The happiest ending.

“I’m sorry but I think we’ve done everything we can, maybe you should try adoption,” the doctor said. Those words turned our world upside down. My wife fell in my lap and cried. I ran my hands through her curly black hair as tears ran down my face. I noticed the mixture of our tears staining my khaki pants but I didn't care. I knew my wife would be changed forever.

The first week after was treacherous. We spent most of our days in bed holding each other, only getting up to go to the bathroom. We didn't say anything to each other during this week, just glances and empty gazes. The next week I decided to go back to work, a decision my wife didn’t understand. I would come home and she would be in the same spot I left her in. I asked her when she was going to go back to work or even try to hang out with her family or friends, her reply was always, “soon” . I began wondering if she would leave an imprint on the bed when she finally got up, but I didn't want to seem insensitive. This became the routine for a month.

One day I came home and saw her in the dining room sitting at the table. Her hair was in a sleek bun, with her favorite jewelry a gold necklace and gold earrings to match. She was on her laptop, and before I could ask what she was doing she noticed me standing in the doorway. “Well hello there, how was your day?”, she asked me. I made my way to the adjacent seat to sit down before replying. “Great, I’m glad you are up today. It’s nice to see you're feeling better.” I put a smile on my face to hide my confusion. “I purchased a beach house today, we’re moving in this weekend,” she said to me with the biggest smile on her face. “Are you serious?” I asked, before standing up to hug her. I didn’t know how I felt about moving but I didn’t want to upset her. “Yes” she replied before walking out the door to the garage.

The next few days were full of packing. Finally it was Saturday. The day we moved to the beach house. I remember feeling excitement run through my body as I entered the house. It had many windows, with a great view of the beach. I remember making the remark “this house is practically made of windows” while walking through it. The floor was made of hardwood, I assumed it was easier to clean after returning from the beach than carpet. I quickly settled in. My wife seemed settled and happy too. I thought we were getting a fresh start, I never knew it would end like this.

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Black hair, mocha skin and brown eyes. I noticed her running along the shore, her hair became one with the wind. “Hey honey.” My wifes' voice broke my gaze. “Hello beautiful, how are you?” I replied. “Good, I made dinner. Are you hungry? Come sit down with me,” she said before walking over to the table. I quickly followed her and sat down. I wondered if she noticed me staring at the woman on the beach. I didn't want her to fall back into her funk. I quickly changed the subject and we had a great night.

The next morning I woke up to an empty bed. I walked to the kitchen and saw a note: “I’m going out for the day I’ll be back, I love you” the note read.

I poured myself a glass of water then went to the bathroom to shower. I combed over my black hair and sprayed on cologne before putting on my trunks and heading to the beach. This was my chance I thought in my head. As soon as I got on the beach I saw the woman from the window. After talking a bit, I asked her to come back to my house. She said yes and we went back to my place. We had a great conversation before I made my move on her. We had sex and I felt nothing. No guilt, no shame, no excitement.

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I left him a note before I left the house. I didn’t tell him where I was going, I just said I would be out for the day. I straightened my curly hair until it turned into black tresses. I didn’t want him to recognize me if he took the bait. I put on my large beige sun hat and a pair of sunglasses to hide my face before heading to the beach. I made sure I had some books, binoculars and a picnic basket since I knew I would be there for a while. I placed my beach towel on the warm sand and laid out. The sound of the waves crashing up on the shore line was powerful yet refreshing. I saw the beautiful woman I caught him staring at. I couldn’t help but stare at her for a while before I noticed orange swimming trunks and shiny black hair. The man was walking down the beach excitedly before laying out to tan. I knew those orange trunks from anywhere, the man was my husband. I hoped that he just came to the beach to enjoy his day, maybe it was all a coincidence. He couldn't be there to see her. At that moment, she went over to talk to him. My heart dropped to my stomach after I saw him walk her back to our house. I moved up on the beach to be close enough to see in the windows of my house. There was my husband having sex with her on our couch while two wine glasses sat on our table. At that moment I decided I wasn’t going home tonight. I opened my picnic basket and began to drink my wine watching him sleep with her in our house.

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I put her out and showered. I wondered when the guilt of stepping out on my wife would appear. Maybe it will happen when I see her, I thought. I turned the lights off and fell asleep. I woke up to daylight shining in the house. My wife had never come home and I began to worry. Maybe she left me and wanted to be nice about it, maybe she needs help, I thought. I started to go to the police but first I decided to look outside to see if she was there. I walked out the door and headed to the beach. I immediately saw a woman laying on the beach passed out. It was my wife with a wine bottle laying next to her and dry runny mascara on her face.

