Unspoken Truths

• chapter 2 •

The morning after the anniversary celebration was anything but ordinary. Sunlight streamed through the kitchen windows, painting the room in a serene glow that contrasted sharply with the turmoil brewing inside Karen's heart. The night's festivities lingered in her mind, but there was a gnawing sense of unease that she couldn't shake. Something about Drew's behavior, his distant gaze, the shadows that flickered across his face-everything felt off.

As she sipped her coffee, trying to find solace in the familiar warmth, the doorbell rang. Karen's brow furrowed in confusion. It was early, too early for visitors. She placed her cup on the counter and made her way to the door, her curiosity mingling with apprehension.

Opening the door, she was met by a serious-looking man in a suit, holding an envelope. "Mrs. Sheard?" he asked, his tone professional yet somber.

"Yes, that's me," she replied, her pulse quickening.

"I'm sorry to disturb you so early, ma'am. I'm from Westfield & Associates. This is for you," he said, handing her the envelope. "It's a matter concerning Mr. Sheard and his... legal obligations."

Karen's heart sank as she took the envelope, her hands trembling slightly. "Legal obligations?" she echoed, her mind racing. What on earth could this be about?

The man nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm truly sorry for your loss."

"My loss?" Karen's confusion deepened. "I don't understand."

He hesitated, his expression filled with sympathy. "It's all explained in the letter, ma'am. I'm terribly sorry to deliver such news."

With that, he turned and left, leaving Karen standing in the doorway, clutching the envelope as if it held the answer to a question she didn't even know she had asked. She closed the door and hurried to the kitchen, her heart pounding in her chest.

She tore open the envelope, her eyes scanning the letter with increasing horror. The words seemed to blur as her mind tried to process what she was reading.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Sheard,

We regret to inform you that Ms. Monique Johnson has recently passed away, leaving her daughter, Zara Johnson, in the custody of her biological father, Mr. John Drew Sheard Sr. Given the sudden nature of her passing and the absence of any immediate family able to care for Zara, it is imperative that arrangements for her welfare be made promptly.

As Zara's legal guardian, Mr. Sheard, we urge you to contact our office as soon as possible to discuss the next steps. Ms. Johnson's last will indicated that Zara is to be placed in your care.

Please accept our condolences during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Westfield & Associates

Karen's world spun. She gripped the counter, her knuckles white as she tried to steady herself. Monique Johnson. The name echoed in her mind like a cruel taunt. It wasn't just any woman. Monique was Drew's affair-a painful chapter from their past she thought had been closed. And now, the consequence of that affair was knocking on their door in the form of a sixteen-year-old daughter he had kept secret from her.

"Drew!" Her voice was a sharp cry of disbelief and fury as she called for her husband. Her vision blurred with tears, but she blinked them away, adrenaline surging through her veins. She stormed through the house, the letter clenched in her fist like a weapon.

He appeared in the doorway, still in his pajamas, his face creased with concern. "Karen, what's going on? Why are you yelling?"

"What's going on?" She laughed, the sound bitter and wild. "What's going on? I just found out that your mistress died, and now we have custody of your daughter!" She thrust the letter at him, her hands shaking with rage.

Drew's face went pale as he took the letter from her, his eyes widening as he read. "I... I didn't know," he whispered, his voice choked. "I didn't know she died, Karen."

"Oh, so you knew about the child?" Karen's voice cracked with the weight of her betrayal. "All these years, you knew you had a daughter out there, and you never said a word to me? You lied to me, Drew!"

"I didn't lie!" he shouted back, his own anger surfacing. "I didn't know! Monique never told me about Zara. I had no idea she existed until a few months ago, and even then, I was trying to figure out how to tell you."

"Figure out how to tell me?" Karen's voice trembled with incredulity. "This isn't something you figure out, Drew. This is something you tell your wife. Immediately. You've had months to say something. Months!"

Drew ran a hand through his hair, his eyes wild with guilt and desperation. "I was scared, Karen. I knew how much it would hurt you. I didn't want to destroy everything we've built."

Karen's chest heaved as she struggled to hold back the sobs threatening to erupt. "Well, congratulations, Drew. You've managed to do exactly that. You've destroyed everything." She turned away, her hands clutching her head as if she could physically hold herself together.

"Please, Karen," Drew pleaded, his voice breaking. "I love you. I've always loved you. I made a mistake-"

"A mistake?" She whirled around, her eyes blazing with pain and fury. "A mistake is forgetting to pick up milk from the store, Drew. This-this is a betrayal. You had an affair. You had a child with another woman, and you hid it from me."

"I didn't hide it," he insisted, his voice raw with desperation. "I swear, I didn't know! Monique never contacted me, never asked for anything. I thought it was over, that part of my life was over."

"Except it wasn't over, was it?" Karen snapped, her voice like ice. "It was just waiting in the wings to blow up our lives."

She turned away, tears streaming down her face as she tried to process the magnitude of what this meant. Drew stood there, helpless, his eyes pleading with her to understand, to forgive. But Karen felt as if the ground had been ripped out from under her, everything she thought she knew about her husband and her marriage suddenly a lie.

"What are we going to do?" Drew asked quietly, his voice barely a whisper.

Karen looked at him, her eyes hollow with shock and betrayal. "I don't know, Drew. I don't know if I can do this. How am I supposed to welcome a child into our home, a child you had with another woman while you were married to me?"

"I never wanted this," he said, his voice breaking. "I never wanted to hurt you, Karen."

"But you did." Her words hung in the air, heavy with finality. "You did hurt me, Drew. And now, I have to live with the consequences of your choices."

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Karen felt her heart breaking, the love they had shared crumbling under the weight of his betrayal.

"I need time," she said finally, her voice barely a whisper. "I need time to think, to figure out what this means for us."

Drew nodded, tears shining in his eyes. "Take all the time you need. I'm so sorry, Karen. For everything."

She turned away from him, the man she had loved for so many years now feeling like a stranger. As she walked out of the kitchen, the reality of their shattered world pressed down on her, each step feeling heavier than the last. The perfect life they had built was gone, replaced by a truth she could never have imagined.