When Martha returned home after a peaceful weekend away, she never expected to be met with a nightmare. As she pulled into the driveway, her heart sank. Amy’s beautiful flowerbed—her pride and joy—was completely gone. In its place stood a small army of grinning, brightly colored garden gnomes. Their ceramic faces seemed to mock her, their beady little eyes glinting in the afternoon sun. Martha felt sick to her stomach. How could this have happened? She barely had time to process the shock before she heard Stephen’s sharp intake of

Mark and I had been married for ten years. We had two kids, a mortgage, and what I thought was a strong, unbreakable bond. Sure, our marriage wasn’t perfect. Mark wasn’t exactly a hands-on husband or father. He didn’t cook, clean, or help manage the chaos of raising kids. That was all me. Exhausting? Absolutely. But I kept telling myself, “We’re a team, Lexie.” Apparently, Mark had decided to join a different team altogether. It all started with a simple grocery run. I had just pulled into the driveway after

I was living my normal, everyday life until one of my students handed me a Valentine. At first, I thought nothing of it—just another sweet gesture from a child. But when I unfolded the card and read the words inside, my heart stopped. It was mine. A Valentine I had written years ago, meant for someone I had once loved. I had to know how it ended up in his hands—even if it changed everything. Most people think being an elementary school teacher is a walk in the park, but