Family Psychologist Gets a Letter Signed 'Truth about Your Husband' – Story of the Day

Emma, a successful family psychologist, finds an envelope with the words "Truth about your husband" in her mail. Something is threatening her family. Can Emma protect those she loves before it's too late?

After a long day tending to patients, Emma returned home. During the drive, she thought about her husband, John, and their plans for the evening.

She was happy with John, who was 27, while she was 48. The age gap shocked many, but it had never been a problem.

He supported her career, and they only ever fought about his minor drinking problem. A radio program distracted her from her thoughts.

"Today, we have the privilege of speaking with Emma, a renowned family psychologist in our city," The radio host's voice echoed with admiration. "Emma, thank you for joining us."

Emma smiled as her own recorded voice appeared through the radio. "Thank you for having me."

She was invited to the show to discuss relationships, lifestyle, and family. She was also asked about her own household. Emma talked about open communication and trust as the foundations of her successful marriage. When asked about non-traditional couples, Emma had to reveal her staunch conservative values.

Emma, in fact, ran a YouTube channel to discuss and share those views, and hundreds and thousands of people who followed her blog agreed with her ideas and practiced them.

"...traditions and values matter," her own voice continued. "Both my husband and I make conscious efforts to nurture our connection, and our faith plays a significant role in grounding us."

The radio host loved her input, and Emma smiled to herself as the program ended. She had reached her house by then. She grabbed her purse from the passenger seat and had just climbed out of the vehicle when she heard her next-door neighbor's voice. The old woman wanted to congratulate her on the radio interview.

Emma grinned and thanked her while retrieving her mail. She noticed the letters in there — mostly credit card bills and ads. One mail in particular grabbed Emma's attention. It was a black envelope with just the words "Truth about your husband" printed in big letters.

There was no address, but she finally tore it open, peering inside and noticing a folded sheet and a couple of photos. "Oh my god…" Emma gasped quietly, staring at the pictures of her husband, who was in a compromising position with another man. It was sexual and very, very explicit.

Then, she read the handwritten message:

"Hello, doctor!

It's time for your husband to repent. Announce that all views you share on your channel are fake or kill your husband. The choice is yours. Fail to comply, and these photos will be public in two days. Involve the police, and the world will witness your husband's infidelity. Time is running out."

Emma's breath caught in her throat. Her neighbor was concerned, but she just bid goodbye and ran into the house. John was sprawled across the living room couch, watching TV. With her fists clenched, she approached and flung the envelope at him, making the photos sprawl all over his chest.

John's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost. "Look, Emma, I-I," he fumbled for words. "I can explain."

"How dare you?" she fumed. "Do you understand that your stupidity could crumble everything I've built? My husband is bisexual?!"

"I-I know. The guy in the pictures is just a fling," he confessed, embarrassed. "I stopped seeing him quickly. I didn't want to hurt you."

Before Emma could react, their son Caleb's soft voice distracted them. "Mommy, are you OK?"

John quickly hid the pictures under a cushion and sprang to his feet. Emma wiped her angry tears. She didn't want her little boy to witness his parents arguing. They calmed him down, and Caleb went back to his room.

"What do you want me to do now?" John asked when they were alone.

"Read the letter," Emma said flatly.

"This is insane!" he exclaimed after reading. "We have to do what this person wants, Emma. We can't let those photos go public."

"How long were you two screwing?"

"A few months," John admitted bitterly. "He told me his name was Reuben, but I don't think that was his real name."

Emma needed to think, so she sent John to check on their son and spent the rest of the night stewing while putting a brave face for Caleb. She tried reading a book while lying in bed later, but nothing could calm her. But she finally drifted off without noticing.

Emma woke up, startled, at 3 a.m. and decided to message her assistant, Lucy, to cancel all her appointments. She couldn't go back to sleep, so she grabbed the letter again, dissecting every word. The letter had an address she hadn't noticed before. She entered it on Google Maps and got ready.

Her career and family were at risk, and she would stop at nothing to prevent this person from ruining everything.

"You've arrived at your destination," the voice from the GPS echoed at the hour-long drive. Emma pulled over and looked out the car window. It was an abandoned building in a horrible area. She got out of her car and walked to the entrance. Only drug addicts would live in a place like it.

Combing through the mess of ruined furniture and trash resulted in nothing. Emma turned to look at her car, worried about thieves and wondered if she had been lured into a trap. When she returned to the home, a fresh new envelope appeared on a crooked table. A shiver ran down her spine. She dashed to the table and snatched it up.

