Abbie’s life shatters when her husband, Matthew, disappears without a trace, leaving behind only a cryptic note. At first, it seems like a bizarre prank, but soon, the truth emerges—one that Abbie could never have imagined.
The house was unnervingly quiet. I stood there, calling out his name, hoping for some kind of response. “Matthew? This isn’t funny, where are you?” I called out, expecting to hear his familiar voice from somewhere inside the house.
But silence answered me.
The refrigerator hummed softly in the background, but there was no other sound. My stomach twisted into knots as I spotted something on the kitchen table. A note. I rushed over, my heart pounding in my chest. I unfolded the paper, my fingers trembling as I read the few, simple words:
“Don’t search for me.”
I froze. For a moment, I thought I might be dreaming. Matthew was known for his pranks, but this… this felt wrong. I grabbed my phone and dialed his number, my mind racing.
The phone rang once, twice, then straight to voicemail.
“Matthew, call me back,” I said, my voice shaky but steady. “This isn’t funny. Please, call me back.”
I quickly called his mom, Claire. My mind was whirling, searching for any reasonable explanation.
“Hi, it’s Abbie,” I said, trying to sound calm. “Have you heard from Matthew?”
“No, dear,” Claire replied. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine. He must have just gone out for a walk,” I said, but the words felt hollow as soon as they left my lips.
I hung up, feeling a cold pit in my stomach. There was no sign of Matthew, no explanation. Desperation led me to call James, his best friend, hoping he’d know something.
“No, Abbie, we haven’t heard from him either,” James said, his voice full of concern. “This is… not like him.”
Days passed without any sign of Matthew. The children kept asking, their innocent faces full of confusion. “Where’s Daddy?” my youngest would ask, her big eyes searching mine for answers.
How could I explain? How could I tell them the truth when I didn’t even understand it myself?
I couldn’t. So, I told them what I thought they could handle.
“Kids, I need to tell you something,” I said, gathering them around in the living room, my voice shaking with emotion. “Daddy is… he’s gone away for a while.”
“Why, Mommy?” my little one asked, looking up at me with worry in her eyes.
“I don’t know, sweetheart,” I said, hugging her close. “But we have to be strong, okay?”
The days blurred together, each one a struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy. His absence echoed in every room. His favorite coffee mug was still on the counter, his shoes still by the door, his jacket still hanging in the closet.
But Matthew never came back.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. What had I missed?
Then, one day, just when I thought I might go mad from the silence, the phone rang. I didn’t expect it to be Claire.
“Abbie, if you want to know the truth, promise me you won’t tell Matthew anything,” Claire said, her voice strained and broken.
“Promise? What are you talking about?” I asked, a knot forming in my stomach.
“Matthew’s here. At my house,” she said, her voice trembling. “With his mistress. And their baby.”
I felt my world tilt. I didn’t understand what she was saying. “What?” I whispered, barely able to breathe.
“Abbie, he’s planning to leave you. He’s been using money from your joint account to pay for her apartment,” Claire continued. “He’s going to divorce you. He… he’s been seeing a girl who’s barely nineteen.”
The words hit me like a punch to the stomach. I couldn’t process it.
“Matthew… he’s what?” I stammered, my mind spinning. “He’s leaving me… for her?”
Claire’s voice softened. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. But you need to know. You still have time to protect yourself, Abbie. You’re stronger than you think. You need to think about your kids.”
I could barely hold it together as I said, “Thank you… for telling me. I’ll protect them. I’ll protect us.”
I hung up, the weight of her words settling heavily on my chest. Matthew, the man I had trusted and loved, had made plans to leave us for another woman. A young woman, a stranger to me.
The kids noticed something was wrong. “Mommy, where’s Daddy?” my youngest asked again, her face full of confusion.
“Sweetheart,” I said, pulling her close, “he’s not coming back. But we have each other, and we’ll be okay.”
I couldn’t believe what Claire had told me, but I had no choice but to keep moving forward. For the sake of my children, I reached out to a lawyer.
While we were discussing my options, another call came through. I didn’t recognize the number, but my heart skipped a beat.
