Melissa leaned against the rough bark of a tree, breath hitching as her heart pounded in her chest. Her instincts had been right all along—Paul was hiding something.
For weeks, her husband had insisted on these so-called daily “walks.” But nothing about them made sense. Melissa, now heavily pregnant with their first child, could no longer dismiss the nagging suspicion that had taken root.
She had followed him for over an hour, every step heavy with exhaustion. Still, she couldn’t turn back. She needed to know what Paul was doing during those long absences. She needed the truth.
As she rounded a bend in the path, Melissa suddenly froze. Paul stood right in front of her. His startled expression said it all—the moment to keep his secret was gone. With nowhere left to run, he sank to his knees, as though bracing for the inevitable.