I drove to the cottage without telling my husband, just to see what he was secretly up to therewhat I found horrified me the moment I opened the door.
My husband and I own a cottage in the countryside. We used to visit it every weekendplanting flowers, picking vegetables from the garden, or simply escaping the bustle of city life.
Lately, though, hed been making excuses not to go. Work, exhaustion, errandsI didnt think much of it. Everyone goes through rough patches.
Then one day, I was chatting on the phone with our neighbour, and she casually mentioned, “I saw your husband at the cottage yesterday.”
I was stunned.
“Thats impossiblehe was on shift at work.”
“No, no, I definitely saw him,” she insisted.
I hung up, my mind racing with ugly thoughts. *Was he seeing another woman? Sneaking off to meet her there?*
The next weekend, he claimed he couldnt go again.
“Maybe Ill go alone, then?” I suggested.
“No!” he snapped. “Id worryI dont want you driving out there by yourself.”
His sharp tone only deepened my suspicions. When he left the house, I decided to follow him. Sure enough, he headed straight for the cottage.
I waited a while before driving there myself. My heart pounded as I approached the door. I turned the handle and froze in horror. Id have *preferred* to find another woman. What I saw was worse.
I stepped inside carefully, listening. Silence. But from the shed, a strange odour drifted outthick, sweet, metallic. My pulse roared in my ears as I pushed the door open.
Animal pelts hung from the wooden beams. Bad enoughbut among them was something that looked chillingly like human skin.
I couldnt believe my eyes.
Then my husband appeared in the doorway. His face went pale when he realised Id seen everything.
“Its just hunting,” he muttered, stepping closer. “I took it up recently. Didnt want to scare you.”
I stared, motionless. Every instinct screamed he was lying. But I forced a weak smile. “Right. I understand. Just wasnt expecting this.”
His shoulders relaxed. We walked back to the house in silence, but I felt his gaze burning into my back, as if probing whether Id truly bought his story.
I didnt sleep a wink that night. At dawn, the moment he left, I dialled the police with trembling fingers. Better they investigate now than wait until my worst fears were confirmed.