“Hello?” I answered cautiously.
“Hi, Abbie? It’s Lisa. I… I need to talk to you. It’s about Matthew,” the voice on the other end said, almost pleading.
A cold shiver ran down my spine. “How dare you call me?” I snapped, feeling a rush of anger.
“Please,” she begged. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I need to tell you the truth about your family. There’s something you need to know.”
“Why should I believe you?” I asked, my anger still burning.
“I didn’t know who Matthew really was until it was too late,” she said, her voice breaking. “I don’t want to be part of this mess anymore. I need to help you.”
Against my better judgment, I agreed to meet her. My heart was heavy, but I had no choice. If there was a chance she was telling the truth, I had to know.
We met at an old café on street 8, the evening air cool against my skin. I spotted Lisa immediately. She looked young—barely twenty, maybe—but there was something in her eyes that made me pause.
“Thank you for meeting me,” she said softly as I sat down.
“Why do you want to meet?” I asked, my voice tight.
Lisa hesitated before speaking. “Matthew told me he was leaving you, but I had no idea he’d just… disappear. I didn’t agree to this, Abbie. I didn’t agree to any of this.”
I folded my arms. “Why should I believe you?”
She reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of papers. “These are messages and emails from Matthew. He’s been manipulating both of us. He’s said horrible things about you—things that aren’t true.”
My hands trembled as I took the papers. I scanned them quickly, my stomach turning as I read Matthew’s cruel words. “I can’t believe this,” I whispered, my eyes brimming with tears.
Lisa’s eyes were earnest, full of regret. “I didn’t know what kind of man he really was. I want to help you, Abbie. I want to make this right.”
I looked at her, unsure of what to believe, but something in her face told me she was sincere. “Alright,” I said, my voice steady. “We need to gather evidence. We need to protect my kids.”
Over the next hour, Lisa shared more details about Matthew’s lies and manipulation. We began to form an unlikely alliance.
The following morning, I sat with my lawyer, Kate. “We need to confront him,” I said. “But we need to protect my finances first.”
“Don’t worry,” Kate said. “With the information Lisa gave us, we can freeze the joint accounts and protect your assets.”
It was a race against time, but I knew we couldn’t afford to miss a single detail.
That evening, I sat at the kitchen table, going over paperwork. My mother-in-law came over to help with the kids, bringing me a cup of tea.
“You’re doing the right thing, Abbie,” Claire said, her voice full of sympathy. “I’m so sorry for everything my son has put you through.”
I sighed, sipping my tea. “Only Matthew is to blame for this, Claire. Nobody could have seen this coming, not even Lisa.”
“You’re stronger than you think,” Claire said, squeezing my hand. “I’m always with you, okay?”
The day of reckoning finally arrived. Matthew had no idea what was coming. As I walked up to Claire’s door with Lisa by my side, I could feel the weight of the moment.
When Matthew saw us, his face turned pale. “Abbie, what are you doing here?” he demanded, his voice filled with anger.
“It’s over, Matthew,” I said, my voice strong. “We know everything. Your lies, your betrayal, and your plans. You won’t get away with it.”
“What is this? You can’t do this to me!” he shouted, trying to mask his panic.
Lisa stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. “We already have. You’re not going to hurt anyone else.”
The police moved in, presenting the legal papers.
“Mr. Johnson, you need to come with us,” one of the officers said. “You’re being served with a restraining order and an order to vacate the premises.”
Matthew’s bravado crumbled. “This isn’t fair,” he muttered, his voice faltering.
I looked him straight in the eyes, holding up the divorce papers. “Oh, it’s perfectly fair, ex-husband. You made your choices. Now face the consequences.”
As the officers led him away, I felt a wave of relief wash over me, but there was still so much to rebuild.
I turned to Lisa and my mother-in-law. “Thank you,” I said, tears of gratitude streaming down my face. “I couldn’t have done this without you two.”
The road ahead was still uncertain, but for the first time in weeks, I felt a flicker of hope. It was time to rebuild. And this time, I would do it right.
