The Secret Behind My Wife's Locked Door

In the seventh year of living apart from my wife, Sharon Shaw, I come to see her, only to have the key break off in the lock again. I hurriedly call her, and she says, "Maybe you grabbed the wrong key again. Go to a hotel and get some rest. I'll open the door when I get back." I look down at the sticker on my key and freeze. I didn't bring the wrong key. The only other possibility is that she has changed the locks. Before I can dwell on it, my dad, Ryan Jarquin, suddenly calls me. He laughs merrily and says, "Of course Sharon isn't home. She came to visit me first thing this morning with a whole bunch of things." My best friend, Steven Morgan, calls me next. He sounds drunk over the phone. "She's getting her nails done with my girlfriend right now. Women are such a hassle." After that, I get a call from my sister, Greta Jarquin. She says, "Sharon is such a busy woman. She finally found some time today to help me with an investment." My mind goes blank. What they don't know is that five minutes ago, the security guard at the entrance told me the owner of this unit had just come home. I don't ask any more questions. Instead, I call a locksmith. Suddenly, I really want to know what secret my entire family is hiding from me. Chapter 1 Jordan's POV The door creaked open. Xavier Jarquin, who had been playing video games in the living room, immediately looked up. The moment our eyes met, I felt my blood run cold. He was the illegitimate son who had driven Mom to her death. My dad, Ryan Jarquin, and my older sister, Greta Jarquin, had wanted to tear him apart with their own hands. My best friend, Steven Morgan, had even run after him with a knife and nearly beat him half to death. But here he was, perfectly healthy and carefree, sitting in the living room playing video games. "Are Ryan and the others here?" A woman's familiar voice came from inside. Upon hearing that voice, my heart sank to my stomach. A moment later, Sharon Shaw walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron. The moment she saw me, she froze completely and looked visibly shaken. She stuttered, "J-Jordan, you… H-How did you get in?" I didn't answer. My eyes fell on the cat sleeping peacefully in the corner. It was the only thing Mom had left me. Sharon had told me it died of an illness. But it turned out that this whole time, it was with the very man who had caused Mom's death. Sharon immediately took off her apron and reached for my hand. "Jordan, please, let me explain. He had nowhere else to go, so I took him in…" I looked around. There were two pairs of matching slippers, two toothbrushes, and a matching set of his-and-hers mugs. Even the clothes they wore were clearly a couple's matching outfits. The home I hadn't set foot in for a long time was filled with evidence of the life they shared. Just then, I heard a commotion at the door. Dad walked in carrying a container of Xavier's favorite beef stew. Greta held a bouquet of flowers, while Steven carried a huge box of liquor. The moment they saw me, all the smiles vanished from their faces. "Jordan…" The living room fell into complete silence. I let out a bitter laugh. "So you guys have been deceiving me for the sake of this bastard?" My phone was still filled with the messages they'd sent me earlier. Dad had texted, "Tomorrow, stay home and spend some time with me. I'll make you a huge feast!" Steven had messaged, "Hey, Jordan. I want to check out the auto show. Come with me the day after tomorrow." Greta had texted, "Attend the concert with me in the next few days. It's on me!" Our hospital only allowed me a few days of leave each year. So, I'd raced against the clock to see Sharon the moment my annual day off started. But every time I came home, they dragged me off to dinner, took me sightseeing, and spoiled me as though I were the most precious person in the world. I'd always thought they simply missed me too terribly. But it turned out they had only been making sure the two of them had plenty of uninterrupted time together. Xavier immediately walked over to me, looking wounded. "Jordan, everyone just felt sorry for me because I had no one. That's why they secretly took care of me. Please don't blame them…" I'd once believed they hated Xavier as much as I did, that we were all united against him. But now, I realized that I'd been the one locked out of the door all along. The tears finally spilled over. I wiped them away and looked at Sharon, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. I said, "Let's get a divorce." Chapter 2 Jordan's POV The living room was so quiet I could hear a pin drop. Sharon froze for a moment before throwing her arms around me. "I'll explain everything to you. Go back first. We can talk after you've calmed down." I was about to be pushed out the door when Dad suddenly raised his voice. "What right do you have to ask for a divorce?" Sharon tried to stop Dad, but he continued angrily, "You're always busy at the hospital. Xavier was the one taking care of me. He was the one looking after your wife for you! You, on the other hand, have done nothing to fulfill your responsibilities!" I felt a painful pang in my heart. It was so excruciating that it left me struggling to breathe through the agony. My own father had publicly accused me of being a terrible son just to defend the