Valerie had been married for fifteen years. In that time, she had managed to acquire a house, a car, and raise two children. Her husband was a serious, responsible man who worked long hours.
"I'm so grateful to fate for meeting my husband," she would tell her friends.
"You're lucky, Val. Fred is a wonderful father and a loving, faithful husband."
Fred and Valerie were an ordinary family. They sometimes argued, made up, and got irritated over trifles. But overall, they lived relatively peacefully. Valerie wasn't the jealous type; she knew her husband loved her. She, in turn, gave him no reason for suspicion.
"And you've really never stepped out on him?" her friend Victoria asked her one afternoon.
"Not once. Why would I? I don't see the need," Valerie replied.
"Why? Ask Elena. She's on her fifth fling already. She just can't settle down. I still wonder how she manages to hide it all from her husband for so long."
"Well, she gets taken to expensive restaurants, wears designer clothes, and drives a brand-new car. That takes a certain kind of talent."
"I don't know, girls. I think Valerie's doing it right. Her husband isn't a womanizer. He absolutely adores her. I doubt he's ever cheated, not even once."
Valerie laughed it off, but inside, she remembered how her family life had changed a year ago. It was then that she had accidentally stumbled upon a series of messages between Fred and a woman named Marilyn. As it turned out, they had been together for eight whole years. It was a massive scandal. Valerie was ready to file for divorce.
What saved the marriage were those very same messages. In them, he spoke candidly about how much he loved his wife and children and that he would never leave them. He claimed he only saw the other woman to relieve stress and for a change of pace.
Of course, the couple's relationship had soured by then. What kind of idyll could there be when trust was lost? For a long time, Valerie couldn't forgive her husband. They lived apart for a while.
They only reconciled six months later. Only Valerie's mother and her best friend, Sophie, knew about the unpleasant incident. To everyone else, they remained the perfect family.
"So, how do you live like this now? Did you just forgive him?" Sophie asked her.
"We live as we did before. I forgave him, yes. But I haven't forgotten. During any argument, I bring up his Marilyn. It makes him furious. And plus, the trust is shattered. Every time Fred is late, I think he's spending time with someone else."
After Fred's secret was revealed, he became much more attentive. He tried to spoil her, showering her with chocolates, gifts, and flowers.
"What comes next?" Valerie wondered. "He doesn't bring me joy like he used to. Sometimes I don't even want to see him. The only comfort is that he loves the kids and does everything for them."
Only her mother saw Valerie's depressed state. In public, she tried to pretend everything was fine.
"Don't worry, honey. Things will work out. Do you think your father never cheated on me? Faithful men are one in a million. Yours is no exception. So he slipped up. He gave in to temptation. It happens to the best of them."
"His 'temptation' lasted eight years, Mom."
"Think about the children. He's a good man. He's not stingy; he provides for the home. Forgive and forget."
"I can't stop thinking about it."
"Sweetie, I know. You need a change of scenery, find a job, or just get out more. Get a hobby so you don't have the urge to dwell on the past," her mother advised.
At that time, Valerie couldn't have imagined how one chance encounter would change everything.
***
It happened in the summer. During a brutal heatwave, Valerie's air conditioning broke down. She called Sophie.
"My AC is dead. Fred is at work. Do you happen to know a repairman? Someone reliable?"
"Oh, girl, what would you do without me? I actually have a guy. Jot down his number and give him a call."
Valerie took the number and dialed it three minutes later. A pleasant male voice with a slight rasp answered. It gave Valerie a faint chill down her spine. The man on the phone was incredibly polite. After discussing the details of the service call, Valerie hung up, impressed by the pleasant interaction.
"What a voice. Wow. It sends hot and cold flashes through me. I felt like this when I first met Fred," Valerie thought to herself.
At the scheduled time, the doorbell rang. The kids were playing outside; Valerie was home alone. Opening the door, she saw a handsome, tanned man with an athletic build. He carried a small tool kit.
"Well now. Where's our patient?" the young man asked as he stepped inside.
"I'm sorry, who?"
"Where's your air conditioner?" the man smiled, flashing a perfect set of teeth.
"Oh, right. Sorry. Please, come in."
Entering the room, the technician began to diagnose the problem. He inspected the unit thoroughly and started the repair. Valerie stood frozen in amazement. She was overwhelmed by mixed feelings. On one hand, she felt an inexplicable, powerful pull toward this stranger; on the other, she reminded herself she was married and needed to be sensible.
