“Not like this? How should I be here, Will? After getting another mysterious text from ‘P’? After more nights alone? Tell me, when would be a good time to discover my husband’s secret life?”
“Then explain. What are you hiding? Where is she?”
Image for illustrative purpose only.
“Lizzie, it’s not what you think,” he said quickly. “Please, just come inside, and I’ll explain everything.”
“Explain what?” I snapped, tears welling in my eyes. “Explain why you’ve been lying to me? Why you’ve been sneaking around?”
“Just trust me,” he pleaded. “Please, Lizzie.”
He stepped forward, reaching for me, but I backed away. “Don’t touch me! Not until you tell me the truth. All of it. Right here, right now.”
“Lizzie,” he choked out, “you’re shaking. Please come inside. Think of the baby.”
“The baby?” I laughed bitterly.
Despite my better judgment, I followed him inside.
Will took my hands in his, his eyes searching mine. “Lizzie, I bought this house for us. For you, me, and the baby. I wanted to surprise you.”
I pulled my hands away. “A SURPRISE? Will, this isn’t a surprise — this is a secret! Why didn’t you just tell me?”
Before he could answer, my mom appeared, holding a paintbrush. “Because I made him promise,” she said softly.
“Mom?”
“We’ve been struggling, Lizzie,” she admitted, her voice shaky. “Your dad and I lost our jobs a few months ago. Will gave us a way to stay afloat. He hired us to help fix up this house. That message you saw? That was me, thanking him.”
I turned to Will, my emotions a tangled mess. “All this time, you were building us a home?”
“And helping your parents,” he said softly. “I wanted to do it right, Lizzie. Make it perfect. But I see now that keeping you in the dark was wrong. I was so focused on the end result, I forgot about the journey.”
“You should have told me. You put me through hell, Will. I thought you were cheating on me. I thought you had a secret family!”
“I know,” he said, tears welling in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to stress you out. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
Image for illustrative purpose only.
I stared at him, the weight of everything sinking in. My wrath began to fade, and was replaced by an overwhelming sense of love.
“No more secrets,” I whispered, pulling him into a hug. “Promise me, Will. No more secrets.”
“Never again,” he said, holding me tightly. “From now on, we build our dreams together.”
I smiled, tears in my eyes. “I think you’re an idiot. But you’re my idiot!”
He laughed, pulling me close. “I’ll take it.”
“You know,” I said softly, leaning into him, “this porch… I can already see us here, watching our little one take their first steps.”
He kissed my forehead, his voice full of emotion. “I promise you, Lizzie. This house, this family, this love—it’s everything I’ve ever desired. And I’ll never let go.”
