My husband went on a business trip to another city for a month, and I decided to move his favorite cactus in a pot to another place, but accidentally broke it while carrying it. My hair stood on end from what I saw inside…

The place was quiet and secluded, ideal for the conversation that awaited Sarah and me. I went inside and looked around. There were only a few visitors in the cafe.

An elderly couple by the window, a group of young people at a large table in the corner, and a lone woman at a table in the back of the hall. I recognized her immediately, although I had only seen her in photographs. Sarah.

She also noticed me and nodded slightly, inviting me to approach. I headed to her table, feeling my heart pounding. Here she is, the woman who was my husband’s wife much longer than I was. The woman who bore him a son.

The woman whose existence completely changed my life. Up close, she looked older than in the photographs. Dark hair with slight gray, tired eyes, wrinkles at the corners of her mouth.

But still beautiful, with some special, restrained elegance. «Hello,» I said, stopping at her table. «I’m Laura.»

We talked on the phone. She looked at me carefully, as if evaluating, then gestured to sit down. «You said you are John’s wife,» she said after a pause.

«Is that true?» I nodded and took out my passport with the marriage stamp from my bag. Handed it to her. «My real name is Emily,» I said. «Emily Anderson.

By husband. Here, look.» Sarah took the passport, carefully studied the page with my data, then turned to the page with the marriage registration stamp.

Her face remained impassive, but I noticed how the knuckles of her fingers gripping the document turned white. «Six years,» she said quietly. «You’ve been married six years?» «Yes,» I confirmed. «And you with John? How long?» «Sixteen,» she replied, returning the passport to me.

«We got married in 2009. Even before David’s birth.» «Sixteen years.»

That meant that at the time of our wedding, John had already been married to Sarah for ten years. Ten years he had another home, another family, another life. «So you didn’t know about me?» I asked, although the answer was obvious.

Sarah shook her head. «No, of course not. Do you think I would allow my husband to marry another woman? This is … some kind of madness!» There was bitterness in her voice, but no anger.

At least not towards me. «How did you find out?» she asked after a pause. I told her about the cactus, about the broken pot, about the found flash drive and box.

With each word, her face became more tense. «This cactus,» she said when I finished the story. «It was always with him.

As long as I remember. John never parted with it, even took it on business trips. I always wondered about this attachment to the plant, but attributed it to character quirks.

And what was on the flash drive?» she asked. «What did you find there?» I told her about the documents, about the photographs, about the videos. About how John addressed her in those videos, talking about potential danger, about the need to be careful.

At the mention of those videos, Sarah shuddered. «I never saw those recordings,» she said. «He never showed them to me.

And didn’t say he was recording something for me. That’s strange,» I agreed. «Why record video messages if not to show them to the addressee?» Sarah thoughtfully tapped her fingers on the table. «He was always secretive,» she finally said.

«Even with me. Especially in recent years. All these business trips, late returns, strange phone conversations.

I suspected he had someone, but thought it was just an affair. And it turns out. It turns out he had a whole second life.»

There was such bitterness in her voice that I felt genuinely sorry for this woman. It seemed she was as much a victim of John’s deception as I was. And what about his work? I asked. What, according to your information, does he do? He works in a logistics company, Sarah replied. East Trans.

Deals with international transportation. Constant business trips, meetings with partners. I got used to the fact that he is often not at home.

And what did he tell you? That he works in a construction company, I replied. Supplies materials, negotiates with contractors. We looked at each other, and at that moment a strange understanding arose between us. Two women deceived by the same man suddenly became allies.

«So he lied to both me and you,» Sarah said. «The only question is. Why? Why did he need two families, two lives? What’s the point?» I shook my head.

I don’t know. But it seems to me it’s not just that. Judging by those videos I saw, he was afraid of something.

He talked about some danger, about the need to be careful. Maybe he’s involved in something illegal. Sarah thought.

Possibly, she finally said. Lately he’s been especially nervous. Often checked if someone was following him, forbade me and David to post photos on social networks.

And once I saw him hiding some package in the garage, under the floorboard. When I asked what it was, he brushed it off, said it was just old documents that might come in handy someday. We both fell silent, immersed in our thoughts.

The situation was becoming more and more confusing. Who was John really? What did he do? And most importantly, where was he now? Where is John now? I asked. According to him. Sarah shrugged.

On a business trip in Philadelphia. Should return in two weeks. And he told me he was going to New York for a month, I noted. It turns out he could be anywhere.

Or with a third family that neither you nor I know about. Sarah shook her head. No, not that.

Two families. That’s already too complicated to manage. Three.

That’s beyond possible, even for a master of lies like John. I agreed with her. Indeed, leading a double life is difficult enough.

A triple one would seem completely incredible. There’s something else, I said after a pause. On the flash drive I found scans of several passports.

All in John’s name, but with different surnames. Anderson, Miller, Smith, Johnson. Sarah shuddered.

Miller. That’s my surname. John took it when we got married.

Before that he was Anderson, but in our marriage he’s also Anderson, I objected. We looked at each other, and I saw in her eyes the same understanding that came to me. Fake documents, she said quietly. He uses different names in different situations.

Like? Like a spy in movies or a criminal? I nodded. It explained a lot. And at the same time explained nothing.

Why does an ordinary person need fake documents? The further, the more entangled the situation became. We had been sitting in the cafe for more than an hour, and during this time we managed to order and drink a cup of tea each, but the conversation didn’t end.

I told Sarah about my life with John, she about hers. Two parallel stories, two versions of the same person.

Were there any oddities in your life with him? I asked. Something that aroused suspicion, made you think? Sarah thought. There were calls, she replied after a pause. Strange calls, after which he became nervous, irritable.

