Abbie’s
world turns upside down when her husband vanishes without a trace, leaving only
a cryptic note behind. Days later, a phone call from her mother-in-law reveals
a shocking secret that shakes Abbie to the core. Where is Matthew?
“Matthew?
This isn’t funny, where are you?” I called out, expecting to hear his voice
from another room.
But
the house was silent, except for the faint hum of the refrigerator.
My
heart started to race as I noticed a note on the kitchen table.
It
read, “Don’t search for me.”
I
stared at the note, hoping it was a bad joke. Matthew loved pranks, but this
felt different. I grabbed my phone and dialed his number, only to hear it go
straight to voicemail.
“Matthew,
call me back,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “This isn’t funny.”
I
called his mom next. “Hi, it’s Abbie. Have you heard from Matthew?”
“No,
dear,” Claire replied. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes,
yes, it is. Sorry, I guess he just went out for a walk.”
I
hung up and tried his best friend, James.
“No,
Abbie, we haven’t heard from him,” James said, his concern mirroring mine.
Matthew
never returned.
The
kids kept asking, “Where’s Daddy?”
I
didn’t know how to answer them. I finally went to the police, clutching the
note in my hand.
“Ma’am,
with the note he left, we can’t start a search,” the officer said.
“But
he’s missing!” I protested, feeling a lump rise in my throat. “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
returned home to our cozy suburban house, now filled with an eerie emptiness. 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
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, the jacket he always
wore still hanging in the closet.
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.
“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 spend money from your
joint account to rent them an apartment. He told me he is going to divorce you
and stay with his mistress. She’s… barely 19.”
I
felt like the ground had just been pulled out from under me.
My
vision blurred with tears as I struggled to comprehend her words.
“He…
he’s what?” I stammered.
“I’m
sorry for lying to you about his whereabouts and not telling the truth earlier,
” she continued. “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 to
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, a mix of anger, betrayal, and heartbreak surging through me.
“I
can’t believe this,” I said, trying to steady my voice. “Thank you for telling
me. I-I need to protect my children and myself.”
Ending
the call, I sat in stunned silence, the reality of my situation crashing down
on me. Matthew, the man I trusted and loved, was planning to abandon us for
another woman.
The
kids sensed something was wrong. “Mommy, where’s Daddy?” my youngest asked, her
big eyes filled with confusion.
“He’s
not coming back, sweetheart,” I said, pulling her into a tight hug. “But we
have each other, and we’ll be okay.”
I
could hardly believe what my mother-in-law had told me, but I had to keep
moving forward for my kids. I immediately contacted a lawyer.
As
we discussed my options, I received a call from an unknown number. I hesitated
before answering.
“Hello?”
I said cautiously.
“Hi,
Abbie? It’s Lisa. I’m the woman Matthew has been seeing. I need to talk to
you,” came the voice on the other end.
A
chill ran down my spine. “How dare you!” I snapped. “How dare you call me?”
“Please,
just meet me. There’s something you need to know, something important. It’s
about your family,” she pleaded.
I
was seething. I would’ve never agreed to see her face had I not sensed
helplessness in her voice.
“Alright.
Where do you want to meet?” I asked.
“Do
you know that old café on street 8? 6 p.m. Does that work?”
At
6 p.m. sharp, I walked into the café, my eyes searching for her. When I first
saw Lisa’s picture, I couldn’t believe Mathew could’ve dated a girl so young.
She
was already there at a corner booth.
“Thank
you for coming,” she said as I sat down.
“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 abandon
you like this. I didn’t agree to any of this,” she began.
“Why
should I believe you?” I asked, folding my arms defensively.
She
reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of papers.
“These
are emails and messages from Matthew. He said horrible things about you, things
I know aren’t true. He’s been manipulating both of us.”
I
took the papers and began to read.
My
hands trembled with rage as I saw the lies and deceit laid bare. “I can’t
believe this,” I muttered, shaking my head.
Lisa
looked at me earnestly. “He’s planning to take everything from you. But I don’t
want any part of it. I want to help you.”
“Why
are you doing this?” I asked, stunned.
“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 in some small way,” she said, tears welling up in
her eyes.
I
looked at her, seeing the genuine remorse and desperation in her face. 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 discussing our plan. Lisa shared more details about
Matthew’s schemes, and we started forming an unlikely alliance.
It
felt strange to trust the woman who had been with my husband, but her
willingness to help gave me hope.
The
next morning, I sat in my lawyer’s office.
“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 my lawyer, Kate.
“With
the information Lisa provided, we can freeze the joint accounts and protect
your assets,” she assured me.
We
went through the details step by step.
Kate
filed the necessary paperwork to freeze our joint accounts and secure my
assets.
It
felt like a race against time, but I knew we had to be thorough.
Every
piece of information Lisa had given us was crucial.
One
evening, I sat at the kitchen table, paperwork spread out in front of me.
My
mother-in-law had come over to help with the kids. She brought me a cup of tea
and sat down across from me.
“You’re
doing the right thing, Abbie,” she said softly. “I am so sorry for what my son
is putting you through.”
“Only
Matthew can be blamed for what’s happening, Claire. Nobody saw this coming, not
even Lisa,” I replied, sipping the tea. “I’m so grateful to you for your
support.”
“You’re
stronger than you think,” she said, reassuringly squeezing my hand. “I’m always
with you, okay?”
Finally,
the day came when everything was in place. I took a deep breath and walked up
to my mother-in-law’s door with Lisa by my side. The authorities followed
closely behind, ready to enforce the legal actions we had taken.
As
we entered, Matthew looked up, shocked to see us.
“Abbie,
what are you doing here?” he demanded, his eyes darting between me and Lisa.
“It’s
over, Matthew,” I said firmly. “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, his face turning red with anger.
Lisa
stepped forward, her voice calm but resolute. “We already have. You’re not
going to hurt anyone else.”
The
police officers moved in, presenting the legal documents.
“Mr.
Johnson, you need to come with us. You’re being served with a restraining order
and an order to vacate the premises,” one of them said.
Matthew
looked around, his bravado crumbling. “This isn’t fair,” he muttered, his voice
wavering as he tried to find some way to wriggle out of the situation.
“Oh,
it’s perfectly fair, ex-husband,” I replied, holding up the divorce papers.
“You made your choices, and now you face the consequences.”
As
the officers escorted him out, a wave of relief and exhaustion washed over me.
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 two.”
I
was crying again, but they were tears of hope and gratitude this time. It was
time to rebuild and move forward.
What would you have done?
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