I let my husband bring his pregnant sister home when her boyfriend kicked her out, but I never imagined how much they both lied to me and why.
After a couple of years of marriage, I noticed that my husband was coming home at odd hours of the night. He used to be here for dinner promptly, but lately, I could barely wait up for him. I didn’t want to think the worst.
I never understood those insanely jealous women who were always snooping on their husbands’ phones, wondering if he was having an affair. But now, I got it. He was acting strange and detached from me. Was there another woman?
One night, I couldn’t take it anymore and sat him down for a real talk about it. “You need to tell me the truth. Are you having an affair, Henry?” I asked.
“Marianne! No! How can you even ask that?” he answered.
“You need to tell me the truth! I know you’re not at work all the time. That’s just impossible. And even when you’re here, you’re always on the phone. What’s going on?” I questioned. I would not relent until he gave me the truth.
Ok. I have to tell you something. It’s a difficult situation, and I didn’t know what to do,” he started. “My sister is pregnant, but her boyfriend doesn’t want it. He’s kicking her out of their home.”
“What sister? You told me you didn’t have any sisters when we got married,” I said, suspicious of this situation.
“She had a huge falling out with the family for choosing to run away with her boyfriend. My parents disapproved. He looked like a bum. There was a big fight between all of us, and she left,” Henry explained.
That’s horrible! No wonder he’s kicking her out,” I replied, understanding why I had never heard about her now.
“Yeah. He’s such a horrible man, and I only heard from her a few months ago, after years of nothing. I’m so happy to have her back in my life, but I don’t know what to do to help her now,” he continued.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could’ve helped. I have an idea. She can move in here with us for the remainder of her pregnancy, and we’ll figure something out,” I told him.
“Are you sure? It’s a lot to ask,” Henry said, looking hopeful.
“Of course! She’s family. We can’t just abandon her,” I assured him.
“Thank you. Thank you. A million thank yous,” Henry said and hugged me. He looked so happy that it felt like I had my husband back.
The next day, I met Ariana. She was gorgeous and had a beautiful baby bump. She was also incredibly kind and helpful at home. Having her here was healing a part of me that I didn’t realize was hurting. For years, Henry and I had tried to have kids to no avail.
It just wouldn’t happen, but now, there would be a baby around the house soon. It made all of us so happy. Henry was flourishing as well. The three of us had lively conversations and laughed often. It was going well.
The only caveat was that Henry’s sister hated what had happened with her family in the past. She refused to talk about their big fight whenever I asked so I stopped asking to avoid upsetting her. But I wanted to know more about her life.
One day, we were having coffee and talking about nothing. “I’m so happy to be here. It’s like I have a real family now,” Ariana said.
“What do you mean?” I asked, genuinely curious about that odd comment.
“My entire life has been so complicated. I grew up in an orphanage and was never adopted. I didn’t get a proper education.”
“What?” I interrupted after processing what she had said. Ariana looked confused at first but realised what she said.
“Oh. I…I didn’t mean that. What I meant was,” she started.
“Who are you? I want the truth now, or you’re out of this house!” I bellowed.
“I’m sorry, Marianne. I’m so sorry. I’m not Henry’s sister. I’m…his girlfriend,” she said reluctantly. I was floored. This couldn’t be happening. My suspicions had been right all along.
My husband had not only lied about having a mistress, but he also brought her into our home. “Is that Henry’s baby?” I asked. It was one of the toughest questions I ever uttered.
Yes,” Ariana answered hesitantly.
Just then, Henry walked in. “How are my favourite girls in the entire world?” He asked after closing the door and looked at us with a smile. His face changed when he saw us.
“How could you lie to me this way?” I asked him.
“What are you talking about?” he questioned. But Henry saw my face again, and Ariana had tears in her eyes. “Listen, Marianne. It’s not as bad as you’re imagining.”
“You’re the worst man in the entire world. I asked you for the truth, and you couldn’t even do that! I hate you,” I cried.
“No, please. Marianne, the truth is that I fell in love with Ariana, and when her boyfriend found out, he kicked her out. It’s my baby. I couldn’t leave her stranded. But I love you too. I didn’t know what else to do,” Henry tried to explain.
“I could have understood that you had a mistress. I could have even understood that you got her pregnant. But this lie? This is something I could never get. You’re not the man I thought you were,” I finally said.
That day, I packed my bags. Ariana was pregnant with Henry’s baby. The child had to come first, and I was done with him. I wished them all the best and left with my head held high.
Luckily, my family received me with open arms and supported me while I got over this situation. A few years later, I met Hans and got married. He was the real love of my life, and we got pregnant almost immediately after the wedding.
The universe knew that Henry was not the man for me and had never blessed me with a baby because of it. But now, I got my happily ever after!