My marriage felt like a dream until I discovered my husband was renting a secret house on the outskirts. What I found when I visited unveiled a heart-stopping truth, exposing the dark reality of the man I thought I knew. For years, I thought my husband Stan and I were living a fairy tale. He was my soulmate, not just a partner I shared the same roof or bed with, and I happily put his wishes first, even delaying having children. Then, one day, a forgotten phone revealed the painful truth: my husband wasn\u2019t who I thought he was.Stan and I met during a press conference in Tokyo seven years ago. We\u2019ve been together ever since, married for five of those golden years. He seemed perfect in every sense of the word. \u201cMindy, you wouldn\u2019t believe the day I\u2019ve had,\u201d Stan once said, collapsing onto our plush sofa after a long day at work. \u201cBut seeing your face makes it all better.\u201d I smiled, settling next to him.\n
\u201cTell me about it. I want to hear everything.\u201d Those were the days when we couldn\u2019t get enough of each other.Stan loved me and showered me with precious gifts, but after some time, I got bored of his expensive gifts. I wanted him, his time, and not those materialistic sparkly diamonds or opulent pearls. \u201cAnother necklace?\u201d I once asked, trying to mask my disappointment as I opened the velvet box. Stan beamed, oblivious to my tone. \u201cOnly the best for you, darling.\u201dI forced a smile, wishing he\u2019d understand that his presence was worth more than any jewelry.\n
Stan worked in an office in an amazing position and made good money. But the thing is, he started spending more time at work while I stayed at home, dusting, cooking, and cleaning. Stan barely had time for me, and I missed those days when we used to Netflix binge, bake together, or even grab some good sleep. Stan started coming home late, and I\u2019d be mostly asleep. His focus shifted entirely to work, and as his career climbed new heights, our connection dwindled.So while I was already dealing with the heartbreak of Stan not spending time with me, on a fateful morning, right after my husband left for work, I noticed he\u2019d forgotten his phone on the table in a hurry. I thought he would come back for it, but he didn\u2019t. I went about my day, doing laundry and refilling the vases with fresh garden flowers when his phone buzzed suddenly. Curiosity overcame me, and I impulsively grabbed it to check the message.Stan had locked his phone, but he didn\u2019t know I had once seen his pattern lock and knew it by heart, though I never snooped into his phone or privacy before. But something compelled me to check the message after seeing it written in all caps with the words \u201cfinal reminder.\u201d So I unlocked Stan\u2019s phone and saw the message: \u201cSTAN! THIS IS YOUR FINAL REMINDER TO PAY THE RENT FOR THE HOUSE, OR I\u2019LL HAVE TO RENT IT TO SOMEONE ELSE! TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE!\u201dMy hands shook as I read it again. Stan was renting a house? Without telling me? I felt like I\u2019d been punched in the gut. Just then, he called my phone. \u201cHey, honey. I left my phone at home. I\u2019ll be home late tonight\u2026 important client meeting.\u201d I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. \u201cFine!\u201d As I hung up, I couldn\u2019t help but wonder what Stan was hiding from me.The rest of the day was a blur as I obsessively checked the clock. At precisely five o\u2019clock, I hailed a cab, directing the driver to Stan\u2019s office, which I knew closed around half-past five or six. I didn\u2019t take my car because mine was a yellow Mini Cooper, and I didn\u2019t want to risk Stan finding out I was following him.\n
\u201cI need to be there a bit early,\u201d I told myself, my heart pounding. \u201cI have to find out what he\u2019s up to.\u201dAt 6 p.m. sharp, I saw Stan leaving his office and get in his car, driving to the outskirts of the city. Weird. \u201cFollow that car,\u201d I instructed the driver, feeling like I was in some kind of spy movie. After what felt like an eternity on wheels, Stan parked outside a small, rundown house and went inside the building.I asked the cabbie to wait, and gathering my courage, I went after Stan ten minutes later. My hand trembled as I reached for the doorknob. \u201cHere goes nothing,\u201d I whispered to myself. I slowly opened the door and nearly lost my breath when I saw Stan sitting on a chair near an easel of painting. What was going on? I barged inside, and Stan\u2019s face turned pale as though he\u2019d seen a ghost. \u201cM-Mindy?\u201d he stammered. \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201dI ignored his question, my eyes darting around the room filled with canvases and paint tubes. \u201cWhat on earth are you doing here, Stan? Why did you rent this house?