A Reluctant Promise by Quiet Fog

My husband, Mark, swore he' d never betray me.

After three years of his relentless pursuit, promising a world where my work was respected, I believed him.

Then, a routine check of our shared finances revealed recurring, substantial transfers to a secluded suburban home I' d never heard of.

I drove there myself, my heart pounding at the sight of his second car in the driveway, the one always "at the repair shop."

Chloe, Mark' s distant cousin, opened the door, her panic palpable, and behind her, two small children, twins, peeked out with Mark' s eyes.

Just then, Mark' s car pulled in, and his smile vanished when he saw me, followed by his parents, beaming, cooing over the toddlers.