I thought my fiance was cheating on me. But the truth might be even worse. [Part 2]

Part 1
Stella raised an eyebrow at my shocked expression. “Is everything alright?†“Fine,†I nodded, and continued to braid her hair. We sat in silence for a bit. That dark hair, the pale skin, the same curve of the nose, the same lips, the same delicate features. There was only one explanation.
Haltingly, I asked, “So, Stella, your mother...you were very close to her, weren’t you?â€
It was a pitiful attempt at starting a conversation, but my mind was numb.
“Oh yes,†she said quietly, “Mummy and I were very close. She was my best friend. I know it sounds weird, having your mother as your best friend, but I was shy in school and didn’t have that many people to talk to. Mummy was always there to talk to me. And I listened to her too.â€
“You must have many good memories of her.â€
“Yeah.†she sighed, a tear forming at the corner of her eye, “I just don’t understand why she left us like that. I was so mad at her, you know? For the first couple of weeks, I didn’t even feel sad. I just felt angry.â€
“Im sorry,†I regretted delving into such a sensitive topic. On a Monday morning, no less. I finished Stella’s braids. She got up and impulsively gave me a hug.
“Promise me you won’t leave us,†she murmured. Then, her voice faltered. It seemed like she wanted to say something else, but hesitated against it. Finally, her voice reduced to a whisper, she said, “Promise me you won’t let him hurt you.â€
Without another word, she left.
I stood there, trying to process what she had just said. A sudden buzz from my pocket interrupted my reverie. It was a text from Mark.
“Miss me, babe?†he had written, followed by a kissing face. I shuddered.
Promise me you won’t let him hurt you.
Promise me.
Oh Stella, what did you mean?
—
I drove the kids to school and went to work myself. I was one of three librarians at the local branch. Today, the library was all but empty, and it gave me time to think over the events of the past week.
The library closed at 5. The kids were already home by the time I had arrived. Stella had made sure her younger siblings had their afterschool snack and that they had finished their homework. She even got started on making supper. She was the one who pulled the family through, and took on the role of mother after the tragedy. Certainly a very responsible young girl.
I helped her with supper, and we ate together as a family.
“When’s daddy coming back?†Olive, the youngest girl, asked.
“He told me in a few days,†I replied.
“He’s not usually gone for this long,†Victor, the only boy, lamented.
“Oh?†my ears perked up, “How long is he gone for, usually?"
“Just Sunday. Sometimes Saturday,†Leah said, “Sometimes he’s home before supper, sometimes he stays over at a friend’s house near the golf course.â€
“Your dad really loves golf, huh? When did he start playing?â€
“Around 3 years ago,†Leah told me, “After mom killed herself.â€
“Leah!†Stella hissed.
“What?†Leah looked at her older sister with wide eyes, “It’s not a secret, is it?â€
“Dad said golf helped him relax and deal with the pain,†Stella told me, “Honestly, it’s why he’s stayed so sane these past few years.â€
“I guess you’ll be our mommy soon?†Olive asked.
“I...I suppose so,†I stuttered, “Of course, you don’t have to THINK of me as your mommy. Unless you want to.â€
“I’m going to call you mommy,†Olive smiled a toothless grin. My heart swelled. Oh, she was just adorable.
"Don't scare her, Olive," Leah rolled her eyes, “Or else she’s going to bail on us like Jess did.†Jess was Mark’s ex-girlfriend, who supposedly left him because she was overwhelmed by the idea of being a stepmother.
“Stop talking, Leah,†Stella warned her again.
We ate in silence.
—
“Im sorry about Leah,†Stella apologized after dinner, “She doesn’t know when to stop sometimes.â€
“Oh, no worries. It’s good she’s being so open about everything. She seems to have taken it well.â€
“It’s an act,†Stella sighed, “In truth, she was the most devastated out of all of us. I was angry, but she was just sad. She cried for months, and had these awful night terrors. She’d wake up in her sleep, screaming, and I’d try to get her to tell me what was wrong, but she said she couldn’t remember.â€
“That’s terrible.†I murmured.
“Yeah. All our lives were turned upside down. Everything was different. Daddy moved us out of our old house. He sold his car, because it reminded him too much of mom. He sold the cottage. His sister lived with us for a bit. I didn’t like her, although she helped us a lot. He even stopped going to church, because...â€
“Wait.†I blinked, “Cottage?â€
“Yeah. Our lake house. He sold it because there were too many memories there, he said. I wish he didn’t. I loved going there every summer.â€
“What was it like?â€
“It was cozy. Not like those fancy cottages rich people have, but it was good enough for us. Daddy and mommy would paint it every spring, and I got to pick the colour. The last year we were there, they painted it lavender, my favourite colour. Our uncle said it looked hideous, but I loved it.â€
Lavender. I vaguely remember the purple tinge of the chipping paint. A stark contrast from the dull plywood used to board up the windows.
“Stella,†my voice grew low, “What did you mean when you said this morning, Promise me you won’t let him hurt you?â€
Stella was alarmed by the sudden change in conversation.
“Oh, um,†she faltered, “Nothing. I was just...emotional after talking about mum’s death. I kind of blamed my dad for it, but that’s stupid. Dad is a wonderful dad, I shouldn’t have spoken about him like that.â€
Her face flushed red, and she busied herself with the dishes.
— Stella went to bed early that night. I made the rounds, tucking in the kids and kissing them goodnight. I already felt like a mother to them.
