart broke a little more.
Then, one day, I received a call from my mother-in-law.
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“If you want to know the truth, promise me you won’t tell Matthew anything,” her voice cracked through the FaceTime call, breaking the silence of the room.
“Promise? What’s going on?” I asked, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach.
“Matthew is here at my house. With his mistress and their newborn baby,” she began.
I was horrified.
“Matthew told me to keep it a secret from you, Abbie,” she continued. “His mistress had nowhere to go, so he brought her here. He’s planning to use money from your joint account to rent them an apartment. He said he’s going to divorce you and stay with her. She’s… barely 19.”
“I’m sorry for lying to you about his whereabouts and not telling you the truth sooner,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do since he is my son. I needed some time to think about everything. But you are also family to me and the mother of my grandkids, whom I love dearly. That’s why I decided to tell you the truth. Abbie, you still have time. You can find a lawyer and save your money for the sake of your kids.”
I was shaking, overwhelmed with anger, betrayal, and heartbreak.
“I can’t believe this,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Thank you for telling me. I need to protect my children and myself.”
After ending the call, I sat in shock, realizing the full extent of what was happening. Matthew, the man I trusted and loved, was planning to leave us for another woman.
The kids sensed something was wrong. “Mommy, where’s Daddy?” my youngest asked, her eyes filled with confusion.
“He’s not coming back, sweetheart,” I said, hugging her tightly. “But we have each other, and we’ll be okay.”
Despite how hard it was to believe what my mother-in-law had said, I knew I had to keep moving forward for my kids. I immediately contacted a lawyer.
While discussing my options, I received a call from an unknown number. I hesitated before answering.
“Hello?” I said cautiously.
I could hardly believe what my mother-in-law had told me, but I had to stay strong for my kids. I quickly contacted a lawyer to discuss my options.
While we were talking, I got a call from an unknown number. I hesitated before picking up.
“Hello?” I said cautiously.
“Hi, Abbie? It’s Lisa. I’m the woman Matthew has been seeing. I need to talk to you,” the voice said.
I felt a chill run down my spine. “How dare you call me?” I snapped.
“Please, just meet me. There’s something important you need to know about your family,” she pleaded.
I was angry, but her desperate tone made me agree to meet her.
“Alright. Where do you want to meet?” I asked.
“Do you know the old café on Street 8? Let’s meet there at 6 p.m.,” she replied.
At 6 p.m., I walked into the café, scanning the room for her. When I saw Lisa, I was shocked. She was much younger than I had imagined.
She was sitting in a corner booth when I arrived.
“Thank you for coming,” she said as I took a seat.
“Why did you want to meet?” I asked.
“Matthew told me he was going to leave you, but I didn’t know he was going to do it like this. I didn’t agree to any of this,” Lisa began.
“Why should I believe you?” I asked, crossing my arms.
She pulled out a stack of papers from her bag.
“These are emails and messages from Matthew. He said terrible things about you, things I know aren’t true. He’s been manipulating both of us.”
I took the papers and started reading. My hands shook with anger as I saw the lies and deceit.
“I can’t believe this,” I muttered, shaking my head.
Lisa looked at me with sincerity. “He’s planning to take everything from you. But I don’t want any part in that. I want to help you.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, still shocked.
“Because I didn’t know what kind of man he really was until it was too late. I want to make things right, at least a little,” she said, tears in her eyes.
Looking at her, I saw genuine remorse and desperation. Maybe she was telling the truth.
“Alright,” I said slowly. “If you’re serious about helping, we need to gather as much evidence as we can. I need to protect my children and secure our future.”
We spent the next hour talking about our plan. Lisa told me more about Matthew’s plans, and we started working together.
It felt odd to trust the woman who had been with my husband, but her willingness to help gave me hope.
The next morning, I met with my lawyer, Kate.
“We need to confront him together. But first, I need to secure my finances and make sure he can’t take anything more from us,” I told Kate.
“With the information Lisa gave us, we can freeze the joint accounts and protect your assets,” she assured me.
Kate filed the paperwork to freeze our joint accounts and protect my finances.
It felt like a race against time, but we had to be thorough.
One evening, I sat at the kitchen table with all the paperwork spread out. My mother-in-law came over to help with the kids. She brought me tea and sat down with me.
“You’re doing the right thing, Abbie,” she said softly. “I’m so sorry for what my son is putting you through.”
“It’s all Matthew’s fault,” I replied, sipping my tea. “Nobody saw this coming, not even Lisa. I’m so grateful for your support.”
“You’re stronger than you think,” she said, squeezing my hand reassuringly. “I’m always here for you.”
Finally, the day came when everything was ready. I took a deep breath and walked up to my mother-in-law’s door with Lisa by my side. The authorities were with us, ready to enforce the legal actions.
When we entered, Matthew looked up, shocked to see us.
“Abbie, what are you doing here?” he demanded, looking between me and Lisa.
“It’s over, Matthew,” I said firmly. “We know everything about your lies, betrayal, and plans. You’re not going to get away with this.”
“What is this? You can’t do this to me!” he shouted, his face turning red with anger.
Lisa stepped forward, her voice calm but determined. “We already have. You won’t hurt anyone else.”
The police officers approached with the legal documents.
“Mr. Johnson, you need to come with us. You’re being served with a restraining order and an order to leave the house,” one of them said.
Matthew looked around, his bravado fading. “This isn’t fair,” he muttered, trying to find a way out of the situation.
“It’s completely fair, ex-husband,” I said, holding up the divorce papers. “You made your choices, and now you face the consequences.”
As the officers took him away, I felt a mix of relief and exhaustion. I turned to Lisa and my mother-in-law, who stood by my side, their support unwavering.
“Thank you,” I said, tears of relief streaming down my face. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
These were tears of hope and gratitude. It was time to rebuild and move forward.
What would you have done?
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