One late night at the office, Mike received a mysterious email. Curiosity gnawed at him, so he clicked it open. A wave of shock hit him as he saw a bunch of chilling photos. His whole world flipped in a second, and everything he thought he knew about his life felt like a lie.

He quickly typed a reply: “Who are you? Why did you send these photos?”

Suddenly, his phone buzzed again. “We need to talk,” the same unknown number texted.

The drive to his boss’s house felt like it took forever, even though it was only across town. Anger and betrayal burned inside him, making his grip on the steering wheel tight.

He stood up, grabbing his coat. “I had to know what was going on.”

The sound of the front door opening snapped him out of his thoughts. “Mike, I’m home!” Catherine called out, her voice full of joy. She walked into the living room, smiling brightly.

She dropped her bag and rushed over to hug him. “I missed you so much,” she said, wrapping her arms around him.

The warmth of her embrace made him feel even worse. How could he have betrayed her?

“I missed you too,” he managed to say, his voice trembling.

He hugged her back, holding on a little tighter, knowing what he was about to do would change everything.

Catherine pulled back slightly, looking into his eyes. “What’s wrong, Mike?” she asked, her smile fading as she noticed his distress. “You look so tense.”