Freya was excited to start her new life as a newlywed and moved into her husband George’s family estate. However, a warning from Valerie, the maid, about George’s secret life quickly shattered their vows.
Brimming with post-wedding joy, I moved into my husband’s enchanting family home, complete with high ceilings, arches, fountains, and flowers everywhere.
George had wanted me to settle in before we left for our honeymoon in the South of France.
Yet, things weren’t as perfect as they seemed. From the start, the maid, Valerie, gave me looks that seemed to say, “You don’t belong here.” I tried to shake it off, determined to stay. Valerie would have to get used to it.
A few days into moving in, I decided to make breakfast for my new family. The house was massive, and George’s younger siblings still lived at home, so I prepared a large meal.
Valerie watched me closely in the kitchen, making me nervous. When I reached for my phone to look up egg recipes, it was missing.
“Have you seen my phone?” I asked Valerie, certain it had been on the table in front of her.
Valerie barely glanced at me and shook her head.
“I’d hurry up with the breakfast if I were you,” she said coldly. “The family expects it on the table before they come downstairs.”
Taking her advice, I finished the breakfast as Valerie left the kitchen.
I eventually found my phone on the seat Valerie had just vacated. The message on the screen turned my world upside down:
Check your husband’s drawer. The top left one, specifically. Then RUN!
My heart pounding, I made my way to our bedroom, the warning replaying in my mind. Valerie had tidied the room and folded our clothes from the night before.
I hesitated before opening the drawer, dreading what I might find. What secrets was George hiding?
Inside, I found a stack of letters tied with a faded ribbon and an old key. The letters, written by my husband, were to someone named Elena.
I sat on our bed and read through them all — each letter spoke of a love and future he promised to someone else.
With each word, my heart shattered. The last letter was a goodbye, dated just three days before George proposed to me.
And the key?
“Do you know what this key is for?” I asked Ivy, George’s younger sister, when it didn’t fit any locks in our room.
“Oh, I think it’s for the attic,” she said, inspecting the key. “It has to be; that was George’s favorite room. It’s always been so dark and drafty to me. I haven’t been there in years.”
I found my way to the attic. It was just as dark and drafty as Ivy had said.
But when I turned on the light, I was horrified.
The walls were covered in photographs of George and a woman — presumably Elena. Their love was evident in every picture, mocking me and our marriage.
I collapsed into the only armchair in the room, overwhelmed. Then I saw an ultrasound on the wall beneath a photograph of George and Elena dancing in a courtyard.
George and Elena had been expecting a baby. Of course, they had.
How had he hidden this from me for so long?
I examined each photograph, grappling with the reality that George had abandoned Elena and their unborn child.
“Freya?” came a soft voice from the doorway.
“Valerie,” I said, suddenly cautious.
“You weren’t supposed to find out this way,” she said sympathetically.
“You knew about this?” I asked, unsure how to react.
She nodded slowly.
“Elena is my sister. She thought you deserved to know the truth. She gave me the letters, and I put them in George’s drawer this morning.”
“And the baby?” I asked, my voice trembling.
Valerie leaned against the wall and explained. When the family was planning their Christmas party two years ago, Valerie had asked Elena to help with the cleaning.
“They immediately hit it off and fell in love. But when Elena found out she was pregnant and that the baby had Down syndrome, George didn’t want to be involved.”
Valerie explained that George had wanted to marry Elena out of love, but when he learned about the baby’s condition, he saw them as a burden.
“He promised to fight for her with his family, but everything changed.”
We then went to the living room where the family was gathered — George was absent. I told his parents about the letters and the attic full of photographs.
Valerie revealed everything about Elena and her baby.
When we finished, George walked in, clearly having overheard the conversation.
“Is this true?” his father demanded.
George’s silence was a damning admission.
His family quickly disowned him. George was cut off, and his inheritance was redirected to support Elena and her unborn child.
As for me?
I was granted a swift divorce — George didn’t even contest it, broken by the loss of his wealth. My ex-in-laws gave me a fresh start with assets initially meant for George.
I sold some of the assets and founded an organization to support children with disabilities, ensuring Elena’s baby was well cared for. Valerie manages the foundation with input from me and George’s mother, who cut ties with her son the moment she learned about the baby.
What would you have done if you were in my shoes?
