She Gets Caught
Matthew realized that his wife had forgotten that their Zoom call was still running when she stepped away from the computer to answer a call from her sister.
He was waiting for her to finish the call, planning to tease her about forgetting to end their call. But then she confessed a secret that made Matthew’s jaw drop.
Lonely
It was right in the middle of the pandemic, and Matthew was in isolation. He missed his wife and children terribly. Other than that, it was to be a usual Monday morning.
He was lonely, and the text from his beloved wife put a smile on his face. She wanted to have a Zoom call with him.
Apart
She asked to video call at noon, and he was looking forward to speaking to her. He was eager to see his family after a few days away from them.
He had been very sick, and he spent the morning in bed. The prospect of seeing his family was the only thing keeping him going.
No Idea
At midday, he took his place in front of his laptop and waited for her call. He had no idea what the next few minutes held for him.
He couldn’t wait to see his wife and children and eagerly answered the call when it came through. However, what happened next would reveal something that would put his happy family in jeopardy.
Delighted To See Her
“How’ve you been? I’ve missed you so much,” Matthew said. He was feeling so much better already just seeing Samantha’s face. He wanted the call to last forever.
Samantha told him that she and the kids missed him, but everything is going well at home. He loved hearing her beautiful voice and couldn’t wait to get back to her and their children.
A Nice Chat
“How are you? How have you been feeling?” Samantha asked. The rest of the conversation was pleasant and normal, and Matthew could have no idea of the deception hidden behind her eyes.
They talked about his illness and recovery, Samantha’s job and other everyday things, and Matthew missing her even more now that he was hearing her voice. Then, they were interrupted.
Secrets
Samantha told him that it was her sister on the phone and she needed to take the call. “I’ll call you back in a little bit, okay?” she asked. “Of course,” he answered.
They said goodbye, but Matthew soon realized that she had forgotten to end their Zoom call. He smiled to himself, planning to tease her about it afterward, but the smile dropped from his face when he heard her words.
A Happy Family
Matthew Holden thought that he had the best life in the world. He had it all: a gorgeous, loving wife, two amazing children, twins Luke and Olivia, and a beautiful house.
He was thankful for his life and knew that he was very lucky to have his lovely family. That was until his wife inadvertently revealed a crushing secret.
At First Glance
Matthew and Samantha met over ten years ago, and it was love at first sight. She was funny, smart, beautiful, and elegant, and Matthew thought she was perfect for him.
They dated for a year before getting engaged and married shortly after. Matthew thought everything was perfect, but he would turn out to be terribly wrong about that.
The Twins
The couple wanted children immediately and began trying right after returning from their honeymoon. Samantha soon felt pregnant with their twins.
Matthew felt like his heart would burst when Samantha gave birth to their children. Luke was first, and then came little Olivia. Samantha vowed to do anything possible to give her twins everything they needed. Whatever it took...
Pride And Joy
Anyone who knew Samantha knew that she was a devoted and loving mother. She tried her absolute best to be the best mom possible. She put a ton of time and energy into raising her children because every second counts.
But no one, not even Matthew, knew that she was hiding a secret. It was a secret that she thought would remain hidden forever, until one day…
Quarantine
The coronavirus endemic was in full swing, and Samantha was working from home to support her family. Recently, Matthew was diagnosed with the virus, and he was in quarantine in another house in the city.
Samantha was all alone with the children. The twins had their 10th birthday right around the corner, and Samantha was stressing about it. But she had no idea that her Monday morning would end so terribly.
A Normal Day
That Monday morning started just like any other. Samantha was stuck working from home. Once she had woken the kids up, she decided to call her husband and ask how he was doing.
Her children were in their online classes while she clocked in on her computer. It was just before her first meeting of the day, and she thought it was going to be an ordinary day. But Samantha was wrong.
It Was Time
Before she knew it, noon had rolled around, and it was time to clock off for her lunch break. She gave the children lunch before opening her Zoom. She missed Matthew and wanted to speak to him.
As soon as he answered her Zoom call, he had a wide smile on his face. There was nothing he loved more than speaking to the woman he loved. She touched his face on the screen, wishing he was right next to her. But he wasn’t.
The Call
“How’ve you been? I’ve missed you so much.” Matthew started the conversation. Seeing Samantha’s beautiful face was like a breath of fresh air. He never wanted their call to end.
“I’ve been good, honey. The kids and I miss you. We can’t wait for you to get home.” Her voice was sweet like honey, and her face wore a wide smile. He missed her so much.
Pleasant Conversation
“How are you? How have you been feeling?” she asked her husband. For the next little while, their conversation was pleasant and loving.
Hearing Samanthat’s voice only made him miss his family a thousand times more. They spoke about his recovery and her work, but then, there was an interruption.
