Until the day everything changed.

From real life. "I discovered that my husband had been running a second family in another city for years of our marriage"

I always considered our marriage solid. Michael was a loving husband and a caring father to our children. He worked as a sales representative, which often involved business trips, but I never had a reason not to trust him. He came back from his trips with gifts, warm words, and stories about his clients. I was sure that our family was his priority.

Until the day everything changed.

It was a normal evening. Michael said he had to go to Krakow for a conference for three days. He always gave warning about such trips, so I wasn't suspicious. However, a few hours later, while cleaning, I noticed an open laptop on his desk. Normally, I would never think to look through his stuff, but that evening something hit me.

On the screen I saw the messages open. They were emails to a woman named Katarzyna. I read them with growing horror. Michał wrote about their times together, how much he missed her and their son, Filip. He talked about the trip they were planning, and how hard it was for him to hide his feelings from his “first family”.

My heart started pounding and tears welled up in my eyes. This had to be some kind of nightmare. Michał, who always claimed that family was the most important thing, was leading a double life. I sat there stunned for a few minutes before I gathered the courage to read the rest of the message.

I found out that Katarzyna lived in Krakow, and Michał visited her regularly. They had been together for six years. Six years of lies, deceit, and betrayal. I couldn't believe that someone I had known for so many years could deceive me so perfidiously.

I didn't know what to do. Should I call Michał right away? Or maybe go to this woman and confront her with the truth? I didn't sleep a wink the whole night. The next day I made a decision. I decided to go to Krakow and see everything with my own eyes.

I knew where Katarzyna lived – Michał mentioned it in one of his emails.

I parked in front of her house and waited. After an hour I saw Michał coming out of the building, holding the hand of a little boy. They were laughing and he looked happy. The sight was like a knife to my heart.

I couldn't wait any longer. I got out of the car and walked over to them.

– „Michał, what's that supposed to mean?” – I asked, my voice shaking with emotion.

Michael froze as if he had seen a ghost. The boy looked at me in surprise, and after a moment ran back into the house.

– „Ania, why are you here? It's not what you think…” he tried to explain, but I interrupted him.

– „It's not what I think? Who is this boy? Who is this woman?”

Michał lowered his gaze and quietly admitted:

– „This is my second family.”

The words were like a blow. I was shaking with anger and despair.

– „Second family? How many years have you been lying to me?!”

– „Six years…”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I turned around and walked away, not giving him a chance to explain. I returned home, feeling like my life was in ruins.

Today I'm going through a divorce. Michael is trying to fix the relationship with our children, but I know I will never be able to forgive him. This betrayal destroyed everything we had built over the years. Michael's story taught me that trust is the foundation of every relationship – and its absence is the end of everything. Although painful, I now know that I deserve someone who will be honest and committed to me.

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Natasha Kumar

By Natasha Kumar

Natasha Kumar has been a reporter on the news desk since 2018. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining The Times Hub, Natasha Kumar worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my natasha@thetimeshub.in 1-800-268-7116