A Stranger Warned Me Not To Go Home. I Found A Strange Silk Scarf In My Hallway. How Do I Catch My Husband Red-handed

A Fresh Start

The divorce hearing was scheduled for early November. Greg did not contest it. The process was quick, without scandals or mutual accusations. A month later, the marriage was officially dissolved.

Valerie gradually returned to life: work, home, son, meetings with friends. She learned to live alone, without a husband, without the usual stability of family life.

In December, Nicholas called. He suggested meeting for coffee to talk.

“How are you?” Nicholas asked slowly.

“I’m getting used to a new life. Learning to be alone. And you?”

“Business is good. It’s even easier to work without Greg. Fewer disputes; decisions are made faster. Angela is recovering. She’s met a young man, a senior. It seems to be going well with him.”

“I’m glad for her. She deserves happiness.”

As they were saying goodbye at the exit of the cafe, Nicholas said: “Maybe we could go out somewhere sometime? To the theater, or an exhibition? Just as friends, no strings attached.”

“Why not? As friends.” Valerie smiled sincerely.

She returned home with a light feeling in her chest. Something was changing. Slowly but surely.

Time passed. Fall gave way to winter; winter to spring. Valerie gradually settled into her new life.

Valerie met with Nicholas several times. First, they went to the theater, then to a contemporary art exhibition. The communication was easy, natural, without tension or half-truths. By early summer, a serious relationship had formed between Valerie and Nicholas.

In June, Nicholas suggested that Valerie and Chris move in with him. “I have a big house, four bedrooms. Chris will be comfortable. We can live together as a family. Just try it.”

Valerie consulted with her son. “He’s okay. He’s cool,” Chris shrugged. “And you’re better with him, Mom. You smile more. We can try.”

In July, they moved. Angela came on weekends, and a warm, almost brother-sister relationship developed between the young people. Valerie felt happy—truly happy.

Regret Comes Too Late

Greg continued to struggle to survive. His business was barely staying afloat. Clients were leaving for competitors, including Nicholas. He lived alone in the lakehouse.

In August, Greg accidentally found out that Valerie was living with Nicholas. He called her for the first time in months.

“Is it true you’re with Nicholas?”

“Yes,” Valerie replied calmly. “We’re together.”

“You did it on purpose to get revenge on me?”

“Greg, you have too high an opinion of yourself. I’m with Nicholas because I’m happy with him. Because he’s an honest, decent person.”

In September, the thing Greg dreaded most happened. He saw them completely by chance, driving past a cafe in the city center.

At a table by the window sat Valerie, Chris, and Nicholas. They were laughing, talking animatedly. They looked like a real family.

Nicholas put his arm around Valerie’s shoulders, kissed her on the temple. She leaned against him, still smiling.

Greg felt a lump in his throat. This should have been him. It was his place, his family, but he had destroyed it all himself.

Valerie fixed her hair, glanced out the window, and for a second their eyes met. She saw Greg in the car across from her. Her face didn’t change: no surprise, no pity, just the calm look of a person for whom you are part of the past.

Greg sharply turned the wheel and drove away. Everyone got what they deserved.

Valerie got an honest man who valued her. Chris got stability. Angela got a lesson that made her stronger.

And Greg? Greg got loneliness, an empty house, a dying business, a cold bed. He had destroyed his happiness with his own hands, and now he was paying for every lie.

He returned to the lakehouse and poured himself a whiskey. But the alcohol didn’t help. He no longer had a place in their lives.