Freya was thrilled to start her new life as a married woman. She moved into her husband, George’s, family estate, a place that seemed like it had been plucked straight out of a fairy tale with its towering ceilings, grand arches, and vibrant flowers all around.

George had insisted she move in and settle before they embarked on their honeymoon to the serene South of France.

Yet, beneath the surface of this enchanting house lay secrets that would soon unravel. From the moment she arrived, the maid Valerie eyed her with a look that made Freya feel like an outsider. She shrugged it off, determined to build her life here. Valerie would simply have to accept that Freya was here to stay.

As she settled in, Freya decided to make breakfast for the family. The sprawling house still housed George’s younger siblings, so she was preparing for a big feast.

Valerie stood in the kitchen with her, silently observing, and Freya couldn’t help but feel unnerved. While browsing recipe ideas on her phone, she realized it was missing.

“Have you seen my phone?” she asked Valerie, noticing it had been in front of her a moment ago.

Valerie shook her head, her gaze cold. “Better hurry with breakfast. The family doesn’t like to wait.”

Freya hurriedly finished preparing the meal. When Valerie left, she found her phone on the seat Valerie had occupied. A chill ran through her as she read the message displayed:

Check your husband’s drawer. Top left. Then RUN!

Heart racing, Freya made her way to their bedroom, the warning resounding in her mind. Valerie had tidied up, making the bed and folding the clothes they’d left the previous night.

Trembling, Freya opened the drawer. Inside, she found a stack of letters bound with a faded ribbon and an old key. The letters were all from George to someone named Elena.

Freya sat on their bed, reading each letter, feeling her heart break. The letters spoke of a deep love George had for Elena and a future he promised her.

The final letter was a farewell, dated just three days before George proposed to Freya.

And the key?

“Do you know what this key opens?” Freya asked Ivy, George’s younger sister, when she found it didn’t fit anything in their room.

“I think it’s for the attic,” Ivy replied, after examining the key. “George loved that room. I haven’t been there in years, though.”

Freya made her way to the attic, finding it as dark and drafty as Ivy had described.

When she turned on the light, she felt a chill run through her body.

The walls were covered with photos of George and a woman — presumably Elena. Each photo was a testament to their love, mocking Freya and her marriage.

As she absorbed the sight, her eyes landed on an ultrasound pinned beneath a picture of George and Elena dancing joyously.

They were expecting a baby. Her heart sank, unable to fathom how George could keep this hidden.

The discovery of Elena was painful enough, but that he had hidden a child from her was inconceivable. Freya reflected on each photo, wondering how George could abandon Elena while she was carrying his child.

A voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Freya?” came a soft call from the doorway.

“Valerie,” Freya responded, afraid she had overstepped her bounds.

“You weren’t supposed to find out this way,” Valerie said, filled with a sympathetic whisper.

“You knew?” Freya asked, confused. Valerie nodded solemnly.

“Elena’s my sister,” Valerie confessed. “She believed you should know. I placed the letters in George’s drawer when I cleaned this morning.”

“And the baby?” Freya asked, her voice trembling.

Valerie leaned against the wall and opened up about Elena. Years ago, during the family’s grand Christmas party, Elena had been asked by Valerie to help with preparations.

“They immediately hit it off,” Valerie explained. “And eventually fell in love. But when Elena discovered the baby’s health issues, George withdrew, seeing them as liabilities.”

George had initially intended to marry out of love for Elena, but the child’s Down syndrome diagnosis changed everything.

Together, Freya and Valerie approached the living room where the family lounged, George conspicuously absent. They shared the truth about the letters and photographs.

Valerie recounted Elena’s story and her unborn child.

George entered mid-discussion, alarm on his face as he realized he’d been overheard.

“Is this true?” his father asked sternly, confronting George.

Staring at the floor, George’s silence was telling enough, as it confirmed everything.

The family quickly disinherited him, redirecting his inheritance to support Elena and her child.

As for Freya?

She was granted a divorce, one George didn’t contest as he was too consumed by his financial ruin. Freya’s in-laws offered her a new beginning with resources set aside for George.

She chose to use part of them to found an organization for children with disabilities in Elena’s baby’s honor. Valerie managed it with Freya and George’s mother’s help— the latter severing ties with George upon learning of the baby.

What would you have done in my position?