My husband would lock himself in the bathroom every evening for two hours: one night I took a flashlight, went to check, and behind the tiles I found a hole – and inside were strange bags… 

Lately, my husband had been acting increasingly strange. At first, I thought he had a mistress. He would go out in the evenings and could remain silent at home for long periods, as if he were thinking about something. But then I realized: it wasn’t about another woman at all.

Every day he would lock himself in the bathroom. He locked the door, turned on the water to drown out sounds, and could sit there for two hours straight. He never took his phone with him, so he definitely wasn’t talking to anyone. I asked him several times:

— What are you doing in there for so long?

And every time I got the same sharp reply:

— Nothing, it’s none of your business.

My curiosity grew – and with it, my fear. What was he hiding? Why was he behaving so strangely?

One night, when he had fallen asleep, I decided to take the risk. I took a flashlight so I wouldn’t turn on the light and wake him, and quietly went into the bathroom. Everything looked completely normal. Clean tiles, white bathtub, familiar smell of soap.

But then I noticed something strange.
On the wall, behind the toilet, there were scratches and cracks. Yet we had just renovated the bathroom – where had they come from?

I touched a tile. It wobbled. One movement – and a piece fell to the floor, revealing a black hole in the wall. I froze, my heart pounding. Inside was something hidden. I reached in and pulled out a plastic bag. Then another.

My hands were shaking. I tore open the plastic – and nearly fainted in horror  Inside were… (Continued in the first comment )

Inside were women’s jewelry: rings, bracelets, necklaces… but all were covered with brown-red stains. Dried blood. On one ring, a tuft of someone else’s hair was even stuck.

I felt nauseous. Later I learned that my husband had been bringing these items from crime scenes. I don’t know how many women had become his victims, but each piece of jewelry was a trophy, a reminder of his monstrous deeds.

Quickly, almost in panic, I put everything back in the bags, hid them in the hole, and replaced the tile.

That night I didn’t sleep a wink. I lay next to him, listening to his steady breathing, while the images of the blood-stained jewelry played in my mind. I understood: the man sleeping next to me was a monster.

The next morning, I didn’t say a word. I packed my things, slammed the door, and went straight to the police. I never saw him again, but I believe he was surely arrested.