Hidden [COMPLETED]

Chapter 3

Freen only had one thought, find the yellow-painted house and confront Becky. But when she arrived, she realized she hadn’t thought this through. How was she going to find her in this sprawling city?

She had shown the photo of the yellow house to a lot of people, asking if they knew where it was. When that didn’t work, she even showed them a picture of Becky. Finally, luck turned in her favor. A man recognized both and gave her directions.

When she got there, she felt lost. It didn’t seem possible for a house to be in the middle of the woods. Then, she spotted a path made by people. After a five-minute walk, Freen saw it—the lover's home.

She braced herself as she took her first steps. Her heart raced. She looked around; nothing but trees surrounded her. A few more steps, and she saw a stunning lake. This should be paradise, Freen thought. Just then, a loud scream pulled her from her thoughts. Without hesitation, she ran toward the house. There she saw her. Freen thought she might stop breathing at the sight of such beauty. What a lovely woman!

"I was... I was just taking a walk, and I heard you scream. Are you... are you alright?" Freen barely managed to ask. Why was she suddenly stumbling over her words?

Freen had only come to expose the truth about her husband's affair, but when she faced the woman from her husband's other life, she could only stare blankly at the tear-streaked face.

The tall brunette looked back at her with wide eyes. Judging by the sadness in her expression, did she already know about Saint's death?

"I'm sorry. I just received some bad news, and it's just... it's so overwhelming. I can feel it here." She clutched her chest. "I needed to scream it away. But it’s not... it’s not..."

And the tears came again. Freen wanted to wipe them away but settled for a comforting smile instead.

"I know," Freen said, understanding the pain. They were both going through something similar.

"Can I ask what kind of bad news it was?"

"I lost... I lost the love of my life.”

"I'm sorry..." Freen replied, feeling as if the words applied to both of them.

"Yeah, me too. I just hope I’m not the reason he died." Becky sighed.

Freen froze, taken aback by Becky’s thought that Saint might have committed suicide.

"What do you mean by being the reason for his death?" She had to ask.

"They said he took his own life, but I didn't get it at first because we were happy. But maybe he felt stressed about loving two women. He's married to another woman, you see. And being the other woman maybe I shouldn't have let this last this long."

"How long did it go on?" Freen asked, trying to sound casual.

"Six years," Becky replied.

***

"Six years!" Freen exclaimed to her best friends. “Six out of ten years of my marriage, and I had no idea he was having an affair! I was blind for six years! Not one year, not two, but SIX!”

Nam and Noey had come to check on Freen. When they reached her apartment, they found her digging into Saint's affair, sifting through information she downloaded from his secret phone after visiting the other woman.

Freen had printed everything out and displayed it on the wall like a crime investigation. Her friends watched as she presented her findings.

"Look!” Freen held up a slip of paper, a text exchange between Becky and Saint. “He told her about the romantic birthday surprise I planned and how happy he was! Who tells their lover things like that about their wife? She replied, saying she was glad he was happy! She's oddly nice and generous for someone having an affair! She's not angry; she's not jealous."

"So she knew he was married the whole time? And still kept this up for six years? She's definitely mistress material," Noey scoffed.

Freen shook her head. “I saw how she reacted. She loved him. She said he was the love of her life. I can't comprehend either of them."

"Why didn’t you reveal who you are and confront her about the affair?" Nam asked.

“Because I think she’ll open up more if she thinks I’m someone else," Freen said, continuing her presentation.

“What do you want to gain from this, Freen? We’ve gone through this before. It’s not good for you," Noey said.

“Freen, you need to step away from all this,” Nam advised. “You should try grief therapy. I know someone who can help you.”

“Do I look like I’m grieving that much? This helps distract me from grief!” Freen shot back.

“You look worse than ever! You’re digging into the past and just hurting yourself more!” Noey added.

“I’m fine!” Freen insisted.

“You’re NOT FINE!” Both of her best friends exclaimed.