I had just returned from a work trip in Riverside to my husband, my kids… and my home. Tyler had texted me sweet messages the whole time about missing me, counting down until I got home, and promising to make my favorite pasta for dinner.
A woman sitting inside her car and using her laptop | Source: Pexels
A woman sitting inside her car and using her laptop | Source: Pexels
I wanted to surprise Tyler and the kids by coming home early in the morning instead of later that evening. But as soon as I pulled into our driveway, I stopped cold. Two giant words were trimmed right into the thick green leaves of our hedge:
“HE LIES”
My heart raced. That hedge wasn’t just shrubbery. It was my husband’s favorite thing. He watered it more than he watered our marriage. He clipped it every Saturday and knew every branch like it was a bonsai masterpiece. He once said he’d rather lose a finger than see someone ruin it.
My first instinct? Maybe it was a prank or a misunderstanding. I took out my phone, snapped a photo, and marched toward the house, already rehearsing my “What on earth is this?” speech.
A house surrounded by a hedge | Source: Pexels
A house surrounded by a hedge | Source: Pexels
But then I saw a folded note taped to our front door. My hands trembled as I unfolded it. The handwriting was neat, unfamiliar, and deliberate:
“Your husband lied to me & ruined the only thing I lived for. So I’ve started with what he loves most. His hedge is just the beginning.
Go inside. And ask him just one question.
Or call me. You deserve the truth.
Jennifer”
There was a phone number beneath her name. I read the note three times before the words finally sank in. Lying? My Tyler? My sweet, predictable husband who reminded me to take my vitamins and always checked that I’d locked my car?
The note felt like it was burning my fingers.
A woman holding a note | Source: Pexels
A woman holding a note | Source: Pexels
The house was quiet when I slipped inside. Everyone was still asleep. I crept upstairs to our bedroom where Tyler was sprawled across the bed, one arm flung over my pillow like he’d been hugging it.
For a moment, I almost forgot about the hedge and the creepy note. He looked so peaceful and innocent.
“Tyler,” I whispered, gently shaking his shoulder.
He stirred, his eyes fluttering open. When he saw me, that crooked grin spread across his face.
“Mindy?! You’re home early!” He sat up with his hair sticking up in every direction. “I thought you weren’t coming back until tonight.”
“Wanted to surprise you and the kids.”
A stunned man holding a pillow | Source: Freepik
A stunned man holding a pillow | Source: Freepik
He reached for me, pulling me down for a kiss. “Best surprise ever. How was the trip?”
I forced myself to smile, the note feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds in my pocket. “Actually, Tyler, I need to show you something. Look at this.”
I pulled out my phone and showed him the photo of his hedge. The color drained from his face instantly and his mouth fell open as he stared at the screen.
“What the hell?” He grabbed the phone, zooming in on the carved words. “Who did this? When did this happen?”
His shock seemed genuine and his hands trembled as he handed back my phone.
A man holding his phone | Source: Pexels
A man holding his phone | Source: Pexels
“Some kid must have done it while I was sleeping. Probably that Thompson boy from down the street… I yelled at him last week for riding his bike through our yard.”
Tyler was already getting out of bed and throwing on his clothes. “This is unbelievable. My hedge! Do you know how long it took me to get it perfect?”
He paced toward the door, running his hands through his messy hair.
“I’m calling the police. This is vandalism. Destruction of property.”
“Tyler, calm down—”
“Calm down? Someone destroyed my hedge, Mindy! Carved stupid words into it like some kind of joke.”
A frustrated man | Source: Freepik
A frustrated man | Source: Freepik
He seemed genuinely devastated and confused. If this was an act, he deserved an Oscar.
“I’m going to freshen up,” I said.
“I’ll make some coffee,” he replied, already heading downstairs.
I locked the bathroom door and dialed Jennifer’s number with shaking fingers. She answered on the second ring.
“Hi… is this Jennifer? This is Mindy.”
“You found the note?!”
“Who are you? Tell me this is some kind of mistake,” I whispered.
“I wish it was. Your husband and I met at a coffee shop downtown. He was charming and attentive. Said he was starting his own business and just needed some investment capital to get off the ground.”
My legs gave out and I sank onto the bathroom floor.
A depressed woman talking on the phone | Source: Pexels
A depressed woman talking on the phone | Source: Pexels
“He knew about my sister Emma. She’s 20, has cerebral palsy… and needs specialized equipment to live independently. I’d been saving for three years… working double shifts, skipping meals, and living in a studio apartment. $32,000.”
The number hit me like a gut punch.
“He promised we’d buy Emma’s equipment together once his business took off. Said we were partners in everything. I believed him completely. And gave him every dime I’d saved.”
“How long?”
“Eleven months. He’d come over for dinner, bring flowers for Emma, and talk about our future. He made me feel like I’d finally found someone who understood what it meant to put family first.”
Through the bathroom door, I could hear Tyler setting the table, humming something off-key like he always did when he was content.
A man holding a woman’s hand during their dinner date | Source: Pexels
A man holding a woman’s hand during their dinner date | Source: Pexels
“Then one day, he just vanished,” Jennifer continued. “His phone was disconnected. No goodbye, no warning. I thought maybe he’d been in an accident, so I filed a missing persons report. That’s when I found out Jacob didn’t exist… not the single landscaper I’d been dating, anyway. Everything was fake. Even his name.”
“Then a few weeks later, I saw him in the next town. He was laughing with some wealthy-looking woman at a café like nothing had happened… flirting, charming her. Just like he did with me. I took pictures and hired a private investigator. That’s how I learned who he really was… and where he lived. With you.”
Tyler knocked on the bathroom door. “Babe? Coffee’s getting cold.”
“Coming!”
“Check his phone, Mindy. Look for apps that aren’t what they seem. And if you find what I think you’ll find, call me back,” Jennifer added before hanging up.
Close-up shot of a phone | Source: Unsplash
Close-up shot of a phone | Source: Unsplash
Dinner was surreal. Tyler chatted about his week and my conferences, refilled my wine glass, and played the perfect husband. I nodded, smiled, and made appropriate responses while my mind screamed.
“You seem distracted,” he said, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand.
“Just processing being home. You know how it is after business trips.”
“Of course! Hey, maybe we can do something fun this weekend. Take a drive up to Millfield, check out that new farmers market you wanted to visit.”
The casual way he planned our weekend while hiding such massive deception made my skin crawl.
“That sounds nice.”
A woman staring angrily while drinking a glass of water | Source: Pexels
A woman staring angrily while drinking a glass of water | Source: Pexels
After dinner, Tyler headed to his office to “catch up on some paperwork.” I
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