After My Husband Hides a Woman Next Door Chapter 1

My brand new iPhone 17 Pro had barely connected to the network when the screen lit up with an incoming call.

I answered, bewildered. On the other end was a woman on the verge of a breakdown, her voice as hoarse and sharp as a crow’s dying gasp.

"Kate, I'm you from eighteen years in the future. We only have thirty seconds. Listen to me."

"You're doubting me, I know. But I also know your junior high crush was obsessed with corn dogs, your best friend in high school came out as butch, and the guy from the campus food truck asked you out in college."

A cold shock went through me. My breath hitched. I had never told a soul about those things.

Ignoring my astonishment, she continued, her voice trembling with every syllable.

"First, your husband is sleeping with your stepsister. They have a plan. They arranged for you to get pregnant at the same time so they can swap the babies and trick you into raising hers."

"Second, stay away from the kitchen and boiling water. On the day you give birth, they'll make their move. The only person you can trust is your high school friend—the one who came out."

"Third, do not divorce him. Find his medical report—the one that says he's sick—and shred it. Then just wait. Let him rot."

* * *

Outside the window, snowflakes drifted down, silently blanketing the yellow of the ginkgo leaves in the courtyard until all that remained was an innocent, unbroken white.

"Honey, who was that on the phone?"

My husband, Caleb, was curled up on our new, custom-made Italian leather sofa, looking drowsy and utterly content.

I put my phone down, hiding the tremor in my hands, and forced a placid smile. "No one important. Just a real estate agent asking if we were looking to buy. I hung up after a few seconds."

Our housekeeper, Maria, brought me a warm mug of milk with honey, reminding me to drink it before it got cold.

But my heart was hammering against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat that drowned out all peace.

That call… it was everything. I had to get my hands on the medical report from my physical last week, and I had to be the first one to see it. It was the only way to know if that woman’s frantic warning was real.

An idea sparked. I feigned a pout and slipped on my cashmere coat. "Ugh, that new Prada bag I ordered finally arrived, but the delivery guy was too lazy to bring it up. He just left it with the doorman. I have to go get it."

Caleb stirred, pushing himself up from the sofa with a weary groan. He reached for his jacket. "It's snowing, and you're about to pop. You can barely move as it is. Let me go with you."

I froze at the door, my mind racing. If he came, how could I check the report? I'd always been the type to cling to him, insisting he come with me everywhere. Now my own habits were working against me.

Then my eyes landed on Maria, busy prepping vegetables in the kitchen. Inspiration struck. "No, no, you work so hard, pulling all those late nights. I can't bear to make you go out in the cold. I'll just ask Maria to come with me. Actually, I'm craving that roast chicken from the deli near the next building. She can pick one up."

Hearing that I wouldn't be alone, Caleb sank back into the sofa, a wave of relief washing over his face.

Maria had been with us for years; I knew her history. Asking her to come along should have been fine.

But as the elevator doors closed, the words from the phone call echoed in my head.

In that instant, I changed my mind.

True or not, until my baby was born and safe in my arms, I could only trust myself and the chilling message from the future.

Besides, the detail about my junior high crush… almost no one knew that. I had only discovered his secret corn dog addiction after trailing him home from school for days. The most polished, handsome boy in school would sneak over to a stand near another school, buy two dozen corn dogs, and devour them by the riverbank before catching the bus home.

Snapping back to the present, I turned to Maria, putting on an air of urgency. "You know how it is with pregnancy cravings. I feel like I'll die if I don't get it right now! I can grab the package myself. You run and get me the juiciest roast chicken you can find."

"Oh, and a jasmine green tea latte from that café next door, and a lemonade from the smoothie place. I need both."

"The doctor said I can eat whatever I want now that I'm so close. Don't worry, it's fine!"

Maria looked hesitant, but I was relentless, practically pushing her out the door.

Once she was gone, I cautiously opened my email and found the attached file from the clinic. My eyes scanned the document until they landed on the final lines.

The world tilted on its axis. My knees buckled, and I had to grip the wall to keep from collapsing.

A blade of ice twisted in my gut. Fear and dread consumed me. I took several deep, shuddering breaths to steady myself.

"Pulmonary lesions. Further examination recommended. Risk of malignancy."