I had assumed that my marriage was stable until I saw an odd pattern in my wife’s financial statement: costs for kindergarten, paediatricians, and baby supplies—none of which made sense given that we were childless. I followed her out of confusion and worry only to discover that she was living two lives.
My area of expertise as a 33-year-old lawyer was adultery and obtaining the best outcome for the party who was wronged. But my life was revolutionised by my talent at it.
One evening as the sun was setting, I was travelling home through the busy metropolis. My professional background had instilled in me the importance of trust in matrimony, a notion I hold dear, particularly in light of my recent marriage to Natalie, the woman I adored.
When Natalie’s car wasn’t there when I pulled into my driveway that evening, I scowled. She was generally home by this point; one of her best qualities was her punctuality. She used to get home much later than me, but things had changed recently.
My anxiety was increased by the peaceful house. Because of my area of work, doubts began to fly through my head as a result of the uneasy silence inside. Something very unwanted but unavoidable kept coming to mind: “Could Natalie be cheating on me?”
Thankfully, Natalie came back a few hours later, looking tired, but I couldn’t stop talking. “Have you been somewhere? You’ve been running late. Are you withholding something from me? Finally, I questioned whether she was cheating.
She seemed shocked when she saw it. “I adore you, Hank. Never would I betray you. She sighed and reassured me, “I’ve just been busy grading tests at school.” That was logical. Since Natalie was a committed educator, I nodded and tried to move on.
But whatever tranquilly we might have had throughout dinner and our day was broken by a message on Natalie’s phone. “Honey, will you be there tomorrow?” I was taken aback by the closeness when I took a quick look at it.
She tried to continue talking about her day after swiftly deleting the message.
I cut her off without thinking twice. “What was that?” With a tone laced with mistrust, I inquired.
“What do you mean?” She appeared perplexed or perhaps she was acting that way.
The conveyed message. I scowled as I pressed, “I noticed what it stated.
Natalie furrowed her brow and sighed. She tried to reassure me, saying, “Hank, it’s not what you think,” and she gave me her phone to indicate that the number was incorrect.
But my appetite disappeared and doubt cast a shadow over my judgement.
Later, as I laid in bed, the message kept coming back to me, keeping me awake. Natalie was sleeping soundly on my side, as if she were at ease. My uncertainties increased, and I realised what I needed to do. Even though it was incorrect, I had to know the reality.
I carefully unlocked her phone with her finger and discovered a contact called “Rabbit,” which included messages she had exchanged about meeting together with an unidentified number on the days she had returned home later than usual.
I chose to look through her bank statements as well. In all of my cases, that was always a crucial hint. As I put together the facts of her hidden life—which included payments for kid’s toys and medical bills—my heart fell. Did she have a child that I was unaware of? Did she refer to the child as “Rabbit”?
What’s more, who was the father?
Natalie stirred up for a moment, so I hurried to covertly hide her phone and seemed to be drifting off to sleep. However, I felt inconsolable within. The thought of her living two lives was too much to bear.
I got up the following morning resolved to go with Natalie to work. After arriving at the school, I parked discreetly and watched the entrance until Natalie drove off without warning.
I trailed behind, heart racing with every step, until she came to a stop in front of a dilapidated home in a quiet neighbourhood. I waited for a couple of minutes, then got out of my car and looked in through a window.
I noticed Natalie with a man, and they seemed to be having a nice time together. They had an intimate familiarity with one another. Though I was certain of it, I was astounded to see her bend forward and give the man a peck on the cheek.
I made the decision to conceal in some bushes next to the fence since I wanted to look around more. At that moment, I witnessed Natalie coming out of the house while pushing a young girl in a wheelchair. They both grinned at one another while I gaped at them.
I was so engrossed in my own reverie that I failed to notice a dog approaching until its bark startled me. Natalie became aware of it and looked around the garden, her eyes wide with fear. To soothe the dog, I attempted. I heard her then.
