The husband had spent the entire night with his mistress, and when he returned home in the morning and opened the bedroom door, he was horrified by what he saw on the bed 

The husband had spent the whole night with his mistress. The young woman lived on the outskirts of the city, and the trip to her place took more than two hours, and if he got stuck in traffic — even three hours. But he loved those days. There, he could forget about home, about his wife who over the years had grown older and put on weight, about everyday problems, bills, reproaches, and the endless “we need to talk” conversations.

With the mistress, everything was different — laughter, lightness, admiring looks. She was twenty years younger than him and looked at him the way his wife hadn’t for a long time.

That night, they were far too busy with their love affairs. When the husband finally looked at the clock, his heart sank — it was almost four in the morning. He jumped up abruptly and began to get dressed in a hurry.

— Maybe you’ll stay? — the mistress drawled, lazily pulling the sheet toward herself.

— I can’t. My wife is at home.

— But you don’t love her anyway. Why rush home?

The husband barely heard her words anymore. Anxiety switched on in his head. He grabbed the car keys and almost ran outside.

He drove at high speed, gripping the steering wheel tightly. On the way, he made up excuses on the fly. Problems at work? An urgent meeting? Worked too much and didn’t notice how time passed? An accident on the highway? Over the past year, since the mistress appeared in his life, he had learned to lie masterfully — easily, confidently, without a tremor in his voice.

When he pulled up to the house, the sky was already beginning to lighten. He quickly entered the building, trying not to make any noise. He tossed his jacket onto a chair and took off his shoes in the hallway. A strange, oppressive silence filled the apartment.

He became alert. Something had happened in the house.

The door to their bedroom was slightly open. Strange — his wife always closed it at night. Slowly, almost without breathing, he looked into the room… and froze. On the bed was his wife…  Continuation in the first comment 

The bed was neatly made. No rumpled sheets, no pillow with her scent. Right in the center lay a note.

His hands trembled as he picked it up.

“I’ve known everything for a long time. I endured it because I loved you. But I’m tired. Don’t call me and don’t look for me. My lawyer will contact you.”

Nothing else. No tears, no reproaches.

In a panic, he rushed to the safe built into the wardrobe. He entered the code — his hands barely obeyed him. The door opened.

The safe was empty.

All his savings — more than a million — were gone. Documents, cash, even the spare bank cards. Everything.

He sank onto the edge of the bed, unable to believe what was happening. At that moment, the most terrifying realization hit him: his wife hadn’t just left. She had planned everything.

And for the first time in many years, he understood — that night with his mistress had cost him far too much.