When Abbie’s husband disappears without a trace and leaves just a mysterious message behind, her entire world is turned upside down. A phone call from her mother-in-law a few days later reveals a startling news that completely unsettles Abbie. Matthew, where are you?
“What about Matthew? You’re not amused, where are you? Anticipating his voice from another room, I cried out.
With the exception of the refrigerator’s slight hum, the home was silent.
There was a note on the kitchen table, and my heart began to race.
“Don’t search for me,” it said.
Hoping it was a poor joke, I gazed at the note. Though Matthew was a big joker, this felt different. When I picked up my phone to call him, I heard the call go straight to voicemail.
“Matthew, please give me a call back,” I asked, attempting to maintain my calm. “This isn’t funny.”
Next, I gave his mother a call. “Hello, this is Abbie. Has Matthew gotten in touch with you?
“No, my dear,” Claire answered. “Is everything alright?”
“It is, indeed, indeed. I apologize; I believe he was simply out for a walk.”
I hung up and tried James, his closest friend.
James expressed concern that was similar to mine and stated, “No, Abbie, we haven’t heard from him.”
Matthew didn’t come back.
“Where’s Daddy?” the children incessantly asked.
I had no idea how to respond to them. With the message in my hand, I went to the police at last.
The officer stated, “Ma’am, we can’t start a search with the note he left.”
“But he’s missing!” I objected, with a knot in my throat. “What if something happened to him?”
The policeman gave a headshake. “I apologize, but grownups are free to vanish whenever they so choose. Nothing that we can do will help.
I felt alone and powerless as I left the station.
Our comfortable suburban home felt strangely empty when I got back. The kids and I gathered in the living room.
I said in a trembling voice, “Kids, I need to tell you something.” “Daddy is… he’s gone away for a while.”
“Why, Mommy?” inquired my youngest.
“Sweetheart, I’m not sure,” I answered, embracing her. “But we have to be strong, okay?”
Tears and unsolved questions filled the days that followed.
I felt like Matthew was there in every part of the house.
His go-to jacket still hanging in the closet, his shoes by the entrance, and his beloved coffee mug on the counter.
It was difficult, but I tried to keep things as normal as possible for the kids. My heart ached a little more each time they inquired about their father.
Afterwards, my mother-in-law called me one day.
The room fell still as she spoke, “If you want to know the truth, promise me you won’t tell Matthew anything,” over the FaceTime conversation.
“Make a vow? What is happening?” I questioned as a knot in my stomach started to tighten.
Matthew is at my house right now. together with his mistress and their recently born child,” she said.
I was appalled.
“Abbie, Matthew instructed me to keep it a secret from you,” she went on. “He brought his mistress here since she had nowhere else to go. He intends to rent them an apartment using funds from your joint account. He informed me that he intended to remain with his mistress and file for divorce. She’s just 19 years old.
It was as though the earth had suddenly lifted off of me.
Tears streaked my eyes as I tried to make sense of what she was saying.
“He… he’s what?” I stumbled over my words.
“I’m sorry for lying to you about his whereabouts and not telling the truth earlier,” she said. Since he is my kid, I was at a loss for what to do. It took me a while to process everything. However, you are also my family and the mother of my cherished grandchildren. That’s why I made the decision to be honest with you. You still have time, Abbie. For the benefit of your children, you can locate a lawyer and save money.”
I was trembling, with feelings of betrayal, despair, and rage racing through me.
I tried to steady my voice as I said, “I can’t believe this.” “I appreciate you telling me. I have to defend both myself and my kids.”
After hanging up the phone, I sat there in startled silence as the truth of my predicament hit home. The man I loved and trusted, Matthew, was about to walk out on us in favor of another woman.
The children felt that something was off. My youngest inquired, her huge eyes full of confusion, “Mommy, where’s Daddy?”
“My dear, he’s not coming back,” I replied, embracing her tightly. “But we have each other, and we’ll be okay.”
My mother-in-law had told me something I could not believe, but I had to keep going for my children. I called a lawyer right away.
We were talking about my alternatives when I got a call from an unidentified number. I was unsure about answering at first.
“Hello?” I spoke carefully.
“Hello, Abbie? It’s Lisa. Matthew has been seeing this woman, me. “I must speak with you,” the voice at the other end said.
A shiver went through my body. I went, “How dare you!” “How dare you call me?”
Just come meet me, please. There’s something significant that you should be aware of. It concerns your family,” she begged.