“Who’s in attendance? I’m going to dial the cops. Natalie shouted, mistaking me for someone else in the commotion. The dog was biting my ankles as I fled, tearing my trousers as I climbed over the fence. All I could hope was that my wife didn’t notice me.
The picture of Natalie and the young girl in the wheelchair followed me back to my car. I was filled with anxiety, uncertainty, and dread as I drove home about having to face my wife.
I changed out of my ripped clothing when I got home and waited on the bed. When I eventually heard her car, I braced myself and made my way to the living room. Natalie apologised for being late because of work as she came inside the house.
Observing her messy appearance, I quickly got to the point and said, “Natalie, stop. I am well informed.”
She scowled and enquired, “What do you mean?”
“I am aware that you are unfaithful to me,” I said firmly.
She denied it, blaming her late nights on work, looking surprised. I inquired more about the dubious messages.
“Hank. You looked into my phone?” she exclaimed, horrified.
Indeed! Indeed! I looked through your phone. I mean, I’m the bad guy? It’s me spending money on another family,” I shot back, a hint of hurt in my voice.
Natalie appeared visibly shook. “What topic are you discussing? Which other family?”
“Natalie, I witnessed everything. I was able to witness it myself. “Go to some man and girl instead of working late at school,” I said.
“You followed me?”
“Yes,” I said without shame.
Natalie exclaimed, throwing her arms up, and stomped to our bedroom. “I can’t believe this,” she said. After a short while, I followed, only to witness her packing.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m not sure. A hotel or anything,” she said as she roughly packed her bag.
I yelled, “Fine,” and turned to walk away, but not before snatching her phone off the bed. I downloaded a tracking app back in the living room, just in case. I returned to the bedroom and placed the phone back where she had left it.
But I saw the grief I had caused, and the look on her face. I stopped wanting to be furious and began begging her to stay. “Let’s talk,” I said. “This is something we can fix. You’re not required to go.”
Natalie quickly replied, “Yes, I do,” and zipped her back. “And for your information, the man and child you saw are my brother and niece.”
My eyebrows shot upward. “Why have I never met them before?!” I insisted. However, she chose not to respond, eluding me as I followed her around.
I backed up, stunned, as she slammed the front door. I threw everything off of our mantel and screamed my frustrations out. I investigated our bedroom after realising, gasping for air, that I had to find out more.
Unbelievably, I found a concealed compartment in her clothing with a revolver, many forged passports, cash, and a piece from the newspaper about a bank heist.
“What?” I let out a breath. “Who did I marry?”
I was really lost. I packed the things in a suitcase, put them in the trunk of my car, and headed to the motel that must have been Natalie’s lodging. Luckily, I was correct and managed to subtly buy Natalie’s room number from the receptionist.
I pretended to be room service when I knocked on her door. Crossing her arms, she opened the door. “Hank, what other topics would you like to discuss? She groaned, “I have said I’m not going to cheat on you.
“I think you weren’t unfaithful to me,” I cut in. I asked her to explain the pistol, phoney documents, and money as I handed her the bag.
With a sigh, Natalie invited me inside and disclosed that she had conspired with criminals and committed a bank heist in order to finance her niece’s life-saving surgery. I rubbed my chin in shock as I listened and tried to process.
“You robbed a bank?” I muttered.
“Yes,” she mutely acknowledged. There was not an alternative. Katie, my niece, was dying, so my “Rabbit” Tom, my brother, lacked the necessary funds. I had to take action. This occurred before to our actual meeting.”
“Nat, we need to notify the cops. However, my friend Luke is the state’s top criminal defence lawyer,” I started, my legal mind in full gear. “You cannot wait for the sword to descend while leading this double life. Come with me home, and together we will devise a resolution.”
Natalie looked directly into my eyes, and I could see the anxiety that must have consumed her in the years following her bank heist. However, I grasped her hand. I would support her all the way through. She nodded at last, and we headed home.
Natalie made tea at home, and we drank it at the kitchen table. I mentioned that she should get in touch with Luke so that he could help her get a decent bargain, but suddenly my eyes grew heavy. All I could recall was Natalie showing me the way to my bed.
