I returned home from a four-day business trip anticipating warm hugs and a comforting bowl of pasta.

Instead, I was met with “HE LIES” carved into my husband’s prized hedge and a disturbing note taped to the front door, warning that the nightmare was only beginning.

I had just returned from a work trip in Riverside.

My husband Tyler had texted me sweet messages the whole time about missing me, counting until I got home, and promising to make my favorite pasta for dinner.

I wanted to make Tyler and the kids surprised by coming home early in the morning instead of later that evening.

But as soon as I pulled into our driveway, two giant words were trimmed right into the thick green leaves of our hedge:

“HE LIES”

That hedge was my husband’s favorite thing. He clipped it every Saturday and knew every branch like it was a bonsai masterpiece.

He watered it more than he watered our marriage. He once said he’d rather lose a finger than see someone ruin it.

My first instinct?

Maybe it was a misunderstanding or a prank. I took out my phone, snapped a photo, and marched toward the house.

But then I saw a folded note taped to our front door.

“Your husband lied to me & ruined the only thing I lived for. So I’ve started with what he loves most.

His hedge is just the beginning.

Go inside. And ask him just one question.

Or call me. You deserve the truth.

Jennifer”

There was a phone number beneath her name.

The note felt like it was burning my fingers.

The house was quiet when I slipped inside. Everyone was still asleep. I crept upstairs to our bedroom where Tyler was sprawled across the bed.

He looked so peaceful and innocent.

“Tyler,” I whispered, gently shaking his shoulder.

When he saw me, that crooked grin spread across his face.

“Mindy?!

You’re home early! I thought you weren’t coming back until tonight.”

“Wanted to surprise you and the kids.”

“Best surprise ever. How was the trip?”

I forced myself to smile, “Actually, Tyler, I need to show you something.

Look at this.”

I showed him the photo of his hedge. The color drained from his face instantly and his mouth fell open as he stared at the screen.

“What the hell?” He grabbed the phone, zooming in on the carved words. “Who did this?

When did this happen?”

His shock seemed genuine.

“Some kid must have done it while I was sleeping. Probably that Thompson boy from down the street… I yelled at him last week for riding his bike through our yard.”

Tyler was already getting out of bed and throwing on his clothes. “This is unbelievable.

My hedge! Do you know how long it took me to get it perfect?”

“I’m calling the police. This is vandalism.

Destruction of property.”

“Tyler, calm down—”

“Calm down? Someone destroyed my hedge, Mindy! Carved stupid words into it like some kind of joke.”

He seemed genuinely devastated.

If this was an act, he deserved an Oscar.

“I’m going to freshen up,” I said.

“I’ll make some coffee,” he replied, already heading downstairs.

I locked the bathroom door and dialed Jennifer’s number. She answered on the second ring.

“Hi… is this Jennifer? This is Mindy.”

“You found the note?!”

“Who are you?

Tell me this is some kind of mistake,” I whispered.

“I wish it was. Your husband and I met at a coffee shop downtown. He was charming and attentive.

Said he was starting his own business and just needed some investment capital to get off the ground.”

My legs gave out and I sank onto the bathroom floor.

“He knew about my sister Emma. She’s 20, has cerebral palsy… and needs specialized equipment to live independently. I’d been saving for three years… working double shifts, skipping meals, and living in a studio apartment.

$32,000.”

The number hit me like a gut punch.

“He promised we’d buy Emma’s equipment together once his business took off. Said we were partners in everything. I believed him completely.

And gave him every dime I’d saved.”

“How long?”

“Eleven months. He’d come over for dinner, bring flowers for Emma, and talk about our future. He made me feel like I’d finally found someone who understood what it meant to put family first.”

“Then one day, he just vanished,” Jennifer continued.

“His phone was disconnected. No goodbye, no warning. I thought maybe he’d been in an accident, so I filed a missing persons report.

That’s when I found out Jacob didn’t exist… not the single landscaper I’d been dating, anyway. Everything was fake. Even his name.”

“Then a few weeks later, I saw him in the next town.

He was laughing with some wealthy-looking woman at a café like nothing had happened… flirting, charming her. Just like he did with me. I took pictures and hired a private investigator.

That’s how I learned who he really was… and where he lived. With you.”

Tyler knocked on the bathroom door. “Babe?

Coffee’s getting cold.”

“Coming!”

“Check his phone, Mindy. Look for apps that aren’t what they seem. And if you find what I think you’ll find, call me back,” Jennifer added before hanging up.

Dinner was surreal.

“You seem distracted,” he said, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand.

“Just processing being home.

You know how it is aft

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