{"id":17170,"date":"2024-09-05T17:03:26","date_gmt":"2024-09-05T15:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/?p=17170"},"modified":"2024-09-05T17:03:26","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T15:03:26","slug":"my-husband-started-sneaking-out-of-the-house-at-night-i-thought-he-was-cheating-but-the-truth-was-far-far-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/?p=17170","title":{"rendered":"My Husband Started Sneaking out of the House at Night \u2014 I Thought He Was Cheating but the Truth Was Far, Far Worse"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Meredith notices her husband\u2019s shady behavior as he sneaks around at night, she decides that she has to follow him to uncover the truth. Little does she know that she\u2019s about to witness a group of people doing unspeakable things in the basement of an abandoned building\u2026<\/p>\n

I had always thought I knew my husband. I mean, we had been together for fifteen years, had two kids, and a cat named Max. Our life was comfortable. Predictable. But that was before I started noticing the late-night disappearances.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nA couple with their kids and a cat | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n

At first, it was just the usual restlessness. The occasional midnight trip to the kitchen or a drink of water. But then it became something else altogether. Tom would slip out of bed, tiptoe down the hall, and disappear into the night.<\/p>\n

I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, listening to his quiet footsteps fade away. At first, I told myself I was imagining things. But every night, around the same time, he\u2019d leave. And every time, he\u2019d return hours later, smelling like smoke and something else. It was floral, but I couldn\u2019t quite place it.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nA woman in her bed | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s cheating,\u201d I muttered to myself, the realization settling in like a stone in my stomach. I didn\u2019t want to believe it, but the signs were all there: the secrecy, the distance, the unexplained absences.<\/p>\n

It all pointed to one thing.<\/p>\n

But before I confronted him, I needed proof. I wasn\u2019t going to let him weasel out of this one with some half-baked excuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need more proof, Mer,\u201d I told myself.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nA worried woman | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n

So, one night, I decided that enough was enough. I needed to know more, and sitting at home while Tom was out doing whatever just wasn\u2019t going to give me the answers I needed.<\/p>\n

I waited until he\u2019d snuck out, then I grabbed my coat and slipped into my boots, which I had left out after dinner. Then, I followed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Mer,\u201d I told myself as I followed Tom. For some reason, my anxiety was through the roof because I had no idea what I was walking into.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nA woman putting her coat on | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n

I trailed him down our quiet street, hoping that the kids wouldn\u2019t wake up in our absence. I kept my distance, ducking behind trees and parked cars, trying hard to stay out of sight.<\/p>\n

Tom moved quickly, like he had somewhere to be. His head was down, his shoulders were hunched against the chill, and there was a sense of determination to his step.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is she, Tom?\u201d I muttered to myself. \u201cAnd is she really worth all this fuss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nA person walking at night | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n

After a few minutes, my husband turned a corner, and I almost lost sight of him. I quickened my pace, my breath fogging in the cold night air. Tom led me through a maze of back streets and alleyways, which confused me even more. At one point, I thought that Tom had seen me because a stray kitten tried to get my attention, meowing as she tried to get closer to me.<\/p>\n

It made my heart pang. Max, my cat, hadn\u2019t been seen for the past two days, and while I knew that he would find his way back home, I still couldn\u2019t wait to see him again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere the heck are we going?\u201d I asked the night air around me.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nA kitten in the street | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n

Finally, Tom stopped in front of an old building. It looked abandoned, with the windows boarded up, paint peeling from the walls, and a large broken gargoyle resting on the ground.<\/p>\n

Tom glanced around, and when he was satisfied that nobody was around, he slipped inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh boy,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

I wished I had brought someone along with me. Everything felt off about this place, and my gut kept telling me that I wasn\u2019t safe here.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can do this, Mer,\u201d I said to myself as my hand hovered on the door handle.<\/p>\n

But honestly, what was my husband doing in a place like this? Was he really meeting someone? What woman would willingly choose to come to this type of place?<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t bear the thought. So, before I let my mind run laps any further, I took a deep breath and pushed the door open, stepping into absolute darkness.<\/p>\n

The air was thick and musty with the smell of damp. And I could hear voices coming from somewhere. It took me a few minutes to realize that the voices were muffled and chanting something.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s coming from below,\u201d I told myself.<\/p>\n

I blinked a few times, trying to get my eyes to adjust to the darkness. And when they did, I moved forward, following a faint light that seemed to be the glow of candles coming from a basement.<\/p>\n

