The Shameful Secret
A young man is so embarrassed by his one-eyed mother that he locks her away, refusing to let her attend his graduation. But secrets have a way of coming out—and his might just ruin everything.
A House Full of Lies
When Carla got the call from Mrs. Yarrow, her late father’s neighbor, she thought she’d misheard.
“Can you do something about your tenants?” Mrs. Yarrow snapped, her voice sharp with annoyance. “The noise is unbearable!”
Carla’s stomach dropped. Tenants?
She had never rented out her father’s house. Since his death, she couldn’t even bring herself to step inside. The house was all she had left of him—a place frozen in time, filled with memories.
“Mrs. Yarrow,” Carla said slowly, “there’s been a mistake. There shouldn’t be anyone living there.”
“Well, there are,” the old woman huffed. “And they’re tearing the place apart!”
Heart pounding, Carla grabbed her keys and raced to her father’s house.
When she turned onto the street, her blood ran cold.
The driveway was packed with beat-up cars. The front door hung open, loud music blasting inside. Beer cans littered the lawn, and the porch was stained with who-knows-what.
This wasn’t just a rental. This was a party house.
Then she saw it—her husband’s best friend Nate’s car, parked in the garage.
And suddenly, everything made sense.
Phil.
Her husband had done this.
Behind her back, he’d turned her father’s home—the place where she’d learned to ride a bike, where she’d cried over broken hearts on the porch swing—into a cheap crash pad for his buddies.
And he’d been making money off it.
That explained the sudden “bonuses,” the new shoes, the talk of vacations.
Her hands shook as she gripped the steering wheel.
Phil hadn’t just stolen from her. He’d betrayed her.
She could storm home, scream, cry, demand answers.
But that wasn’t enough.
He needed to hurt the way she did.
Pulling out her phone, she dialed Nate.
“I know you’re living in my father’s house,” she said, voice icy. “I could have you thrown out tonight.”
Silence. Then—
“But if you help me teach Phil a lesson, I’ll let you stay another month. Rent-free.”
Nate hesitated.
“One more month in your little man cave,” she pressed. “Or I call the cops right now.”
Finally, he caved. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”
A slow, dangerous smile spread across Carla’s face.
The trap was set.
“The House Is on Fire!”
Phil was halfway through breakfast when his phone rang.
“Dude, the house is on fire!” Nate’s panicked voice shouted through the receiver.
Phil’s fork clattered to the plate. “WHAT?!”
“I don’t know what happened—sparks, smoke, now the fire department’s here! The porch is gone!”
Phil shot up from the table, coffee spilling everywhere. “I’m on my way!”
“Hurry!” Nate urged. “It’s bad!”
Phil barely mumbled an excuse to Carla before bolting out the door.
His mind raced as he sped toward the house. How could this happen? He’d been so careful. Nate was supposed to keep things quiet.
If Carla found out…
Then, his phone rang again.
Carla.
“Hey,” she said, voice eerily calm. “Just wanted to let you know—I’m showing Dad’s house to some buyers in twenty minutes.”
Phil nearly swerved off the road. “YOU’RE SELLING IT?!”
“Why not?” she said lightly. “It’s just sitting there.”
His stomach twisted. After all her “This house is sacred” nonsense, now she was selling it? And right when it was burning down?!
“You can’t just—”
“Too late,” she cut in. “See you soon.”
The call ended.
Phil slammed the gas pedal down, heart hammering.
But when he screeched up to the house—
No fire. No smoke. No trucks.
Just Nate, sitting on the porch, looking guilty.
“Nate?!” Phil roared. “What the hell?! You said it was on fire!”
Nate winced. “I had to, man. Carla called. She knows everything.”
Phil’s blood turned to ice.
She knew.
And she’d played him.
Furious, he stormed back to his car and drove straight to a motel.
No way was he going home to face her tears, her anger, her “How could you?!”
He’d done this for them! For their future! And all she cared about was some ghost of a house.
Fine. If she wanted to choose a memory over him, then she could live with that choice.
The next morning, he filed for divorce.
And he made sure to ask for their house in the settlement.
Let her keep her father’s empty shell.
He was done.