All Chapters of Her Well-Hidden Secret: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

After returning from my business trip, I pushed open the door and froze when I saw my wife, Nydia Cooper, on the couch. My face instantly turned red. There she was, dressed lightly, her posture inviting as she lounged on the sofa. When she noticed me, she gave a shy smile. My throat felt dry. Nydia and I had been married for seven years now. Back when we had just graduated college, we'd shared an intense, inseparable time together. But once I started my master's program, I was often away, living on campus. It wasn't until six months ago, after completing my PhD and starting my job, that we finally settled into a more typical married life. Nydia got up from the couch as I approached her, holding a small cake I'd brought back. "Don't put it on the table—it wouldn't look nice," she said nervously, waving her hand. Scratching my head, I didn't understand her reasoning but complied, still holding the cake as I walked away. Having just gotten off the plane, I was exhau

I glanced down at Rylee in my arms. Maybe she was a part of this whole scheme, too. I took her home, and the entire drive, she didn't say a word—just cried quietly. I wanted to talk to her, but as her father, and with how little time I'd spent with her and Nydia over the years, I didn't know where to even begin."I'll be busy for the next couple of days. How about you stay with Grandma for a while?" I asked, testing the waters. My mother adored Rylee, but she had never gotten along with Nydia. Sometimes, when my mother called asking for Nydia to bring Rylee over, Nydia refused.Through the rearview mirror, I saw Rylee nod slightly. A small weight lifted off my chest. I called my mother right in front of Rylee. "Rylee will stay with you for a while. No one else can pick her up, and she won't go to daycare for now. Let her just relax and play at home for a bit."My mother quickly agreed, and I could hear the happiness in her voice. I drove straight to my parents' place,

"The camera was specially modified, and it's rare to find something like this on the market. Where did you get it?" Winston asked, his gaze fixed on the device.I had also started to realize that the forces behind Nydia were much bigger than I had originally thought. Getting out of this situation alone would be nearly impossible.I told him everything.Winston's expression darkened further. He looked at the camera and then back at me."There's been a major case in the city recently, and we've been trying to track down a big player behind it, but we couldn't find any solid leads. After hearing what you said, I have a feeling these two might be connected."A chill ran through me.Nydia had only ever worked at a small company. She was bold, yes, but I never imagined she would be involved in something like this.Winston continued, "You probably aren't aware of this, but according to our investigation, the person backing them has a disturbing interest in children."My stomach turned.

I didn't want to say these things to a child, but I needed proof. I asked Rylee what had been happening to her.She told me that every time I left the house, a man would come and carry her away, locking her in a dark room.She was scared and wanted to find Nydia, but Nydia always smiled and told her everything was okay.Right now, I almost wished I could just get rid of Nydia for what she'd done. This was her own daughter, and she actually hurt her like this.Rylee kept talking. Though she was still so young, her words were clear and structured. I got a general idea of what had been going on.As soon as the news about the class reunion was sent out, the group chat exploded. It had been years since we last saw each other. A lot of people were looking forward to the gathering.As the class president was checking the list of people who could come, I glanced at it and saw my old roommate's name—Peter Spencer.Nydia walked over with a confused look as she stared at the message on her

The class president rushed over in a panic, and when he saw the scene in front of him, he nearly fainted.Winston walked over and stood beside me."We've been trying to catch this group for a long time, but they've been hiding too well. In the end, the trail led us to Peter. From there, we followed the clues and found Nydia."He paused, a bit embarrassed."To avoid alarming them, we contacted your company and had you come back early. We thought you might refuse, but I'm glad you managed to find me. I'm sorry."I patted his shoulder, signaling him not to worry.I'd suspected Nydia for more than just a day or two. A few times, when I came back from a business trip, I noticed something off about her. But out of consideration for our marriage and Rylee, I hadn't said much. Who knew she was hiding such a dangerous secret behind her smile?I alone couldn't take on all of them. Why not help each other?A few days later, I divorced Nydia.She looked haggard, no longer the refined an