The Night Before Our First Family Vacation, Everything Unexpected Happened

“You and the girls need this,” he said, smiling calmly. Against my instincts, I agreed. The next day, I watched my daughters race toward the hotel pool, laughing in the sun, while I tried to convince myself that this was still our long-awaited happiness.

Then an unknown number called. A woman’s voice told me my husband had asked her to put a fake cast on his leg so he could avoid the trip. She urged me to go home immediately, warning that what he was hiding would shock me.

My stomach turned cold. Within hours, I had packed our things and brought the girls back, their disappointed questions cutting deeper than any accusation. When we arrived home, a large truck was pulling away from our driveway.

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