I was furious. If I hadn’t heard helplessness in her voice, I never would’ve agreed to see her face.
“All right. I said, “Where would you like to meet?”
“Are you aware of the historic café on Street 8? 6 p.m. Does that function?
I entered the café at precisely six o’clock in the evening, looking for her. It was unbelievable to me that Mathew could have dated a girl so young when I first saw Lisa’s image.
She was seated in a corner booth already.
As soon as I sat down, she said, “Thank you for coming.”
“Why did you want to meet?” I enquired.
“I knew Matthew was going to leave you, but I had no idea he would leave you in this manner. She started, “I didn’t consent to any of this.
“Why should I believe you?” I asked, defensively folding my arms.
She produced a stack of papers from within her bag.
“Matthew sent these letters and emails. He said some terrible remarks about you, which I know are untrue. He has been deceiving us both.”
I picked up the newspaper and started reading.
When I saw the lies and deception exposed, my hands trembled with wrath. I shook my head and muttered, “I can’t believe this.”
Lisa gave me a serious look. “He intends to rob you of everything. However, I want no part of it. I wish to support you.”
“Why are you doing this?” Stunned, I inquired.
“Because I was blind to the true nature of this man until it was too late. Tears welled up in her eyes, “I want to make things right, at least in some small way.”
I saw the sincere regret and anguish on her face as I stared at her. Perhaps she was being honest.
I said, “Alright,” very slowly. As much proof as possible needs to be gathered if you are sincere about assisting. I have to safeguard my kids and make sure we have a future.”
For the next hour, we spoke about our strategy. As Lisa continued to divulge information regarding Matthew’s machinations, we began to forge an odd coalition.
Although it was uncomfortable to put my faith in the lady who had dated my husband, her eagerness to assist gave me hope.
I sat at the office of my lawyer the following morning.
“We must face him as a group. But first, I have to make sure he can’t take any more money from us by protecting my funds,” I informed Kate, my attorney.
“With the information Lisa provided, we can freeze the joint accounts and protect your assets,” she reassured me.
We went over every aspect one by one.
In order to safeguard my assets and lock our joint accounts, Kate completed the required papers.
I knew we had to be meticulous, but it felt like a race against the clock.
All of the information Lisa had provided was incredibly important.
I sat at the kitchen table one evening with documents all over the place.
My mother-in-law stopped by to assist with the children. She took a seat across from me and handed me a cup of tea.
Softly, “You’re doing the right thing, Abbie,” she remarked. “I am so sorry for what my son is putting you through.”
“Claire, Matthew is the only one who is to responsible for this. Even Lisa didn’t see this coming,” I retorted while taking a sip of my tea. “I’m so grateful to you for your support.”
She squeezed my hand reassuringly and added, “You’re stronger than you think.” “I’m always with you, okay?”
The day finally arrived when everything was ready. Taking a big breath, Lisa and I approached my mother-in-law’s door. The police trailed closely behind, prepared to put our legal actions into effect.
Matthew looked up as we walked in, startled to see us.
His eyes darted between Lisa and me as he shouted, “Abbie, what are you doing here?”
“It’s over, Matthew,” I declared with firmness. “Everything is known to us. Your deceit, your treachery, your schemes. It won’t get away from you.”
“What’s this all about? His cheeks flushed with rage, he yelled, “You can’t do this to me!”
With a composed yet determined tone, Lisa took a step forward. “We’ve done so already. You won’t cause harm to other people.
The cops entered and handed over the court filings.
Mr. Johnson, you must accompany us. One of them added, “You’re being served with an order to vacate the premises and a restraining order.”
Matthew’s arrogance crumbled as he looked about. He whispered, trying to find a way out of the predicament, “This isn’t fair.” His voice faltered.
“Well, ex-husband, it’s quite fair,” I answered, gesturing to the divorce documents. “You made your choices, and now you face the consequences.”
I felt a flood of relief and tiredness pass me as the officers led him away. I turned to Lisa and my mother-in-law, who provided me with steadfast support.
I responded, “Thank you,” as relief-filled tears ran down my cheeks. “I couldn’t have done this without you two.”
I was crying once more, but this time they were tears of thankfulness and hope. It was time to start over and move on.
How would you have responded in the situation?
Here’s another story to enjoy if you liked this one: When medical testing proved the twin boys Harry had raised as his kids weren’t actually his, Harry was devastated. Enraged, he returned home to face his spouse, only to uncover a lie that would permanently destroy their family.