With the kids asleep, I decided it was time to get to the bottom of this. I searched the house for clues. Papers, documents, pictures, something. Anything to prove that Mark’s wife was dead. I found nothing. It seemed as if Mark had effectively erased all traces of his wife’s existence.
I even looked through the boxes in the basement. One caught my eye. It was labelled “Toys for donation†but it certainly didn’t sound like there were any toys in there.
I pried open the box, and found what I had been looking for. The first item that caught my eye was a thick photo album. I looked inside and it was blank. My heart dropped. Then, when I lifted the book up, something fell out. It was a faded polaroid, and the caption said, “Our first date.†There was Mark, young and handsomer than ever, with his arm around a young woman. The same young woman from the cabin. Stella’s mother. His wife.
I dropped the picture like it was on fire.
Rummaging further through the box didn’t yield much, except an envelope labelled “to J†and a thin diary. I opened the enveloped, and revealed a letter in distinctively feminine handwriting.
What an odd little letter. Who was Harry? And why was the phrasing so awkward? The letter gave me nothing but more questions.
“Whatcha reading there?â€
I gasped and turned around.
It was Stella, standing over me. How had I not noticed her before?
“Nothing,†I mumbled, stuffing the letter back into the box and pocketing the diary.
“What are you looking for?†she asked, eyeing the box curiously.
“Your father told me he wanted to wear a pair of cufflinks that belonged to his grandfather for the wedding, and I wanted to find it for him.†My face was flushed, and my voice trembled.
“You’re lying.†She said tersely. For a second, we stared at each other wordlessly. Then, finally, she turned to leave.
I let out a breath. Stella was onto me. I wanted so badly to tell her the truth, but what WAS the truth? Even if I knew it, would she be ready to handle it? Would I be ready?
Needless to say, I slept poorly again that night. I sat in bed and opened Jasmine's diary. The very first entry was dated from 4 years ago.
My eyes widened. Was Mark really like that? He didn't seem controlling whatsoever. Certainly not the type to forbid his wife from leaving the house. Intrigued, I flipped through the pages, and another entry caught my eye:
Over the next few months, Jasmine continued to document her friendship with Harry, which eventually led to a romantic relationship.
The next page was empty, and all the pages following. April 7 was her last journal entry. I wanted to go downstairs to the basement and look for more clues, but I was scared of what I'd find. Again, I barely slept that night.
I felt like crap the next day. Still, I dutifully packed the kids lunches and drove them to school. Stella seemed to forget about last night, and lapsed back to her reserved, quiet self.
I decided to call in sick for work. Mark was supposed to be coming home tomorrow, and I still didn’t have the whole story. So I went back to the lake house, knowing that I'd somehow be able to find out the truth there. But before I left, I told my sister what was happening, that I suspected Mark was cheating on me and I was going to his cottage to find out. She wanted to come with me, but I said that this was something I had to do alone.
I tried my best to retrace the route Mark had taken, but it was hard. I got lost many times, and was ready to call it quits until I stumbled upon a familiar dip in the road. I finally arrived at the site of the cottage, and parked behind the large tree like before. Mark’s car was there, parked right at the front of the door.
I stopped the engine, and suddenly, tears filled my eyes. He was in there. Regardless of what I found, his wife or somebody else, the truth was that my fiancé had been lying to me. Had been lying to me for the whole time, probably.
But I steeled myself. “Woman up,†I whispered. I pre-dialled “911†on my phone, and wrapped my hands around a Swiss Army knife I had gotten as a present from my father. I tiptoed to the cabin, and crouched down beneath the windows, hoping to hear voices. But all I heard was silence. I took a picture of Mark’s car. I needed evidence.
Cautiously, I went around to the back. I heard a laugh, but it wasn’t coming from inside.
I peered around the corner of the cabin, and what I saw made my heart hurt.
I saw a couple sitting on the dock, their backs towards me. His arm was draped over her, she leaned her head against his shoulder. The waters sparkled underneath the midday sun.
She was feeding the loons swimming on the lake with breadcrumbs and pieces of crackers. She extended a hand out, and that’s when I noticed the metal cuffs on her wrist.
He kissed her hair with a tenderness that made me ache. That’s when I took a step back, as he had turned his head in my direction ever so slightly.
“Babe, it seems like we have a visitor,†he told her calmly.
They both turned their heads to face me. Her face was spotted with bruises, and a dark purple line was etched into her neck.
I ran.
I could hear Mark chase after me, and I ran like my life depended on it. I finally grabbed onto the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. Curse this stupid old car, I thought. I reached into my pocket for my phone, but realized I had dropped it somewhere in my frenzy.
“Got you,†Mark caught up to me, and grabbed my wrists.
“You sick lying *******!†I screamed, struggling and kicking with all my might.
"Just couldn't mind your damn business, could you?" he spat, "I'm taking you inside."
“No!†I yelled. I did my best to fight him off, but he was so strong. He dragged me all the way to the front of the cabin, through the open door.
It was so dark and decrepit inside. He dragged me downstairs to the basement. When we reached the bottom, I stopped fighting and he loosened his grasp on me ever so slightly, just enough to give me leverage and kick him where it hurts most. He groaned and doubled over in pain.
I took this as my cue to leave. I hastily scrambled up the stairs, across the tiny living room, and towards the front door, which was still open.
But she was standing there, staring at me with a blank expression in her brown eyes, a block of plywood in her hands.
“Jasmine†I cried, “Let’s go! Run to my car, quick! I can help you."
She shook her head sadly, and walked towards me, arms raised.
“No,â I whispered.


Source.