"Nothing serious. Don't worry. We'll patch up your patient, and he'll be running like new in no time."
The man performed a few maneuvers with the equipment and opened the window. He checked the wiring and the brackets. As he went to close it, he accidentally bumped a flower pot. It tumbled down and shattered on the neighbor's ledge below.
"I'm so sorry, that was so clumsy of me," the man apologized. "I didn't mean to."
But Valerie didn't even react. She felt as if she were under a trance.
"Are you alright? Will you be paying by cash or card? I'll give you a discount for the casualty," he gestured to the broken plant.
Valerie snapped out of it, took the receipt, and looked closely at the young man.
"Here's my card. If you need anything else, just call. It's all on there. Are you sure you're okay?"
Valerie looked at the card. The technician's name was Andrew. She smiled nervously and handed him the money.
"Thank you! Well, have a good one."
After he left, Valerie stood rooted to the spot for ten minutes. The voice of her son finally snapped her back to reality.
"Mom, can we go to the yard next door? Mike's back from the beach."
"Sure, honey, go ahead."
Valerie was preoccupied the entire day. Andrew's voice echoed in her ears.
"What is wrong with me? I acted like an idiot. He's just a repairman," she thought. "I need to get back to the real world."
She hadn't even finished the thought when the doorbell rang again. There stood Andrew, holding a potted Dracaena.
"I feel terrible. Here, I brought you a new plant. Again, I'm so sorry about the other one."
"Oh, you really didn't have to."
"I did, I did. It was my fault." Andrew handed the pot to Valerie. "Is there anything else I can fix for you?"
"No, thank you. Nothing else has broken... yet."
"That's too bad. I mean, it's good that it's working. Well, I'll be going then. Have a nice day."
"You too."
Andrew walked away. Valerie watched him go for a long time. He turned back once and flashed her a smile.
"Okay, that's enough. He's a very nice man, but stop staring. It's unseemly," Valerie thought and closed the door.
***
The next day, she was walking home from the grocery store with a heavy load of bags. She saw a bus at the stop and tried to run for it, but the driver didn't wait and pulled away.
"Hey, wait!" Valerie shouted.
One of the bag handles snapped, and several apples spilled onto the pavement.
"Let me help you with that," came a familiar, raspy voice.
Valerie looked up and saw Andrew.
"I'm on my way to a job, but I can give you a lift home."
"Oh, no, that's okay," Valerie said, gathering the apples from the street.
Andrew leaned down to help her. They both reached for the same apple at the same time. Their hands touched. Feeling an unprecedented shiver through her body, Valerie slowly pulled her hand away.
"Get in, I'll drive you," he said, wiping the apple she had dropped and taking an appetizing bite out of it.
"Well, if it's not too much trouble..." Valerie hesitated.
Andrew took her bags and loaded them into his trunk.
"Hop in." Valerie obeyed.
In that moment, she wanted to scream with happiness. Swept up in a kind of euphoria, she completely forgot about her husband and children. They chatted incessantly all the way to her house.
As it turned out, they had a lot in common. Pulling up to the curb, Andrew helped Valerie out of the car and carried her groceries inside.
"Thank you for the help," Valerie said, beaming.
"My pleasure. If you're not in a huge rush, I'd love to buy you a cup of coffee."
Valerie paused.
"I'd love to, but I have a lot to do."
"Well, if that's the case, I won't keep you." Andrew smiled and disappeared behind the elevator doors.
"I'm such an idiot. Why did I lie? I don't have anything to do. But then again, I don't need this. What if someone I know sees me?" she argued with herself.
***
The next day, Valerie was taking her children to summer school. It was a private center where they spent the day playing, eating, singing, and learning English. After saying goodbye to them, she ran into Andrew at the exit. He was holding the hand of a small, red-haired boy of about seven.
"Hey there," Valerie said. "I didn't expect to see you here. I know almost all the parents."
"Hi. We're only here temporarily. There was no one else to watch him."
"Is he your son?"
"No," Andrew smiled. "My nephew. If you aren't busy, we could grab that coffee now."
"Thanks, but it's a bit too hot for coffee."
"Wait for me here. Let me drop the kid off and we'll figure something out."
This time, Valerie didn't rush away. She decided to wait for him outside. A few minutes later, he came out.
"Get in the car. I want to show you something."
Valerie looked at him and got in. After a short drive through town, they pulled into a small roadside cafe.