9 Differences Between Men and Women That Have an Unexpected Explanation
Today, we would like to talk about the differences between men and women. You might say that you’ve known about these differences for your entire life, but it’s not that simple. We are sure that we’ll be able to highlight a few facts you’ve never heard of before. And in the bonus section, you’ll find out where the fashion for high heels came from.
The length of fingers
Let’s conduct a short experiment. Place your hand on a flat surface and compare the length of your index and ring fingers. In general, in women, the index finger is longer. In men, the ring finger is longer. How can this be explained?
According to scientists, the length of these fingers depends on the level of male and female hormones that affect the fetus in the womb. So, the reason why the ring finger is longer than the index finger in men is testosterone.
The skin on the heels
Scientists have found out that women’s skin is more hydrated in the décolleté area and on the hands. Only the skin on their heels is dryer than that of men. So, in equal conditions, men’s heels will be smoother.
Breast
You might think, “Why would a man need nipples?” It might sound strange but every person was initially female. When an embryo begins to develop in the womb, the male Y chromosome doesn’t immediately start working.
During the first 5-6 weeks, development occurs only under the influence of the X chromosome, so the nipples have enough time to form. If the embryo is male, the Y chromosome “turns on” after this period of time, and a boy is formed.
Men can even produce milk. Lactation is activated under special conditions, for example, it may appear during treatment with the hormone prolactin.
Vision
Women are better at seeing colors, but men are good at tracking fast-moving objects. This is probably linked to our hunter-gatherer past when men were hunters and women were gatherers.
For example, an orange may appear redder to a man than to a woman. The grass is almost always greener for women because green objects appear more yellow to men.
Gaining muscle mass
Many women have to go to the gym regularly to have a toned body, while a man can just lift a barbell a couple of times to get a 6 pack. So, what is the “ingredient” responsible for muscle development? If you guessed testosterone, you’re right.
In women, it is also produced, but in much smaller quantities. So, it is easier and faster for men to gain muscle mass.
Hair loss
Going bald after the age of 50 is typical for around half of men (and for a quarter of women too). The reason for this is a widespread hereditary disease, androgenetic alopecia, which is also called “male pattern baldness.” Due to this condition, hair follicles shrink, and hair becomes thinner and shorter, and eventually disappears.
Follicle shrinkage can be caused by sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone, a by-product of testosterone. This means that the more muscle-building hormone a man has, the more likely it is that he will become bald.
Adam’s apple
Both men and women have an Adam’s apple, but it’s more prominent in men. Why? The Adam’s apple is the cartilage that protects our vocal cords. It is formed during puberty. Since adult men have larger vocal cords, their Adam’s apple is also more prominent.
By the way, the larger the Adam’s apple, the deeper the voice. There is a theory that our ancestors needed a low voice in order to scare away predators.
Brain size
A man’s brain is larger than that of a woman, but this doesn’t mean that men are intellectually superior to women. Also, some parts of the brain in both sexes are different in size and work differently. For example, the hippocampus, which is involved in learning and creating memories, is larger in women. And the amygdala, which is associated with experiencing emotions and remembering them, is larger in men.
Scientists conducted an experiment: they showed the subjects a video so that they could recall some personal experiences. It turned out that in men, activity was observed only in the right amygdala, and in women, only in the left one.
Beard
At first glance, it might seem that a beard doesn’t provide any benefits. So, why does it grow? There is a theory that the jawline looks more massive thanks to a beard, so its wearer looks stronger and more masculine. Perhaps, our female ancestors tended to choose men with a thick beard as their partners because they thought they would produce healthy offspring with them.
Bonus: Heels
Nowadays, high heels are one of the symbols of femininity, aren’t they? However, in the 17th century, Persian riders used to wear one-inch heels. And since owning horses was a symbol of wealth, heeled shoes also came to signify money and power. The Persians then brought their fashion to Europe.
The French king Louis XIV became a big fan of heels. He even issued a decree according to which only nobles were allowed to wear heels. The higher and redder the heel was, the more powerful the wearer was.
The Sun King only allowed those who he favored the most to wear red heels. But since the 18th century, heels have become a purely feminine attribute, although this didn’t stop rock stars like David Bowie and The Beatles from wearing them.
Which facts mentioned in this article were new to you? Tell us in the comments below.
Preview photo credit 16704029 / Pixabay
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