Our affair was discreet, always making sure not to leave any evidence behind. We were in or own little world, but I was getting tangled in the web of lies that l was spinning. I started to think what life might be like if I had left Rob for John. He seemed like he was everything I ever needed. One evening, John suggested that we take a weekend trip together. It would have been our first real time away together, and I was already ecstatic. The idea of openly being alone with him was way too tempting to resist. I had told Rob I had a work retreat, and I packed my things for what I thought was going to be the most romantic and exciting weekend of my entire life.
We had arrived at a warm cabin up in the woods. It was serene and isolated, truly perfect. As we were settling in, John seemed on edge. But I just brushed it off as nerves. We spent the day enjoying each others company. That night, as we were having a glass of wine, John held my hand and looked into my eyes with a sternness I had never seen before. "Sweetheart, there's something I have to tell you." he said, his voice unusually low.
My heart began to pound. "What is it?" I asked nervously. At first, he hesitated.
Then he took a deep breath and said "I haven't been entirely honest with you. Truth is, I'm not who you think I am." I nervously pulled my hand back.
So many questions began to flood my mind. "What are you saying?"
"I am a private investigator," he said.
His words hung in the air like a rain cloud. "Your husband hired me to follow you and see if you were cheating on him." I was stunned, almost unable to process what he was saying. "What? No.
This cannot be real." I pleaded. "It's real. Rob said he suspected something, so he hired me to really find out. It was just a job, at first. But then, I got to know the real you and I fell for you. This was not supposed to happen."
I felt the earth crumbling beneath me. Everything that I thought I knew, every emotion I felt all this time was now tainted knowing who John really was. He was hired to betray me, deceive me. "So all of this was a lie?"
I whispered, my voice barely audible.
"No," John quickly said. I could see the desperation in his eyes. "What I feel for you now is real. I didn't expect to fall in love with you when I was hired." I backed away from him, my mind was racing. "You have been spying on me this entire time? You were reporting everything back to my husband?" He nodded slowly. The guilt was written all across his face. "I'm sorry. But you have to believe me. I do want to be with you, I will tell him you aren't seeing anyone. We can start together fresh." His words were hollow. John wasn't real. He was a hired hand of my husbands suspicions. This affair was supposed to be my escape. And the worst part is I walked right into it.
