When Brenda got married to Anthony, he only had one condition for her: that she would stop working. Anthony’s job paid well, and therefore there was no need for Brenda to work at all.
Instead, he wanted her to focus on their family and managing their house. Brenda had nothing against it. She had many hobbies, and having the privilege to control what she did with her time was something she actually enjoyed.
Brenda loved Anthony dearly. Although she knew she could easily splurge on material things, she would only use the money Anthony gives for utility bills, food, and home maintenance works. Sometimes, she would treat herself to the spa, or to her favorite coffee shop for an afternoon out with her friends.
However, after a while, Brenda started to incur added expenses. This story all began when she was still studying at the local university.
One day, she met a handsome young man who became her groupmate while in her senior year. After sitting beside each other in class, they fell in love.
The groupmate, whose name was Jack, was a handsome blonde who always wore a black leather jacket and matching black boots. All the girls at school swooned over him. That time, though, he only had eyes for Brenda.
Brenda was an excellent student. She excelled in her academics and had many extra-curricular activities, making her the ideal student. However, after getting involved with Jack, she started to forget about herself.
Jack, being the heartthrob that he was, always skipped classes. He would be at the nearby university bar, drinking and playing billiards instead of studying. He would invite Brenda to join him, and that caused problems for her grades.
In the end, this took a toll on Brenda. She ended up failing her exams, and because the professors knew just how good she could be, asked her to retake her classes and repeat her final year at school.
Ironically, Jack passed all of his classes. This was because while he and Brenda were out partying, he would ask the girls who crushed on him to do his homework and send him answers to their tests.
When Jack graduated, he suddenly lost interest in Brenda. She tried her best to see him, but there he was, busy drinking and having fun with other girls.
Ultimately, Jack just stopped showing up altogether. It was during this time that Brenda found out she was already pregnant with their child.
Frightened, Brenda ran to her best friend Mila for advice. “What do I do, Mila?” she asked. “I’m so young. I’m not ready to raise a baby on my own,” she cried.
“I’m sorry you have to go through this alone, Brenda. Know that I’ll be with you every step of the way,” Mila assured her. “There’s always the option of adoption. You can let your baby have a good chance at life if you give him or her to the right family,” she suggested.
Brenda powered through her last semester in school with a growing baby bump. When she gave birth, she decided to give her baby boy to her mother’s friend, who was childless and wanted so badly to start a family.
Unfortunately, it was difficult for Brenda to live with the thought of abandoning her child through the years. Every single day, she thought about her son and could not get rid of these lingering thoughts in her head.
When she finally found love again with Anthony, Brenda decided to make peace with her past by visiting her son for the first time. By then, Max was already three and for some reason, he immediately recognized his mother.
The kid reached his hand out to the woman he had seen for the first time since his birth. Brenda realized then and there that she didn’t want to live the rest of her life without her son. So she visited him from time to time with the support of his adoptive parents.
Anthony had no clue about all of this. Brenda feared that he would not understand her choices and would shy away from her for having a child before their marriage.
What Brenda didn’t understand was that the truth could not be kept secret for long. Max’s adoptive parents got into a major car accident that required them to be in the hospital for months. This drained out their funds, and Max was left with his adoptive grandparents.
When she found out, Brenda knew that she had to help them. After all, it was her son who would suffer if she didn’t. However, Brenda couldn’t simply withdraw money from Anthony’s accounts, as it’d be suspicious. So, she decided to get a job.
Mila worked as a receptionist at a hotel chain near Brenda’s home and suggested she applied for a job there. She knew Brenda enjoyed keeping things nice and tidy, so she let her know of the housekeeping position opening. In the end, Brenda easily got the job. The manager thought she was overqualified but was happy to accept her for the role.
One day, while she was cleaning the rooms, she was suddenly called to tidy up a large conference room that often held company meetings. Brenda quietly entered the hall, regretting it almost instantly.
Inside was a large business meeting with her husband presenting right in front. Anthony saw her immediately and started to turn pale. “Brenda?” he said faintly enough for his colleagues to hear.
“What was that you were saying?” one of his bosses asked. “I’m sorry, one moment please,” he said, walking towards his wife.
“What is this, Brenda? Why are you in uniform and why are you working here?” he asked her quietly. Brenda could feel tears forming in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Anthony. I have not been truthful to you…” she said, almost in a whisper.
Before he could say anything else, his knees gave in and he fainted in front of her. While his co-workers rushed to see what happened, Brenda couldn’t help but quietly leave the room and sob.
She wept, hiding herself in the housekeeping quarters, where she accepted her fate. There’s no way I can hide the truth now, she thought to herself.
That evening, when Brenda returned home, Anthony was standing in their living room waiting for her. Frightened, she sat on the couch opposite him.
Anthony walked towards her and sat beside her. He took her hands and said, “Honey, please tell me everything. I know you didn’t get this job because you find pleasure in cleaning up after strangers. So you must have had an important reason. Please, tell me what it is,” he said calmly.
Brenda, with tears in her eyes, proceeded to tell him everything. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I should have told you this before we even got married, but I was afraid you’d leave me. You see, I had a boyfriend back in university who abandoned me. When he left, I found out I was pregnant,” she cried.
“I didn’t want to get rid of the child, but I also knew I couldn’t take care of him. So I put him up for adoption and he’s with my mother’s friend. I have seen him a couple of times since we got married. Recently, his adoptive parents got into a major car accident. My son was left with no money, and I felt it was my responsibility to at least give him some,” Brenda explained.
Brenda was prepared to accept Anthony’s anger towards her. However, he remained calm.
“I’m not angry because you have a child,” he started. “I’m sad because you didn’t tell me earlier. That just means you don’t trust me. I’m hurt that you didn’t think you could trust me with such an important matter,” he said.
“I’m sorry, Anthony. I truly am. I love you with all my heart, but I was so afraid of losing you if you knew about my past. Please forgive me,” she sobbed.
Without saying a word, Anthony pulled Brenda in for a hug. “From now on, we keep no secrets from one another. We will look after your son’s family for as long as we need to. You do not need to work. All you need to do is let me know what they need, and we will give it.”
What can we learn from this story?
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