"Stay here, I'll be right back."
Before Valerie knew it, Andrew was back. He was carrying two waffle cones with ice cream.
"Better than coffee. Let's take a walk." Andrew took her hand, and they walked around the corner of the building. There was a small clearing and a lake. A wooden bench sat on the shore.
"Oh, it's beautiful here," Valerie sighed. "Thanks for talking me into coming."
"I didn't have to talk you into it much. You wanted to come. I could tell." With those words, Andrew touched Valerie's cheek.
"Don't. Coming here with a man I barely know was probably a mistake." Valerie moved his hand away and slid to the edge of the bench. "You probably have the wrong idea about me. I'm not that kind of woman. I'm married. I have kids. This isn't right."
Andrew moved closer.
"I understand that. I see it and I appreciate it. But there's something drawing us together. Don't deny it. I can feel it."
"You're imagining things." Valerie stood up and walked toward the water, turning her back to him.
"No. I'm not." With that, Andrew walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist.
At that exact moment, Valerie turned around and looked at him. Passion, desire, and fear were written in her eyes.
"What am I doing?" Valerie whispered, and they kissed.
***
From then on, they began meeting every day. They went to the park, spent time at hotels and a rental cottage, cherishing every minute. They wanted to be together.
"I can't believe you, Val. I never expected this from you. You always acted like such a saint," Sophie told her when Valerie confessed everything.
"Stop. I feel sick about it. I hate myself. But he's just... I can't even put it into words."
"So what are you going to do? What about Fred? The kids?"
"What about them? I'm having a wonderful time. For the first time in forever, I feel happy."
"Well, just be careful. Don't you dare tell your husband."
"Are you kidding? He'd probably kill me."
A year passed. Valerie and Andrew continued their secret affair. He gave her gifts, which she ended up giving to Sophie because she couldn't bring them home. He gave her money for various things and surprised her with little tokens of affection. At one point, he even told her he loved her. Valerie said it back.
"So what do we do now?" Valerie asked, resting her head on Andrew's chest. He looked at her, gently running his fingers through her hair.
"I don't know. Maybe we just leave everything behind and go somewhere?"
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah. Why not? Your family is here, your husband. All of it is just holding you back, keeping you from being free."
"Stop. I'm not leaving my husband and I'm not leaving my kids."
Andrew's expression shifted, but he kept his emotions in check. Valerie noticed, but she didn't say anything. A week later, things became more difficult. Andrew changed abruptly. He became jealous of her husband and children. He bombarded her with texts and calls. He used to be careful, but now his calls were frequent and intrusive.
"I don't know what happened to him. He's so different. He calls constantly—day or night. I have to keep my phone on silent. He called drunk once, said some nasty things, and then wouldn't stop pestering me with apologies," Valerie told Sophie.
"What can I tell you? This thing has gone on too long. You need to end it. Mark my words, he's going to pull something dirty."
That evening, Valerie thought long and hard. After analyzing everything, she decided to slowly distance herself from Andrew.
Suddenly, she was very busy. She got a job. She spoke to him less on the phone and stopped replying to most messages.
Andrew went off the deep end: he flooded her with messages, called incessantly, and waited for her by her door, the store, and the summer school. When Valerie finally told him she didn't want to see him anymore, he threatened to tell her husband everything.
Valerie didn't take the threats seriously. She blocked him on social media and added him to every blacklist. Shortly after, strange "accidents" started happening.
First, someone slashed the tires on their car. Then, it looked like someone had used an axe to hack into the metal of the car on the side where Valerie usually sat. But when someone started leaving photos of her, her children, and her husband in places for her to find, she got scared.
That evening, she gathered her courage and told Fred everything. After they had had it out, Valerie took the children and went to her mother's house in the country. A few days later, she got a call from an unknown number. There was only silence on the other end.
"Andrew, is that you? I know it's you. I'm not afraid of you anymore. My husband knows everything. You can leave me alone now." There was a long dial tone.
No one called Valerie after that. In the autumn, a car pulled up to her mother's house. It was Fred. Seeing him, Valerie walked out into the yard.
"How are you doing, Val? I miss you. Fine, let's call it 'one to one.' A draw. Come back home. I can't do this without you guys."
"You're joking."
"No. I'm serious. I came to get you. Pack your things."
At that moment, the children ran out of the house. They hugged their father and clung tightly to their mother. Finally, the whole family was back together.
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