My Valentine Surprise Exposed the Secret My Husband Was Hiding Chapter 02

My Valentine Surprise Exposed the Secret My Husband Was Hiding Chapter 02

Looking back on the year I’d spent with Zane Cooper, I realized I’d never really known him at all.

We’d always prided ourselves on being modern—no checking up on each other, no going through phones, plenty of personal space. Every holiday was spent apart, each of us with our own families. We never brought each other to friend hangouts.

So now that I actually got curious enough to dig into his past, I couldn’t think of a single person to ask.

I even started wondering—was I getting played, or was I the side piece?

As I sat there replaying everything, his mom had already laid out a full spread on the table. She called out warmly, “Susie, come eat! Tell me if my cooking’s any good.”

Zane’s lies had killed my appetite. I couldn’t even force a smile for her.

Part of me wanted to come clean right there, call Zane back, and demand answers.

Then her phone rang. It was him.

“Zane, when are you getting home? The roads are busy—drive safe.”

I had this urge to snatch the phone out of her hand and tear into him myself.

But then I heard him on the other end, “Mom, I’ll be there by noon tomorrow. Got a surprise for you—don’t forget what I asked you to prepare.”

His mom glanced at me, beaming. “I’ve already seen the surprise, sweetie. I love it. Hurry up and get home.”

Neither of them caught what the other really meant. Then she hung up.

I was already at the table by then. Since Zane was coming back tomorrow, I’d wait right here.

She kept piling food onto my plate. “Eat up, Susie. You’re way skinnier than in your photos. You young people need to take care of yourselves—stop with the dieting.”

My hand froze over the plate. So she’d seen Susie’s pictures too.

“Do you know everything about me and Zane?” I asked carefully.

His mom gave an awkward little laugh. “Zane keeps a journal. I found it the other day when I was cleaning his room.”

“It’s in the bottom drawer of his nightstand. You can take a look tonight. Don’t tell him I told you.”

She was sweet—the warm type. Even though I’d walked in with a stone-cold face, she never stopped trying. She kept chatting, kept filling the silence.

“So, Susie, when are you and Zane thinking of getting married? You’re not getting any younger. You’ve been together long enough—time to lock it down.”

I nodded along, playing along. Then I pulled out my phone and showed her a photo of our marriage certificate.

“Mom, actually Zane and I already tied the knot at City Hall. He didn’t tell you?”

“That little sneak!” she gasped. “He actually kept this from me? All hush-hush like that. No wonder he said he had a surprise for me tomorrow.”

Her joy was practically spilling over. She grabbed her phone and started calling relatives on the spot.

“Hey, Patty—lunch tomorrow at my place. Zane’s wife is finally here!”

“Hey, Bob—bring your wife tomorrow. You’ve gotta meet Zane’s wife!”

Watching her glow like that, I felt a twinge of guilt—for about a second.

And then I couldn’t wait for the showdown tomorrow. I had to know—who the hell was this Susie?