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I drank and watched the sunset. Before I knew it I was the only person on the beach. The water was pitch black besides the parts glistening with the moon's light. I walked into the ocean enough for the water to touch my knees. I closed my eyes and prayed for a miracle. I cried. I stumbled back to my towel and looked up at my house. “Hello, are you okay?” a tall man asked me. I turned back towards the ocean and looked at him. He was tall with curly red hair and a beard. “Yes. I thought I was alone,” I replied while wiping my face. I was intrigued as this handsome man stood in front of me. I asked him if he wanted to sit down. He said yes and we sat down together talking about our lives. I told him about my husband and broke down crying. I laid on the sand and he laid with me holding me.

I bought several cover ups to wear to the beach that I visited daily. I never saw the man, I always wondered where he went and if he was okay. I knew he was the father of my child but I decided to tell my husband it was his. I wanted to make my marriage work now that we were both even. I decided to take him to the water and tell him there, he smiled and hugged me so tight. His excitement made me feel like I was on the top of the world. We were finally having the child we tried so hard for. Our precious baby boy. I knew he would be the greatest dad.

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Surprise! She said as she dropped her cover up into the water. She had on a two piece baby blue bathing suit and her belly was round almost as if she was pregnant. “Are you pregnant?” I asked her, smiling. She replied “Yes” and hugged me. I held her and cried while telling her I was excited. However, I knew the child wasn’t mine. I was sterile and told I wouldn’t be able to have children. My wife was a liar, I know I lied but hers was a different kind of betrayal. I felt anger quickly consume me. I knew I would have to tell her the truth so I set up dinner on the beach that night.

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There was a feast on the white tables sitting near the oceanfront. Vases full of roses sat in the middle of the tables and candles lit up the walkway. I couldn't believe he surprised me this way, he was never the romantic type. Couples were walking on the beach that night, hand in hand. Love was in the air. I placed my hand on my belly and smiled before whispering “I love you” to my unborn child. My husband appeared and hugged me before we sat down to eat. He looked worried or angry but he had a smile on his face. I figured work might have been stressing him out or he missed the beautiful woman on the beach. I forced these thoughts to slip my mind so I could enjoy this evening with him. After our meal, we walked down the shoreline, hand in hand.

We ended up by a lighthouse where my husband left me, telling me he would be right back. Roughly 15 minutes later he returned. “I love you,” my husband said before kneeling, my body was shaking. I began to wonder if he was going to propose? Right at that moment, I felt something hard and cold hit my side. I felt warmth and looked down to see blood. My husband was there with a knife stabbing my side repeatedly. My blood painted the water red. I tried to run but I was frozen until I remembered my prayer for a miracle.

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Death was the only cure for my anger I thought as I walked back to the dinner table to pick up the two knives. How could she get pregnant if it wasn’t me. Then I remembered the day I found my wife passed out on the beach. I knew there was someone else but I didn’t know who. I looked around the beach and noticed all the happy couples holding hands. I felt infuriated thinking about my wife and her betrayal and decided to do something about it. At that moment it felt like my wife and I were the only ones on the beach. I hoped she didn’t see me and see that anger. I quickly ran down to where I left her. There she was standing there, the moonlight shining on her. She was staring at the ocean and didn’t notice me until I got on one knee in front of her. “I love you”, I said before stabbing her over and over in her abdomen.

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A few days passed. The news had the story on every outlet possible. “Husband kills pregnant wife and goes on the run”. There were search dogs on the beach and boats on the ocean looking for clues and trying to find my body. They were missing two bodies, the killer husband and the pregnant wife.

Our house was being cleared out and searched. Journalists were outside of it like vultures waiting on any information they could get to build on the story. I knew I could never return to our beach house. I would have to leave and always stay in the shadows so I could never be recognized. I was prepared to do so. I just wanted one last look at the life I have to leave behind now. I felt the bandages on my abdomen before I put my binoculars away and turned to leave. As soon as I turned I heard the detective yell. I smiled as I walked away holding my pregnant belly.

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“We got one!” the detective yelled. They had finally found my remains. Orange trunks laid there in the sand full of bones. They assumed I committed suicide after my horrendous crimes and closed the case. My wife got away with killing me. She got to live with her baby, her happy ending.