After We Got Married, I Moved Into My Husband’s House — Then Our Neighbor’s Dog Exposed What He Was Hiding Behind the Locked Basement Door

He stood slowly and walked past me without a word.

He took a screwdriver from a nearby shelf and, without hesitating, unscrewed the lock from the door.

The metal hit the concrete floor with a sharp clatter that echoed in the small space.

***

The next morning, he made the call for grief counseling while I sat at the kitchen table and listened.

I didn’t unpack anything more into the house.

Not yet.

That weekend, he started going through the things in the basement.

I helped, but he took the lead. That was how it needed to be.

He decided what to keep for Ethan and what to donate.

Some things he couldn’t touch yet: a wedding dress, a jewelry box. He’d pick them up, set them down, walk away.

I gave him space for that.

Others he handed over without hesitation.

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