My Wife Slips Away From Home Every Night. And the Truth Turned Out To Be Much Worse Than Infidelity

A 35-year-old man wrote to us with a cry for help. He started noticing that his wife of 15 years was disappearing from their home at night. Eventually, he had to follow her, and he discovered such a truth about his wife that now he doesn’t know how to live with it.

The man has experienced some unexplainable issues in his family.

Austin recently wrote a letter to our editorial team to share his unusual family story. He explained that for many years, he has had to get up at night to use the bathroom due to bladder issues.

Austin has been happily married to his wife, Laura, for over 15 years, and she is well aware of his nightly routine. Everything seemed normal until Austin began noticing strange occurrences. His bladder problems led him to discover what was happening during the night.

Austin mentioned that lately, when he woke up, he would find his wife missing from their bed. In fact, she was nowhere to be found in the house. Initially, he assumed Laura might be dealing with anxiety and going for late-night walks to cope with her stress. He tried to rationalize her behavior and refrained from asking too many questions at first.

He wrote, “I thought she didn’t want to talk about her stress, so I waited patiently for her to open up. I sensed something was wrong, but I didn’t want to press her because Laura is very private. I knew it was better to wait until she was ready to discuss it.”

The situation in the family was getting really tense.

Austin continues his story, recounting a night when he decided he had to find out what was really going on. Laura typically returned from her “night walks” around 5-6 am, looking exhausted, nervous, and sleepy. When this behavior became too frequent to ignore, Austin decided to confront her.

However, Laura wouldn’t provide any clear answers. She claimed she stayed near the house and didn’t actually go anywhere. She explained that the air in their bedroom felt stifling, making it hard for her to breathe, so she stepped outside for fresh air.

Austin wrote, “I might have believed her if this happened occasionally and if it wasn’t during a cold and windy period when the air couldn’t be stifling at all — in fact, our bedroom was even too ’fresh.’ Besides, I didn’t know of any medical condition she had that would cause such symptoms every night. She never had breathing problems, and when I suggested she see a doctor, she refused.”

Austin noted that things only got stranger. Not only was Laura frequently absent at night, but she also became cold and distant, rejecting his hugs, kisses, and other signs of affection.

He wrote, “I began to suspect infidelity and, oh, how I wish she had just been cheating on me. The real truth was far more painful.”

The truth was revealed very unexpectedly.

Austin continues his story, revealing that one night, he decided to follow his wife to see where she was going and what she was doing. This decision was painful for him, as it made him feel like there was something seriously wrong in their relationship if he felt the need to resort to such measures.

However, he felt he had no choice since Laura refused to tell him the truth, and he couldn’t just watch her become a stranger to him.

One night, he heard Laura getting out of bed. He waited until she was fully dressed for her walk, then quickly left the house two minutes after she did. He followed her closely, and she never looked back, possibly because she never expected him to follow her and this had become a routine for her.

Laura walked a familiar route, heading towards the house of Austin’s parents, where his elder brother Mike lived with his wife Amelia and their two children, Dana and Ian.

Austin wrote, “I had mixed feelings when I saw Laura heading straight to my family’s house. On one hand, I felt relieved; on the other hand, I had so many questions. Why was she visiting my parents at night instead of during the day? And why had she kept it such a big secret?”

The man was even more shocked when he saw what Laura was actually doing at her in-laws’.

Austin wrote, “I followed her straight to my parents’ door. She didn’t knock or ring; instead, she took out her mobile phone and dialed a number. Then my older brother, Mike, silently appeared on the doorstep, took her hand, and they went to the garden behind my parents’ house.”

He managed to hide close enough to overhear their conversation. “I knew my parents’ garden like the back of my hand. As a child, I played hide-and-seek there with friends, and later, I dated Laura in that very garden, even proposing to her on the same bench where she was now sitting and talking to my brother,” Austin wrote.

Mike and Laura were discussing a child, specifically Mike’s eldest daughter, Dana. At first, Austin couldn’t understand why his wife would be so interested in talking about Dana at night, but as he listened more, he realized the truth.

Dana was not his niece but his wife’s daughter. Laura had conceived Dana with his brother, Mike, and Austin had been unaware of this the entire time. He had believed Dana was the child of Mike’s previous relationship with a woman he never introduced to the family. When Dana was born, Mike had obtained full custody but never shared details or documents with the family.

No one in the family had insisted on learning the details of Mike’s past relationship, respecting his privacy. Dana was a lovely young lady, and Mike and his wife Amelia loved her as much as their younger son, Ian. There was a sense of complete harmony in their family.

Austin talked to his wife in the morning and finally found out even more shocking details about her past and present.

Austin made sure to return home before Laura, and pretended to be asleep when she came in. However, she noticed his clothes left near the entrance door, which was unusual for him. She asked if he was really sleeping and why his clothes were left there. Austin felt it was the right time to talk, so he told Laura that he had found out everything, admitting he had followed her and heard her conversation with Mike.

With no reason left to hide the truth, Laura confessed that she and Mike had dated for six months in the past. She became pregnant, expecting Mike to be happy and marry her, but instead, he accused her of baby-trapping him. He had no intention of marrying her but wanted to be a father to the baby, so he insisted she give birth to Dana and let him have full custody.

When Laura started dating Austin, she knew he was Mike’s brother, but genuinely fell in love with him and cherished their relationship. Austin had always wondered why Laura was so reluctant to visit his parents, especially after Mike moved in with them some years ago. He had assumed it was just a difference in their views of life and never pushed Laura to be close to his family.

Laura now wanted to become a parent to Dana and was discussing with Mike the possibility of revealing the truth to her. She and Austin never had children because Austin couldn’t have them. Laura still wanted to be a real mother to Dana and was meeting Mike to discuss this.

Austin is now feeling disappointed, sad, and puzzled. He really needs advice on how to move forward with the knowledge he now has, admitting that his life feels like a total mess.

We’d advise Austin to talk to everyone, who’s involved into this dramatic story.

We sincerely sympathize with Austin and understand how challenging it must be for him to come to terms with what he’s discovered. However, the past shouldn’t always dictate the present and future.

We advise Austin to wait until his emotions stabilize before having another conversation with Laura. This time, the discussion should not focus on blame, but on finding a path forward. The topic should be, “What do we do now?”

The couple might want to explore the process of gaining custody of Dana, but they must consider the perspectives of Mike, his wife, and Dana herself. It’s crucial for Austin to involve all parties in the conversation and strive to find a family solution that respects everyone’s feelings.

We acknowledge that reaching a resolution will take time, but the outcome could be unexpectedly positive for everyone if they prioritize Dana’s feelings. As a child, Dana is at the heart of this situation, and her well-being should be the primary concern.

Unfortunately, infidelity often becomes a major issue in relationships. Here is the story of a woman who discovered her husband’s affair by finding menstrual pads.