I decided to support my husband in a special way. Every week, he visited his parents’ house…

As she approached the village, her heart beat faster. She turned onto a dirt road leading to Igor’s parents’ house. Though she hadn’t been there in a while, she recognized the house immediately, a small wooden cottage with carved window frames and a garden bursting with flowers.

Anna parked the car by the gate and stepped out, anticipating the reunion. But what she saw made her freeze. On the porch stood Igor with an unfamiliar woman.

In her arms was a child, a little boy, no older than five. Igor was saying something to her, and she smiled in response. This wasn’t just a friendly encounter.

It was something far deeper. There was an intimacy, warmth, and tenderness in their interaction, something Anna hadn’t seen in Igor’s eyes when he looked at her lately. She felt the ground slip from under her feet.

Her head buzzed, and her vision darkened. She tried to step forward to call out to Igor, but she couldn’t. Her voice caught in her throat.

She stood paralyzed, unable to believe what she was seeing. At that moment, the boy broke free from the woman’s arms and ran to Igor. He wrapped his arms around Igor’s legs and said something, looking up at him.

Igor crouched down and hugged the boy back. He said something to him, gently ruffling his hair. In that moment, Anna saw a love and tenderness in Igor’s eyes that she had never seen directed at her.

Shocked, Anna stumbled back. She realized this wasn’t a random meeting or a fleeting affair. This was Igor’s other life, hidden from her, a carefully guarded secret, a woman, a child.

This was his other family. Unable to watch any longer, Anna rushed back to the car. She slammed the door shut and started the engine.

Her hands trembled, and tears blurred her vision. She turned the car around and drove back onto the road, not knowing where she was going or what to do. She drove blindly, tears streaming down her face.

One thought pulsed in her mind. How could he? How could he do this to me? She felt betrayed, deceived, and utterly broken. Everything she believed in, her entire happy life, crumbled in an instant.

She recalled their first meeting, their wedding, their plans for the future. It all felt like a lie now, a deception. She wondered when it had started, when Igor had begun living a double life.

Had she been so blind that she hadn’t noticed anything? Gradually, the shock began to fade, giving way to hurt and anger. Anna felt rage boiling inside her. She wanted to turn back, confront Igor, and tell him exactly what she thought of him.

But at the same time, she was afraid, afraid of hearing the truth, afraid that all her suspicions would be confirmed. Memories flashed through her mind, moments that once seemed insignificant, but now took on new meaning. His frequent trips to his parents, his late returns, his recent detachment.

It all formed a single, horrific, and painful picture. Anna pulled over to the side of the road and buried her face in her hands. She sobbed uncontrollably, unable to hold back her emotions.

It felt as though her heart had shattered into a thousand pieces, never to be whole again. She sat there for a long time until her tears dried and her anger began to subside. A single thought emerged.

What now? She knew she couldn’t just let it go or pretend nothing had happened. She needed to uncover the truth, to understand what lay behind it all. Gathering her strength, Anna started the car and drove back to the city…