illegitimate child who had driven Mom to her death. Steven spoke up next. "When the debt collectors came after me, Xavier stepped up to help. You were in the operating room at the time and wouldn't even answer your phone. It's thanks to him that I made it through that time. So, you have no right to be upset at him." The friend who mattered most to me in this world was no longer taking my side either. Greta grabbed my arm and chimed in, "Xavier has been taking care of all of us for years in your place. Can't you just turn a blind eye and let this go?" I found the whole thing absurd. So this was what it felt like to be betrayed by the people I loved most. "That's enough, everyone!" Sharon exclaimed. She gripped my shoulders tightly, her eyes bloodshot. "Don't divorce me. Stop saying things like that. We only did this because we wanted to keep this family together." A bitter, self-deprecating laugh escaped my lips. The only people who had become a happy family were them and the person I hated most. I wasn't part of it. Sharon continued trying to persuade me. "Now that you know the truth, why don't you make peace with Xavier? Then we can all be together openly from now on." I backed away while staring at her as though she were a complete stranger. Years ago, when Dad had brought his mistress, Kendra Alcock, and Xavier home, Mom had been so devastated that she jumped from the roof and died. Sharon had sworn over and over that she'd help me get revenge. She had even promised she would never become the kind of person Dad was. Dad and Greta had knelt before Mom's coffin, crying until there were no tears left to cry. They had confessed their guilt until dawn. So it had all been an act. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. "You can all make peace with him. Just leave me out of it!" With that, I didn't spare them another glance and turned toward the door. "Jordan! Let me explain!" Sharon chased after me and reached out to grab my arm. Suddenly, a cry came from inside the living room. "Xavier's blood sugar is dropping again!" Sharon's hand jerked back immediately, and she rushed inside. Her sudden retraction sent me stumbling down two flights of stairs. My knee slammed against the edge of the stairs, splitting the skin. Blood streamed down my leg onto the floor, but no one came out to check on me. I limped to my feet and made my way back to the bus station. Then, I got on a bus back to the hospital, which is located in the suburb on the other side of the city. I walked straight into the HR office and said, "Ms. Swift, I've decided to join the overseas training program. Please help me with the paperwork." Melanie Swift looked surprised to hear that. She teased me, saying, "Are you really sure you want to leave your wife behind? She loves you so much. Everyone at the hospital has heard all about your love story." I smiled bitterly in response. The irony wasn't lost on me. As she filled out my paperwork, she chatted casually. "To be honest, if that contract hadn't expired yet, things would've been complicated." My heart sank as I asked, "What contract?" Melanie replied, "Your wife asked the hospital director to keep you here. She even got you double the usual benefits. The only condition was that you weren't allowed to transfer to another hospital. If the contract hadn't expired, you wouldn't have been able to leave even if you wanted to." Chapter 3 Jordan's POV Seeing the shock on my face, Melanie quickly stopped talking. I looked at the thick stack of transfer requests on her desk and laughed until tears filled my eyes. During the seven years I'd lived apart from Sharon, I'd exhausted myself trying to transfer to the hospital near our house. I'd submitted one transfer request after another, only to have every single one rejected. And because I lived so far apart from my family, I hadn't been able to see Mom one last time. Worse still, I couldn't even make it home for her memorial every year. I'd thought I simply wasn't qualified for a transfer. It turned out Sharon had deliberately pulled strings to keep me far away. Melanie held up the approval stamp and asked me one more time, "Are you really going overseas for further training? You need to understand that you won't be able to come back for at least five years." I nodded, finally at peace with my decision. As soon as I stepped out of the office, I heard a couple of young nurses whispering. "Isn't that Dr. Jarquin's wife? She just found out she's pregnant. But who's the man helping her?" I followed their gaze. Xavier was supporting Sharon as she walked with a pregnancy report in her hand. When Sharon saw me, she didn't even try to hide anything. "We came here to tell that I just found out I'm pregnant. It's Xavier's child." I stood there, feeling my blood run cold from head to toe. Sharon softened her voice, as though she were trying to soothe a child. "You know your condition… Since you can't have children anymore, Xavier has to step in. He's your brother, so the child carries your blood, too." To my surprise, I remained completely calm. I stared at her slightly rounded belly before looking at Xavier. "How far along is she?" Xavier turned his face away awkwardly, unable to bring himself to meet my eyes. Sharon answered for him. "Three months." "Three months…" I repeated under my breath. Three months ago, I'd been in a serious car