I drove to the cottage without telling my husband, just to see what he was secretly up to therewhat I found when I opened the door left me horrified.
My husband and I own a cottage in the countryside. We used to visit often on weekendsplanting flowers, picking vegetables from the garden, or simply escaping the bustle of city life.
Lately, though, hes been making excuses not to go. Work, exhaustion, other commitmentsI brushed it off at first, thinking everyone goes through rough patches.
But then I had a phone call with our neighbour, and she casually mentioned:
“I saw your husband at the cottage yesterday.”
I froze.
“Thats impossiblehe was on shift at work.”
“No, I definitely saw him,” she insisted.
I hung up, my mind racing with dark thoughts. *Is he seeing someone else? Is that why he sneaks off alone?*
The following weekend, he cancelled again.
“Maybe Ill go by myself?” I suggested.
“No!” he snapped. “Id worry about you driving alone.”
His sharp refusal only deepened my suspicion. When he left the house later, I followedand, just as I suspected, he drove straight to the cottage.
After waiting a while, I went in. My heart pounded as I approached the door. I turned the handleand what I saw made me wish it *had* been another woman.
I stepped inside cautiously, listening. Silence. Then, an odd smellthick, metallicdrifted from the shed. My pulse roared in my ears as I moved toward it.
Animal pelts hung from the beams. Unsettling enough, but among them… something that looked too much like human skin.
I couldnt breathe.
Then, my husband appeared in the doorway. His face paled when he realised Id seen everything.
“Itshunting,” he stammered, stepping closer. “Ive just taken it up. Didnt want to scare you…”
I forced a smile, nodding, though every instinct screamed he was lying. He relaxed, shoulders dropping. We walked back to the house in silence, but his gaze burned into my back, as if testing my reaction.
That night, I didnt sleep. The moment he left the next morning, I called the police with shaking hands. Better they investigate now than discovertoo latethat my worst fears were true.
