Chapter 1: The Wall He Didn't Want Me to See
I came home Tuesday and found a four-foot section of our living room wall missing.
The couch had been dragged forward, drywall covered the rug, and my husband, Brian, was standing beside the opening with a utility knife.
"What happened?"
"It looks worse than it is."
Never a good sign.
Brian said one of the outlets had been loose, so he removed the cover to check the wiring.
When some drywall cracked, he decided to open the wall farther so he could see what was going on.
"You needed to remove four feet of wall for an outlet?"
"I got carried away.
I'll fix it."
At first, I almost believed him.
Then I looked around.
His drill, pry bar, level, and tape measure were laid out neatly on the floor.
The drywall hadn't just broken off, either.
Most of it had been carefully cut away and stacked beside the fireplace.
This wasn't an accidental repair.
It looked planned.
"Why didn't you call me before doing this?"
Brian sighed.
"Because I knew you'd make a big deal out of it."
"I left for work with a wall, Brian.
I came home without one."
He told me he was tired of arguing and promised to explain everything after dinner.
That was when our 12-year-old daughter, Maddie, came downstairs.
Normally, she would have had twenty questions about a giant hole in our house.
Instead, she barely glanced at it.
"Were you home when Dad did this?" I asked.
Before she could answer, Brian said, "She was upstairs most of the afternoon."
Maddie looked at him.
"Yeah."
Then she grabbed a yogurt and disappeared upstairs.
At dinner, she hardly spoke.
Every time I mentioned the wall, she looked at Brian.
He kept changing the subject.
Afterward, Brian went downstairs to clean up.
A few minutes later, Maddie knocked on my bedroom door.
She stepped inside and quietly closed it behind her.
"Is Dad downstairs?"
"Yes.
Why?"
She lowered her voice.
"Mom, Dad wasn't fixing an outlet."
---
May you like
What was Brian really hiding inside that wall — and why did Maddie stay silent all evening?
Comment **"NEXT"** if you want Part 2.
