Avery Turner’s life fell apart the moment she discovered spreadsheets on her husband’s laptop. The revelation hit her like a tsunami, leaving her gasping for air. As she continued to explore his computer, a terrifying truth unfolded: the man she had loved and trusted for more than six years had hidden a deep, dark secret from her. If Avery hadn’t chosen that crucial moment to inspect her husband Jerome’s laptop, the truth would have remained hidden. She had noticed his growing distance and attributed it to the long hours and stress of his trucking job. With more than a month having passed since she last saw him, a gnawing sense of unease suggested that something was wrong.
Avery came to terms with the fact that her husband’s career frequently kept them separated for long stretches, leading to occasional bouts of loneliness. However, whenever he came back, her sadness would dissipate, giving way to the excitement of spending quality time together. At first, Avery found it extremely challenging to cope with the long absences, but Jerome’s diligent communication through regular texts and video calls gradually alleviated her anxiety, helping her endure the time apart more easily.
For six wonderful years, Avery relished her picture-perfect marriage with Jerome, who she believed to be the ideal partner. Despite her strong desire to have children, the idea of Jerome frequently being away for work and leaving her to parent alone filled her with anxiety. Yet, despite these worries, another more urgent issue now preoccupied her mind.
One morning, Avery woke up to discover that Jerome was missing from their bed. Having come back only a week ago, Jerome’s demeanor had drastically changed. The usual ritual of enjoying coffee together in bed was no more. Instead, Jerome was engrossed with his laptop, a faraway look in his eyes, leaving Avery bewildered about what was going on in his mind. Avery watched as her husband pounded away at the keyboard, entirely immersed in his work, oblivious to her arrival.
The spell broke when his phone rang, and with a deep, resigned sigh, he finally picked up. Despite knowing she was intruding, Avery found herself irresistibly drawn to listen in on his conversation. As she approached, Avery overheard her husband say, “I know, I know, I totally forgot. All right, I’m handling it now. You know how hectic things get when I’m traveling. Paying bills is the last thing I think about.” After ending the call, he sank into his chair, cradling his head in his hands, and muttered, “What a mess I’ve made.”
Puzzled, Avery watched him, her face reflecting her bewilderment at his obvious frustration. Breaking the tranquil stillness, Avery decided to initiate conversation. “Hey, sweetheart, everything all right? You look a bit tense. What brings you up at this hour? Maybe we could shake off the stress and indulge in our typical morning ritual of breakfast in bed,” she suggested with a warm smile.
Startled by the presence of his wife, Jerome swiftly shut his sketchbook and sprang up from his chair, catching Avery off guard with his abruptness. “Morning, love. Apologies for the early rise. My brain decided it was time to start the day,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her. Avery noticed his unease, a departure from his usual calm demeanor.
“Hey there, what’s on your mind? Something bothering you? Work, perhaps? Did you manage to sort out that time off we discussed, you know, for our getaway to Florida?” Avery asked, aiming to ease his burden.
As Avery suggested to her husband that they embark on a spontaneous getaway, the mood in the room underwent an abrupt transformation. “I’ve mentioned before, now isn’t the ideal moment. My workload is hefty. Why must you consistently center everything around yourself, Avery? You’re incredibly self-absorbed,” Jerome snapped briskly before swiftly exiting the premises.
Avery had not witnessed her husband have such an outburst in all the years they had been together. However, they had met at a very weird time in Avery’s life. She was going through a tough breakup when her friends decided to drag her along to a bar and restaurant they all frequented. This was where she met Jerome. He was sitting at the bar, watching her at the table with all of her friends. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, and it wasn’t long before her friends encouraged her to go up and talk to him after he sent a round of drinks to them.
They knew he was a trucker just by the way he was dressed, and it wasn’t Avery’s usual type of man that she dated. However, they were very surprised when Avery announced that she was head over heels in love with her trucker boyfriend. Eventually, after three months of dating, the two lovebirds eloped. Avery hopped into Jerome’s semi, and they drove to Las Vegas to get married. Although it was a whirlwind romance, Avery and Jerome were happy, and it was just what Avery needed after her tough breakup.
However, Avery was about to find out something about her husband. She watched him drive off in their car; he was probably going to blow off some steam. It seemed like she had struck a nerve in him, and she was now determined to figure out why. He had been very withdrawn lately, and they hardly spent any time together when he wasn’t on the road.
She eyed his laptop. There were bound to be answers there. She looked out of the window once again to make sure her husband was well and truly gone. She cautiously moved toward the laptop, knowing full well that what she was about to do was wrong, but how else was she going to know what her husband was up to? To her, he had changed in the last few weeks, and she barely knew him anymore.
She opened the laptop, and the screen flickered to life. Jerome had no idea that Avery knew all his passwords because she had once found a little notebook with various numbers in it, including all his login information. She copied them into her phone and convinced herself she was right because maybe she would need to go into his phone or laptop at some point. This seemed to be that very moment.
