The name on the mailbox was Laura, my husband’s first wife. I stood there staring at it while Faye watched me from the porch. The other woman came outside and introduced herself as Laura’s sister. Then she said something that made my stomach turn: “He told us this house was still his.” I asked why Faye was living there. She said my husband had moved her in because she needed somewhere quiet after the hospital. I asked who had been paying the rent. She pointed toward the kitchen and said, “He handles all of that.” Then I noticed two grocery bags on the counter, filled with the exact foods he’d been buying every week.
I confronted my husband that evening. He admitted Faye had been staying in the rental since March, but he swore nothing inappropriate was happening. I asked why Laura’s name was on the mailbox. He said Laura still had mail delivered there because she never updated her address after their divorce. That didn’t explain why Laura’s sister had a key. I asked him how often he visited the house. He said only in the mornings to bring groceries. Then I asked why he had been leaving our house at five every day for months. He finally admitted Faye wasn’t the reason. He’d been taking care of Laura’s affairs because she’d been sick again, and he hadn’t wanted me to worry.
I asked him why he had hidden all of this from me. He pulled an envelope from his jacket and put it on the table. Inside was a letter from Laura, written before her latest hospitalization. She had asked him to look after Faye because she had no one else. But there was another page attached to it — a copy of an old property agreement from their marriage. I recognized the address immediately. Our rental house had never actually belonged to my husband. Laura’s name was still on the deed. I looked at him and asked why he’d been paying the property expenses for six years. He said, “Because Laura gave me the house when we divorced.” I pointed at the deed and asked why she was still the legal owner. He didn’t answer. Then my phone rang. It was Laura. Her first words were: “Your husband doesn’t know I’ve already changed the deed.”
