After hearing her husband and mother-in-law’s secret chat, Maria finds a torn document in the trash and uncovers a shocking truth. While fighting cancer, Maria fears betrayal but finds something that helps her recover…
They assumed I was away. Maria shouldn’t suspect!
Beware, sweetie “My mother-in-law whispered conspiratorially to my husband. I froze in the corridor, grasping my bag strap. To avoid the neighbor’s yappy dog, I came home early from a long doctor’s visit through the back door.
But standing there in the quietness, their quiet chat made me uneasy. “What are they hiding from me?” Mind racing, I thought. I had plenty to worry about.
I had been fighting cancer for six months, experiencing exhausting, nauseating, and terrifying chemo sessions. I worried if I’d wake up to my son’s smile every night. I felt betrayed by Jeff, my husband, and Elaine, my mother-in-law, concealing secrets.
I pondered interrupting and demanding answers. But I didn’t. I put on a smile, entered the living room as if I hadn’t heard anything, and greeted them.
“Hi,” I said. Though his shoulders were tense, Jeff smiled at me with loving eyes. Elaine glanced up from the crossword problem she always did to avoid eye contact.
“Hey, honey, how’d it go?” Jeff asks. I shrugged, ignoring them. “Fine,” I said.
“The usual. I’m hungry now, so I’ll cook soup.”
It was bad. Everything was wrong.
Something was up. I saw it later that afternoon when putting out the trash. A ripped paper popped out of the bag.
Bold letterhead drew my notice, otherwise I wouldn’t have looked:
Purchase Agreement for Real Estate
Curiosity consumed me. I removed the pieces from the bag and assembled them. A date and ten-kilometer address were provided.
Tomorrow. My stomach twisted. What happened tomorrow?
“What kind of property? Why didn’t they inform me?” I mumbled. I waited for Jeff’s kitchen entry.
“What’s this?” I held up paper shreds and asked. His face clouded. Maria—why are you going through trash?
I don’t recommend that for your immune system. Your suspicions have grown…”
Suspicious? That’s his word, really?
He deflected. I were too weak to protest, yet I wouldn’t let it go. I drove to the place the next morning.
I blamed my doctor’s prescription for my poor mood. The steering wheel shook as my mind raced. They planned to buy what?
Why didn’t they tell me? Was this a backup plan if chemo failure? Jeff and our son to start afresh without me in a new apartment?
Or worse—something darker? Could Jeff have found someone else? Was Jaden aware of the new person?
Elaine helped him build a love nest for his affair? My chest tightened at the address. I parked and exited, glancing at the building.
Not what I expected. Absolutely not. A charming two-story building housed a first-floor commercial establishment.
An above-door sign was being finished:
Bakery opens soon. DREAMS OF MARIA. I blinked slowly.
What? Pressing my palms to the window, I gazed in. Beautiful space.
Just painted walls, a new counter, and shelving in the soft blue I wanted for a bakery. I even saw a shiny copper espresso machine on the counter, like the one I showed Jeff in a magazine years earlier. It seemed like someone had realized my boyhood dream.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
Tap READ MORE to discover the rest 🔎👇