accident. Torrential rain had washed the blood from my body as I lay at the scene helplessly. I'd called Sharon countless times. Crying guiltily, she'd told me, "I'm dealing with something here. Even if I leave now, I won't make it in time. I'll call 911 for you…" That was when I'd suffered devastating injuries to my lower body. The doctors had told me I'd never be able to have children. And that was when they'd conceived theirs. I clenched my fists. The pain from my injuries made it difficult for me to stand upright. Xavier came over to support me. He said in an aggrieved tone, "What happened that night was an accident. She'd had too much to drink and mistook me for you… Please don't divorce her because of this baby." I braced myself against the wall and forcefully shook off his hand. I didn't even do it that hard, but Sharon immediately panicked and grabbed my wrist. She scolded, "Why are you taking your anger out on him? I'm the one who chose to have his baby!" Her eyes burned with fury. In seven years, she'd never once lost her temper with me. But now, she berated me for the sake of the man I hated most. I laughed bitterly and pulled a printed divorce agreement from my bag. "If you care that much about him, then let's get divorced." Sharon froze. She frowned hard, and she opened her mouth to say something. At some point, Xavier had gotten hold of a scalpel from somewhere. He dropped to his knees with tears streaming down his face. He cried, "If you can't accept me and this baby, then do it. Kill me, and the baby will be yours." He grabbed my hand and held on so tightly that I couldn't break free. I shouted, "Let go! Are you insane?" I never could have expected the shocking turn of events that would happen in the next second. Xavier wrapped my hand around the scalpel and drove it deep into his own abdomen. Chapter 4 Jordan's POV Sharon shrieked, "Jordan! How dare you lay a hand on him!" She shoved me hard. Her entire body was trembling with rage. Xavier lay in a pool of blood, clutching his stomach as he forced a pained expression onto his face. He said, "Don't blame Jordan for hating me. I can understand that he can't stand having me around, but I never thought he'd actually go through with it…" Disappointment filled Sharon's eyes as she stared at me. "How could I have married a man as cruel as you? I must've been blind!" With that, she quickly helped Xavier to his feet and took him to find a doctor. People nearby screamed. Some of them even cursed me. "He's a doctor, and he tried to kill someone!" "Doctors are supposed to save lives! Doesn't he have a conscience?" I remained frozen with the scalpel still in my hand. There was blood splattered all over me. Within minutes, my phone was flooded with hateful messages. Some people had even thrown trash at my white coat. When Dad arrived at the hospital, he slapped me hard across the face and said, "I can't believe you did that! He's your brother! How could you hurt him?" Greta glared at me with bloodshot eyes. "Don't ever call me your sister again. Xavier is the only brother I have from now on!" Steven scowled at me and declared that he was cutting ties with me. When I returned to my office, I found my desk and walls covered in red paint. Words like "Homewrecker" and "Murderer" were written all over. But when Mom was alive, the person she'd hated most was a homewrecker. Dazed and desperate, I immediately posted a clarification on the hospital's official website. I wrote, "Xavier is the homewrecker, just like his mother. I am innocent!" To my shock, Dad immediately posted a photo of his marriage certificate with Kendra underneath my comment. He wrote, "Xavier's mother was never a homewrecker." The moment I saw the official seal stamped across the certificate, I was stunned. So his marriage certificate with Mom had been fake all along. Something inside me broke beyond repair. Just then, the cemetery manager suddenly called me. "Mr. Jarquin, there's been an accident. Someone smashed your mother's gravestone. You need to come right away!" I stumbled to the cemetery as fast as I could. When I arrived, an excavator was repeatedly pounding Mom's gravestone. I shouted, "Stop what you're doing! Stop it!" My voice was drowned out by the roar of the machinery. The next thing I knew, the excavator rolled straight over my legs. A bloodcurdling scream tore from my throat. Instinctively, I called Sharon, but she didn't answer. I called again. This time, her phone was turned off. All my strength left me. Like a broken ragdoll, I collapsed into the blood beneath me. Just then, a video from Xavier appeared on my phone. It showed Sharon planting a deep kiss on his lips and speaking in a voice hoarse with sobs. "You'll be okay, Xavier. I'll have someone tear down his mother's grave right now. I won't let you or Kendra swallow this in silence." The video played over and over. Each replay broke my heart a little more. Then came a stream of taunting messages from Xavier. "Your mother was a homewrecker, and you're no different." "Homewreckers deserve to be treated like scum. You and your mother can go to hell and reunite there!" In the depths of despair, I closed my eyes. Three hours later, Sharon arrived at the cemetery with everyone else, ready to defend Xavier. But the moment she stepped into the cemetery, her body swayed, and she nearly collapsed.