\u201d Stan didn\u2019t understand how I\u2019d found out until I told him about seeing the message on his phone. He sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping. \u201cThis house is my escape from the daily grind. It\u2019s where I come to refresh and refocus.\u201d I felt a surge of relief and confusion. \u201cBut why didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201dShame flushing his face, he averted his gaze. \u201cI was embarrassed about my hobby, given my high-profile job. I feared your teasing.\u201d I moved closer, my anger softening. \u201cStan, I\u2019d never laugh at something that makes you happy. But why all the secrecy?\u201d Although I wanted to believe him, my instincts told me he was still hiding something from me. And I was right. Just two minutes later, someone knocked on the door.Stan jumped up, panic flashing across his face. \u201cMindy, maybe you should go home now. I can explain everything later.\u201d But I was already moving towards the door.\n
\u201cNo, I think I\u2019ll get my answers now.\u201d \u201cMindy, wait\u2014\u201d Stan tried stopping me, but I approached the door and opened it, only to stand back in shock.A young, beautiful brunette stood in the doorway, chewing bubblegum and eyeing me curiously. \u201cWho are you?\u201d I asked. She blew a bubble before answering, \u201cI\u2019m Luke\u2019s girlfriend. He paints portraits of me. And who are you? What are you doing here?\u201d My world spun. \u201cLuke? Girlfriend?\u201d I sputtered. Then, finding my voice, I declared, \u201cI\u2019m his WIFE! And his name\u2019s STAN! Not Luke!\u201dThe girl\u2019s eyes widened in shock. Before I could process what was happening, Stan rushed past me, pushing the girl away and slamming the door shut. He turned to me, his face ashen. \u201cMindy, I can explain\u2014\u201d I yanked away as he tried to cup my face. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on, Stan? Who is she?\u201d My eyes darted around the room, noticing for the first time that all the easels were draped with beige cloth. With trembling hands, I pulled the cloth off the nearest one.My breath caught in my throat. It was a painting of a half-naked woman, the same woman who had just been at the door. Tears began streaming down my face as I moved from easel to easel, uncovering more paintings. \u201cMindy, please,\u201d Stan begged. \u201cIt\u2019s not what you think\u2014\u201d But I was beyond listening. I dropped to my knees, pulling out more canvases from under the bed. They were all the same\u2014portraits of scantily clad women in suggestive poses. And then I found the photos.\u201cOh God,\u201d I choked out, staring at images of Stan\u2026 my Stan\u2026 in compromising positions with these women. The truth hit me like a freight train. Stan was cheating on me.\n
\u201cIt was a mistake,\u201d he kept saying, his words tumbling over each other. \u201cSome kind of obsession I can\u2019t overcome. Mindy, please\u2014\u201d But I was already moving towards the door, my vision blurred by tears.\u201cMindy, wait!\u201d Stan called after me. \u201cLet me explain!\u201d I ignored his pleas, stumbling out into the night air. My whole body shook as I got into the cab, Stan\u2019s cries still echoing in my ears. Overwhelmed, I raced home and frantically packed before seeking refuge at my aunt\u2019s place. The next morning, I called my lawyer and initiated divorce proceedings.Two weeks have passed since that day. As I wait for the divorce proceedings to begin, I can\u2019t stop shaking. How could I have shared my life with someone like Stan? How could I have been so blind? I reported him to the police, shattering his carefully curated public image. It felt like the only way to reclaim some power in this nightmare.As I sit in my new apartment, staring at the walls, I can\u2019t help but think about how quickly my \u201cperfect\u201d marriage crumbled. It was as fragile as glass, shattering into a million pieces at my feet. I don\u2019t know how long it will take to heal from these scars. The betrayal runs deep, inflicted by the very man I worshipped, trusted, and loved.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I Found Out My Husband Rents a House on the Outskirts \u2013 My Heart Nearly Stopped When I Visited My marriage felt like a dream until I discovered my husband was renting a secret house on the outskirts. What I found when I visited unveiled a heart-stopping truth, exposing the dark reality of the man\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":86127,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[855],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-86124","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-story"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/191.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86124"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86128,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86124\/revisions\/86128"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}