I came home heartbroken, ready for comfort. Instead, my father gave me judgment. My husband had cheated, and when I told Dad, he dismissed it: “That’s no reason to throw everything away.” Angry, I escaped to the garage. That’s when I noticed Dad’s old red pickup—the one he never let anyone touch. The back hatch was unlocked.
Under a hidden panel, I found a yellowed envelope. On the front, in careful handwriting, were six words: “Please Come Back.” The letter held an address two towns over. Curiosity took me there, where a silver-haired woman named Doris opened the door. Her eyes filled with tears when she saw the envelope.
She told me she’d loved my father decades ago, not knowing he was married. When she found out, she left him and sent that letter as a goodbye. Shaken, I confronted Dad. He admitted the affair, and to my shock, Mom already knew—she had stayed “for the family.”
That night, I realized something: I couldn’t live in a marriage without trust. My parents had chosen endurance; I would choose freedom. The letter didn’t just uncover my father’s secret—it gave me the courage to walk away from my own.