But when I opened the first box, my hands began to shake.
Inside were children’s drawings.
One showed a man holding a little girl’s hand.
At the bottom, written in crayon, were the words:
“To Daddy. See you Thursday.”
Thursday.
For decades, Thomas had told me he worked late every Thursday night.
Another box contained a ledger — his handwriting filling page after page, documenting monthly payments going back 31 years.
There was also a deed for a condominium purchased in cash just forty minutes away.
I realized the truth slowly, painfully.
My husband had been supporting another family.
For more than three decades.
Thomas had been living a double life.
While I was standing there trying to process it, voices suddenly appeared behind me.
Two women stood at the entrance of the storage unit.
One was in her mid-50s. The other looked about thirty.
The older woman looked at me carefully.
“You must be Margaret,” she said.
“Yes,” I replied quietly. “And you’re his mistress.”
She looked shocked. “Mistress? Thomas told me you two had been separated for years — that you stayed married only for appearances.”
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