An Interruption
Matthew was in the middle of a topic when Samantha’s phone started ringing. She grabbed her phone and looked down at the screen. “I’ve got to go. It’s my sister,” she told her husband. He blew her a kiss and waved at the camera.
She pretended to grab the air kiss and held it to her heart. After saying goodbye to her husband, she answered the call and logged off of Zoom. Or so she thought.
A Strong Connection
Samantha and her sister, Ashleigh, had always been the best of friends. They were born just two years apart, and they have been inseparable since. Matthew admired how much his wife loved her family.
Samantha and Ashleigh knew everything about each other. They shared their darkest secrets and their wildest dreams. Including Samantha’s biggest secret that she swore would stay hidden.
Their Conversation
At first, Samantha and Ashleigh spoke on the phone, discussing last night's episode of a TV show that they were both hooked on.
Soon after, they discussed the twins' birthday, with Ashleigh confirming that she’d be attending their virtual party. But then, the casual conversation led to something a little more sinister.
Listening In
Meanwhile, Matthew was sitting in front of his laptop, listening to the conversation between his wife and her sister. He couldn’t wait for Samantha to get off the phone so that he could spook her by suddenly speaking up.
He laughed to himself. His wife had no idea that he was right there, listening in on her private conversation with her sister.
Waiting Patiently
He waited patiently for her to finish the call, but then he heard it: the first sign that something was going on. “With the twins turning 10, you’ve got to come clean,” Ashleigh said. “You have to tell him.”
Matthew’s eyebrows furrowed firmly together. Tell him what? He was confused, but he didn’t think too much about it at first. Samantha could feel fear wash over her. “It would devastate him though,” she said. Chills ran down his spine.
Panic
Panic shot through Matthew’s body. He knew he had to speak up, but when he opened his mouth, no words came out. He wanted to ask his wife for the truth.
Samantha was in a mind of her own, unaware of what was happening, until she heard a voice from behind say, “I can still hear you.”
He Heard Everything
Samantha couldn’t move. She instantly noticed the voice of the man she loved. Her sister was calling out for her, but she couldn’t respond. She was frozen in place.
Her heart was pounding in her chest when she realized that Matthew was still on the Zoom call. He had heard everything, and there was nothing she could do about it now. Had she just exposed the very secret she swore would stay hidden?
Confusion And Anger
Samantha turned around and saw Matthew was indeed still on the Zoom call. His face on the computer screen was filled with confusion and sadness. Moisture burned behind his eyes.
She felt like she was going to be sick to her stomach. She had well and truly officially been caught out. There was nothing she could do now. Her husband knew that something was up. But what happened?
The Truth
The truth was that ten years ago, Samantha had an affair with her ex-boyfriend. It was the biggest mistake she had ever made, and she would never be able to forgive herself for what she had done.
She still regrets it to this day. She never told Matthew, but a month after her indiscretion, she became pregnant.
In Secret
Samantha had a gut feeling that her ex was the father and not her beloved husband, but she couldn’t tell him. It would destroy the man she loved most in the world.
Instead, she confided in her sister, and the two were sworn to secrecy. When the twins were born, she did a DNA test behind her husband’s back, and the results turned her world upside down.
Her Mistake
It was just as she had predicted. Matthew was not the father of their children. The truth destroyed her, and she knew that it was all her fault. She couldn’t tell him.
She insisted that she and Ashleigh were never to speak of it or mention it again. She tried her hardest to bury the secret, but some secrets just won’t stay buried.
Time To Cool Off
While on the phone with her sister, Samantha spoke the words her husband never wanted to hear, “He’s not the father.” After Samantha got caught out, Matthew hung up on her just as she was about to explain everything. She felt tears well up in her eyes.
With Matthew far away and their two kids in the house, what could she do? She tried calling, but he didn’t pick up. Maybe he just needed time to cool off. Surely things couldn’t get any worse? But she was so wrong.
A Loss For Words
The following day, Samantha had not heard a peep from Matthew. It was as if he had vanished into thin air. He didn’t even call to say goodnight to the twins before bed. Since the call, he had disappeared.
Then, just as Samantha was about to run the twins a bath, she received a message on her cellphone. It was from her husband, and what he said left her at a loss for words.
Four Words Later
“I want a divorce.” His text read. As soon as she read those words, Samantha felt her heart shatter in two. She sunk to the floor, clutching her phone to her chest, knowing she only had herself to blame. She had betrayed him in the worst way possible.
And so, despite a worldwide pandemic, Matthew was quick with his actions, and the following week, Samantha received the divorce papers. He wasn’t going to continue to live a life that had been a lie for the last ten years. Eventually, he moved on, but he never wanted to see Samantha ever again.