The following morning, I awoke confused. I quickly blinked to get my thoughts straight. My eyes narrowed when I noticed an unusual redness in the linens, and I saw a blood-stained knife on the other side of the bed.
It all made sense when I recalled the tea. Was her intention to set me up? To act as though she had passed away?
“Natalie!” I yelled as I stood there wobbling on my feet. I gasped at the state of my apartment when I saw a trail of blood coming out of the bedroom. The place was a mess. It was a worse sight of destruction in the living room than what I had done the night before, with everything overturned.
I called my wife again and over. I attempted to dab at some of the blood with my palm, but it didn’t help. At last, I saw activity outdoors and looked through the slats. My neighbour was speaking with two police officers when I heard him explain that there was screaming coming from our house.
My car appeared to have been driven over rugged terrain when I glanced sideways, but I couldn’t recall ever leaving the house. When the two police officers approached and began banging, I hurried to the bedroom, changed, took Natalie’s handgun, and leaped out the window.
They saw me and chased after me, but I was more familiar with the area. I kept thinking that in order to know the truth, I had to track out Natalie. But if I got caught, I couldn’t do that. The house scene was too bizarre. Natalie had done a great job of attempting to make it seem as though I had injured her.
I was hiding somewhere when I noticed the two police officers bolting in the other direction. I waited, getting sicker every moment. After a bit, my fingers shaking, I gingerly crawled out from under my cover and used my phone’s tracking software to locate my wife.
The programme sent me to a deserted road, and there, in the tall grass, I discovered Natalie’s phone—a glaring indication that this whole thing had been planned. I made the decision to go see Natalie’s brother’s residence, frustrated but unfazed.
After taking a taxi to his apartment, I pounded nonstop. I didn’t spend time making small talk when Tom opened it. With my hands raised in the air, I stepped back as he withdrew and I took the revolver, aiming it at his face.
As soon as he got in, I made him give Natalie a call. When the call came through, I didn’t hold back.
“Hello, Natalie. For someone who is supposed to be dead, you sound remarkably lively. Unlike what you had planned, I have not been imprisoned. However, Tom isn’t doing very well here. I’m pointing a gun at him, and I’ll kill Tom and Katie if you don’t come here in the next six hours.”
“You wouldn’t do that,” she exclaimed.
I scoffed vehemently. “Want to put me to the test? Not in my opinion.
“Hank, please,” Natalie pleaded.
I interrupted her. “You have 6 hours.”
Tom and his daughter were sitting on the other couch as I waited, the gun never leaving my grasp. I knew I should have felt horrible, but at that moment, I didn’t give a damn.
My wife entered through the front door, which flew open. When she saw her pistol, she froze, frightening her brother and niece. “Please, Hank. “Leave them,” Natalie pleaded.
“Nat, why did you do this? “What made you pretend to be dead?” In an instant, I got up and spat out my questions.
“I’m not interested in going to jail. You desired to report me. I was unable to assume that danger.
Natalie, you are loved. Together, we could have dealt with anything’, I spit.
She turned her head and remarked, “But I would have been alone in prison.”
As I struggled to think of a way to save our lives, my lips trembled. Suddenly, the cops surprised us by barging into the house and holding out their arms. They attacked me directly, and even though I knew I should have been arrested for endangering Tom and Katie, I told them everything my wife had done.
When Natalie eventually opened up and told them the truth, they detained her. Our eyes locked for the last time, a wordless farewell as they carried her off.
That’s when I turned to face Tom. “I sincerely apologise for any worry I may have given you. This was the only way I could get Natalie to come, even if I didn’t want to.”
I was also arrested by the cops. I attempted to defend my behaviour while seated in the patrol car by saying, “You see, I had no other option. I was in need of her arrival.”
“There is never a reason to threaten someone with a gun. It would have been better if you had informed the police what had transpired and given it to us to handle.”
As I thought back on those remarks, I became aware of how serious my mistakes had been and how much I wanted to go back and start over. However, I could only do better in the future—I should call Luke first. I was sorely in need of his assistance.
