On Valentine’s Day morning, Kate stepped outside expecting a sweet surprise. The crisp morning air carried a slight chill, but that wasn’t what made her shiver. Her car was covered in hundreds of pink paper hearts, fluttering in the wind like a teenager’s grand romantic confession. For a moment, her heart raced with excitement. But when she picked one up and read the message inside, her stomach dropped. This wasn’t love. It was a warning.
She had woken up just like any other day, slipping out of bed while Brandon remained curled under the blankets. After twenty-eight years of marriage, their lives had fallen into a predictable rhythm. She always woke up first, made coffee, prepared breakfast for their seventeen-year-old son, and enjoyed a few moments of peace before the day truly began.
Valentine’s Day had never been a big deal in their home. The passion had long faded, replaced by quiet companionship. Grand romantic gestures weren’t Brandon’s style, so when she saw the paper hearts on her car that morning, her breath caught in her throat.
Had he done this? After all these years?
The sight was almost ridiculous—hundreds of pink hearts stuck to her car’s doors, windows, even the mirrors. It looked like a scene from a teenage romance movie, like some young boyfriend was trying to impress his high school sweetheart. She smiled, hope flickering in her chest.
Excited, she walked closer, reaching for one of the hearts. Each had a note inside.
Wow, what a creative idea! she thought.
But as she unfolded the first note, her hands trembled.
Your husband is a liar.
Her breath hitched. She stared at the words, trying to make sense of them.
Was this some kind of joke? A cruel prank?
She ripped off another heart.
Brandon only loves me.
Her fingers shook as she grabbed another.
He’ll never tell you the truth.
A knot tightened in her stomach. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. She frantically yanked more hearts from the car, her nails scraping against the glue. The messages continued:
You deserve to know.
He was with me last night.
Ask him about the woman he’s been seeing.
Her chest tightened as she tore off as many hearts as she could, but the adhesive was stubborn, leaving ugly smears all over her once-pristine car. The wind carried a few loose hearts away, scattering them like confetti.
A movement caught her eye. Neighbors were peeking from their windows, whispering among themselves. They had seen this before she had. They had put the pieces together before she even had a chance to process what was happening.
She swallowed hard and lifted her gaze toward the house.
Brandon was standing at the window.
Watching.
He had seen everything.
Kate’s hands clenched around the last paper heart she held. He’ll never choose you.
Her vision blurred with tears.
Happy Valentine’s Day to me.
She turned on her heel and stormed inside, slamming the door behind her. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she marched to the kitchen, where Brandon sat at the counter, scrolling through his phone like nothing had happened.
She threw one of the paper hearts onto the counter.
“What the hell is this, Brandon?” Her voice shook, anger boiling just beneath the surface.
Brandon barely glanced at the heart before looking back at her. “What are you talking about?”
Her nostrils flared. “You saw me from the window. You saw all those hearts on my car. Every single one of them had a message about you and some woman you’ve been seeing. And you’re saying you don’t know who did this?”
Brandon sighed, picking up one of the hearts and reading the note. He set it down and took a sip of his coffee. “It’s probably a prank. Some stupid kids messing around.”
Liar.
Kate knew that tone. That calm, even voice he used when he wanted her to second-guess herself. The same voice he had used in every argument over the years to make her feel like she was overreacting.
Not this time.
Without another word, she stomped to the security monitor in the living room, her fingers flying over the controls as she rewound the footage from the night before.
And there she was.
Linda.
Their neighbor.
At 3 a.m., under the dim glow of the streetlights, Linda was gluing the hearts onto Kate’s car.
Kate’s stomach turned. Brandon and Linda? How could this be possible?
Her mind raced, recalling every moment she had seen Linda outside her house as Brandon left for work. They had been neighbors for years. She had never suspected a thing.
Her hands clenched into fists. If Brandon wasn’t going to tell the truth, she knew exactly who to ask.
She stormed next door and pounded on Linda’s door. Hard.
After a few seconds, the door swung open. Linda’s face was pale, her eyes red-rimmed like she had been crying. Like she already knew why Kate was there.
Kate’s voice was steady. “How long?”
Linda swallowed, her lips trembling. “Twenty years.”
The ground beneath Kate felt like it was shifting.
She shook her head. “You’re lying.”
Linda let out a shaky, breathy laugh. “I wish I was.”
Kate stared at her, waiting—hoping—she would take it back. That she’d say this was some elaborate joke.
But instead, Linda whispered, “He told me he’d leave you. Over and over again. He said he just needed the right moment. He told me you weren’t well… that you couldn’t handle a divorce. That he had to stay because he felt sorry for you. I can prove it.”
Kate’s stomach lurched. Twenty years? Her husband had been living a double life for twenty years?
Without another word, she turned and rushed back home. She had to confront Brandon. Now.
When she entered the house, he was still at the counter, scrolling through his phone like nothing had changed.
She crossed her arms. “Linda told me everything.”
Brandon barely reacted. “She’s lying.”
Kate narrowed her eyes. “Prove it.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” She stepped closer. “Because she’s got twenty years’ worth of stories. She told me how you needed the right moment to leave me. She says she has proof.”
Brandon exhaled sharply. “Kate, I don’t have proof because there’s nothing to prove.”
But his face was unreadable. That same calm mask he always wore when he lied.
Kate turned and marched straight back to Linda’s house.
Linda opened the door before Kate even knocked. She was waiting.
“Show me proof,” Kate demanded. “If you have it, he’s yours.”
Linda didn’t hesitate. She pulled out her phone, scrolled quickly, and handed it over.
And there it was.
Photos. Videos. Messages.
Kate’s stomach twisted. The proof was undeniable.
The next morning, she filed for divorce.
And yet, as she lay in bed that night, she couldn’t help but wonder.
What if, hidden in all those lies, there had been one truth?
What if she had chosen the wrong side?