She typed in the password, and on the screen was a spreadsheet he had been filling in—a list of payments he had made that month. Avery was happy to see that he was being very thorough with their bills and payments. He had everything listed and neatly marked in various categories. But then Avery saw something very strange. There were two spreadsheets: one was marked as “Avery,” and the other was marked as “Julie.”
When Avery clicked on the one marked as “Julie,” she saw that many of the same bills were on it; however, Jerome had made many more payments on the “Julie” spreadsheet. It was all there in black and white. Why were there two spreadsheets with two different names on them? What had Avery uncovered?
Avery’s heart pounded in her chest as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. She realized that the spreadsheet marked with Julie’s name contained bills and payments that mirrored those in her own spreadsheet. Panic set in as Avery scrolled through the entries, each transaction telling a story of a secret similar to hers. Avery didn’t know what to make of what she had uncovered. The payments on Julie’s spreadsheet showed that they had been made in Oklahoma. She knew that was one of the routes Jerome frequented, but why were there payments for a car and a mortgage?
Things didn’t add up, and Avery started to get very concerned. It was then that she heard a car pull up—Jerome was back. Avery quickly closed the laptop, her mind racing with a mix of confusion, betrayal, and fear. She tried to compose herself as Jerome walked in, but the tension in the air was palpable. Jerome glanced at her, his expression guarded.
“What were you doing with my laptop, Avery?” he demanded, his tone accusatory.
Avery felt sweat dripping from her forehead. Caught off guard, Avery stammered, “I was just checking something. You’ve been acting so strange lately, and I wanted to know what’s going on.”
Jerome’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Avery saw a flicker of unease. “Well, you need to mind your own business. I have things to take care of, and I don’t need you snooping around,” he retorted, his voice sharp.
Avery couldn’t let it go; the confrontation had become inevitable.
“Who is Julie?” she asked, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt.
Jerome’s face paled, and he looked like a deer caught in headlights. He fumbled for words, but nothing coherent came out. Avery pressed on.
“I found the spreadsheets, Jerome. Don’t lie to me. What is going on?”
The room was filled with unbearable silence until Jerome finally spoke, his voice barely audible. “Julie… she’s my wife and the mother of my three children. They live in Oklahoma.”
Avery’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me? I thought I was your wife. Why on Earth do you have two wives? Who the hell do you think you are, Jerome? How could you do this to me?” she demanded.
Jerome’s face turned ashen, realizing that his carefully constructed web of lies had unraveled. He sighed heavily, defeated by the truth closing in on him.
“Avery, I didn’t know how to tell you. Julie and I have been married for 12 years. I met her before I met you. You were supposed to be just a distraction, a way to escape the monotony of my life on the road.”
Avery couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The man she thought was her husband had been leading a double life. Anguish and betrayal overwhelmed her as Jerome continued to confess his sins. Jerome explained how he had met Julie while working as a truck driver, and they had built a life together in Oklahoma
. He concocted an elaborate story about his job, creating a fantasy world where he played the role of a loving husband, splitting his time between two families.
Avery felt a mixture of anger and sorrow, realizing that the life she thought she shared with Jerome was nothing but a charade. The love, the laughter, the plans for the future—all shattered in an instant as the truth unfolded. Avery couldn’t shake the feeling of being the other woman, the mistress in her own marriage. The revelation sent shockwaves through Avery’s world. She had to come to terms with the fact that her marriage was a facade, a masquerade that masked Jerome’s deceit. The cozy home they shared, the dreams they nurtured, all tainted by the lies that now stood exposed.
Avery’s mind raced, torn between confronting Julie, seeking revenge, or simply escaping the nightmare that had become her life. The walls of trust crumbled, leaving her in a cold, desolate reality she never imagined. Avery confronted Jerome about the financial discrepancies, demanding to know why he kept their lives separated in meticulous spreadsheets. Jerome admitted to juggling the finances to prevent either family from discovering the truth. His web of deception went far beyond infidelity—it was a calculated effort to maintain the illusion of two devoted lives.
As the weight of the situation sank in, Avery found herself at a crossroads. The unraveling truth demanded decisions that would alter the course of her life forever. Avery decided that confronting Julie was necessary to unravel the full extent of Jerome’s deception. With a heavy heart, she reached out to the woman who unknowingly shared her husband. Julie, equally shocked and betrayed, confirmed the depth of Jerome’s lies. The two women, connected by the same web of deceit, found solace in their shared pain.
The confrontation with Julie only solidified Avery’s decision. Unable to bear the weight of a crumbling marriage and the heartbreak caused by Jerome’s betrayal, she filed for divorce. Legal proceedings became a battleground for truth and justice as Avery sought a clean break from the shattered remnants of her once-happy life. The courtroom echoed with the painful revelations, exposing Jerome’s double life to the world.
The final chapter of Avery Turner’s marriage ended in the cold, sterile environment of a courtroom. The love that once bound her and Jerome was replaced by bitter resentment and the scars of deceit. As the judge declared the dissolution of their marriage, Avery walked away, leaving behind the ruins of a relationship built on lies. The woman who had once been blissfully married now faced the challenging journey of rebuilding her life, scarred but resilient.