Sometimes in the middle of the night. He said it was because of the time difference, because of partners from other countries. But he always went to another room, spoke quietly, and when I asked what the conversation was about, he answered evasively or got irritated.

I had such cases too, I nodded. And what else? Packages. He sometimes received some packages without a return address. Never opened them in front of me, always took them to his office.

And when I asked what was there, he said it was work materials, technical documentation or samples. Sarah nodded. We had such packages too.

Once I accidentally opened one, thought it was books I ordered. And there were some papers in a foreign language and a small box sealed with tape. John got very angry then, yelled at me.

It was the only time he raised his voice at me. I remembered that in my life with John there was such an episode too. I mistakenly took his work bag instead of mine, and when I opened it, I found some documents in a language similar to Arabic.

John got very angry then, snatched the bag from me, and was gloomier than a cloud the whole evening. We came to the conclusion that our common husband was clearly involved in something he didn’t want to advertise. Something that could be connected with international contacts, possibly with some illegal operations.

But what exactly? We didn’t know. And what will we do now? I asked after a long silence. When he returns? How will we act? Sarah shrugged, I don’t know.

I’m not even sure I want to see him after everything I’ve learned. 16 years of marriage, and all this time he lived a double life. Lied to me, cheated, possibly put me and David in danger with his dark dealings.

How can I trust him after that? How can I remain his wife? I understood her feelings. I felt something similar myself. 6 years of my life turned out to be built on lies.

Everything I knew about my husband turned out to be fake, a decoration behind which hid a completely different reality. But you have a son, I noted. David. He needs a father.

Sarah smiled bitterly. A father who lies and cheats? Who is possibly a criminal? No, David doesn’t need such an example before his eyes. He needs an honest, decent person to look up to.

And John? John is not like that. I couldn’t disagree with her. After everything we learned, the image of John as an honest, decent family man.

Collapsed like a house of cards. In his place was a completely different person. Deceitful, two-faced, possibly dangerous.

And you? Sarah asked. What are you going to do? I shrugged. I don’t know.

But definitely not continue this farce. I can’t live anymore with a person whom, as it turned out, I don’t know at all. We exchanged phones, agreeing to keep each other informed of events.

Especially if John shows up at one of us. When I was already about to leave, Sarah suddenly grabbed my hand. Wait, she said.

There’s something else. You talked about the box you found in the cactus pot. What was inside besides the photograph? Only the photograph, I replied. And should there be something else?

Sarah frowned. In the video you watched, John said something about documents in the box. About bank accounts, real estate, insurance.

But you didn’t find anything like that? I shook my head. No, only the photograph. Maybe he meant the documents on the flash drive? Possibly, Sarah agreed, but looked unconvinced.

Or maybe the box has a false bottom? This thought hadn’t occurred to me. A false bottom? Like in spy movies. But considering everything we learned about John, it didn’t seem so incredible.

Do you have the box with you? Sarah asked. No, I replied. I left it at home, took only the flash drive. Sarah nodded.

Understood. When you get home, examine it carefully. Maybe there’s some hidden mechanism, a cache.

I promised I would do so. We said goodbye, hugging like old friends, although we had met only a couple of hours ago. It’s strange how common misfortune can bring people closer.

On the way back to Boston, I thought about our conversation with Sarah. She seemed sincere to me, as shocked and confused as I was. It seems she really didn’t know about my existence, just as I didn’t know about hers.

We were both victims of the same deception, puppets in the hands of a master manipulator whom we considered our husband. But who was John really? What was hiding behind all his masks? And most importantly, did he really have some dark past or present connected with illegal activities, as we suspected? I returned to Boston late in the evening. It was already about 10 when I stepped onto the platform of the central station.

Tired, emotionally drained, but with a firm intention to get to the bottom of the truth, I decided to spend the night in a hotel, and in the morning take the first train home. I needed to carefully examine the box again, study all the documents on the flash drive, maybe find some more clues. And then.

Then decide what to do next. How to build my life after everything I learned. I found a hotel not far from the station.

Small, cozy, with friendly staff. I checked in, went up to my room and collapsed on the bed exhausted. The day had been hard, full of emotional shocks.

But despite the fatigue, sleep didn’t come. Thoughts continued to revolve around John, his double life, his secrets. I decided to look through the contents of the flash drive again.

Maybe I’ll find something I missed the first time. Something that will help solve this puzzle. Opening the laptop, I inserted the flash drive and began to methodically view file after file.

I paid special attention to the videos where John addressed Sarah, talking about potential danger, about the need to be careful. In one of the videos, dated last year, John looked especially tense. He spoke quickly, nervously, often looking around, as if afraid someone might overhear.

Sarah, he began, «If you’re watching this video, it means something went wrong. It means I couldn’t return as promised. In the box there are all the necessary documents.

Certificates, accounts, everything you need so that you and David are safe. If something happens to me, contact Victor. He knows what to do.

And remember, I always loved only you and David. Everything I did, I did for you. The video ended, and I remained sitting, staring at the screen.

John talked about some box, about documents in it. But in the box I found in the cactus pot, there was only a photograph. No documents, no certificates, nothing that could ensure the safety of Sarah and David.

And who is this Victor? John didn’t mention the surname, didn’t give any contact details. How was Sarah supposed to find him? And what does this Victor know that could help in case of danger? Questions multiplied, and answers didn’t increase. I continued to view the files, hoping to find at least some clue, at least some explanation.

In the documents folder, I came across a strange file without an extension. It didn’t open with standard programs, and I was about to skip it when I noticed its name. Victor – exactly the same name that John mentioned in the video message to Sarah.

I tried to open the file with different programs, but unsuccessfully. It seemed to be encrypted or password protected. This only fueled my curiosity more…