As I walked down the stairs, the chanting grew louder and louder. The words were indistinguishable, but they were rhythmic and almost hypnotic. I reached the bottom of the stairs and peered around, trying to find who was chanting.<\/p>\n

What I saw made my blood run cold. Truly.<\/p>\n

There was Tom, wearing a dark robe, standing in the center of the large basement, which was bathed in candlelight. He was surrounded by people in matching robes who held hands and were chanting, their voices low and guttural, as if summoning something.<\/p>\n

My heart raced when I realized what I was seeing. This wasn\u2019t an affair. Tom wasn\u2019t meeting a woman to romance her. This was something far, far worse.<\/p>\n

A cult. My husband belonged to a cult.<\/p>\n

But that wasn\u2019t even the worst part!<\/p>\n

I stifled a gasp when I saw what was in his hands. Max, our cat. The same sweet little boy who I hadn\u2019t seen for two days now.<\/p>\n

When I saw the table or altar that Tom stood in front of, I saw a brass bowl, rose petals, and a large knife.<\/p>\n

Were they really going to sacrifice my baby?!<\/p>\n

I knew I had to act fast. I pulled out my phone, snapping a few photos quickly. The lighting was pathetic, but the candlelight helped in showing Tom\u2019s face. And a few of the cultists.<\/p>\n

Once I had the evidence, I backed away as quickly and as quietly as I could. I dialed 911 with shaking hands, whispering my location to the dispatcher, desperately praying that they\u2019d get to me in time.<\/p>\n

I was praying they\u2019d get to Max in time\u2026<\/p>\n

I thought of my sweet boy and how he would jump onto the bed every morning when he was hungry. Or how he\u2019d follow me to the bathroom at every chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you can\u2019t let anything happen to him,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

I took a deep breath and bolted down the stairs, not caring about being quiet or remaining unknown.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you lay a hand on my cat, I will see to it that you\u2019re all charged with animal abuse,\u201d I declared loudly.<\/p>\n

The chanting stopped immediately, and every head in the basement turned to me. My husband\u2019s face went pale as his eyes widened.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeredith?\u201d he stammered. \u201cWhat are you doing here? You can\u2019t be here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone looked confused and kept glancing at each other, unsure of what to do. But then a man stepped forward with authority.<\/p>\n

The leader?<\/p>\n

He was tall and had a wild look in his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t belong here,\u201d he growled, his voice low and threatening as he walked toward me.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t wait for him to get any closer. I pulled out the can of pepper spray from my coat and aimed it straight at his face. The man screamed, clutching his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMax, come!\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n

I burst out of the building, Max at my feet, just as the police arrived, their lights flashing in the desolate area, their sirens echoing through the night.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re down here!\u201d I screamed, picking Max up and holding him tightly. \u201cThey were about to sacrifice my cat!\u201d<\/p>\n

The officers rushed past me, guns drawn and determined looks plastered on their faces. Moments later, they re-emerged with several people in dark robes, all in handcuffs, including Tom.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeredith, please,\u201d he started to say.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to hear it. I can\u2019t even look at you right now, Tom.\u201d<\/p>\n

The officers took Max from me and handed him over to someone from Animal Control.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, it\u2019s just to check him out, and you\u2019ll get him right back,\u201d an officer said.<\/p>\n

After that, two officers told me everything they had found.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were drugs found at the altar, ma\u2019am. Apparently, they were used as part of an initiation for new recruits. The whole sacrificing of Max was supposed to be a celebration of their new members. We\u2019ll know more when we get these guys back to the station for more questioning. But they\u2019ve been arrested for animal cruelty and drug possession.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom kept begging for my forgiveness as they led him into the back of a police car. But I wasn\u2019t about to give in.<\/p>\n

This was truly worse than any affair. This was a different type of betrayal altogether.<\/p>\n

Who had I married? Who was this man who shared children and an entire life with me?<\/p>\n

A police officer took me home with Max curled up on my lap, his purring a small comfort in this mess.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long will Tom stay in? What happens next?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll be in a holding cell tonight, ma\u2019am. And then we\u2019ll get started with questioning and see how much deeper this goes. Your husband will have access to a public defender, but the law will take its course.\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded. Now I had big decisions to make. But they all started with me getting my kids out of that house and moving in with my mother. The divorce would come next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Meredith notices her husband\u2019s shady behavior as he sneaks around at night, she decides that she has to follow him to uncover the truth. Little does she know that she\u2019s about to witness a group of people doing unspeakable things in the basement of an abandoned building\u2026 I had always thought I knew my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17170"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17177,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17170\/revisions\/17177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}