She was sure it wasn't there before. It had recently been placed there by someone. Emma ran out of the building and took a quick look around. No one was there, so she read the letter.

"Your relentless pursuit will be your downfall. If you continue searching for the blackmailer, the photos will be immediately published. You have less than 24 hours now, doctor. Choose: kill your husband or sacrifice your career."

Emma's heart dropped. She wished it was all a bad dream, but it wasn't. Emma had lost, really lost. There was no other way out of this situation but to choose between her career and her husband. The drive home was a blur.

When she reached home, she ignored Caleb's and John's presence, dashed to her bedroom, and locked herself in. She needed time to herself to consider all the consequences of either choice.

The night pushed Emma into the depths of her dark side. She contemplated how hard she's worked on her marriage. That was until she reminded herself how hard she had worked on a respectable career.

At around midnight, though, Emma left her room after a visit to her bathroom's medicine cabinet. She hated herself, but there was no other way. "I'm so sorry, John," she whispered, tears springing to her eyes.

Sniffling, Emma checked the guest bedroom and Caleb's room. Her son and husband were fast asleep. It was the perfect opportunity. She removed one of the wine bottles from the rack, pulled the cork out, and dropped one pill. Her hand stopped moving after. She couldn't do drop anymore.

With the cork back in its place, Emma ran back to her room and cried again. She had one day left, and there was only one choice now: give up her career. In the morning, she called Lucy and told her to get her team together for a new broadcast.

Her assistant pressed for details, and Emma told her the truth, except for the blackmailer part. Lucy advised her not to ruin everything so quickly. But Emma insisted. She took a long shower after hanging up and lamented her soon-to-be-dead career.

She dressed and hugged John before leaving the house and driving to her usual studio. Her assistant told her not to do this because everyone would hate her. But Emma pushed through.

"Can I see the script?" Emma asked her writer flatly.

"Emma, I, uh," Nancy stammered. "Are we really doing this?"

Emma nodded. "Let's go. I'm ready," she ordered the team ten minutes later.

The lights in the studio dimmed, and the "ON AIR" sign flickered to life. Emma positioned herself in front of the camera. The preview appeared, "Cheating Husband: Sheep in Wolf's Clothing, the Sinner."

"Hello, everyone, and welcome back to my channel," Emma started. "The main idea behind today's Live is sad, tragic even. I recently learned about my husband—" Before Emma could continue, a security guard burst into the room.

"Miss Emma, someone asked me to hand it over to you and said it was urgent," he said, holding out an envelope.

Emma realized this envelope was identical to the other two she had found. She tore open the flap and found another letter inside.

"Justice was served. Your husband is dead; the condition has been fulfilled."

Emma's hands went to her mouth in shock as the letter slid from her hand and landed on the floor. She didn't even care if she was live or not. "Where's my phone?" she yelled. "Where the hell is my goddamn phone?"

Everyone at the studio panicked. They began looking for Emma's phone, and Lucy found it. Emma dialed John, but he wasn't answering.

"Pick up! Pick up, John!"

Emma was freaking out, but John never answered. She couldn't understand how he could be dead. When she left for the studio, he was at home. Safe and sound. He was making breakfast.

Emma dialed the home landline. A few rings went through when Caleb's voice appeared through the device. "Hello?"

"Caleb, honey, where's daddy?" Emma asked, trembling. "Is he there? Can you please tell him Mommy wants to talk?"

"Mommy, Daddy was watching TV and drinking. But then he got very angry…and left."

"What do you mean, Caleb? Where is Daddy? Where did he go?"

"I don't know…" Caleb's reply came, and Emma's heart sank. "He was using his phone and saw your broadcast. He shouted something, got very angry, and left the house, Mommy."

The room spun. Emma sank onto the floor, the phone landing beside her. Emma recalled adding a sleeping pill to one of John's wine bottles. She had thrown the rest of the tablets away but had forgotten to empty the wine bottle.

Was John coming to the studio after watching the broadcast? Did he lose control of the wheel because he felt sleepy from the pill? Where was he? What happened?

"Emma, Emma!" Lucy's words snapped her to the present.

Emma looked up at Lucy, and from the tears in the woman's eyes, Emma knew something wrong, very wrong had happened.

"Emma, I just….I just got a call from the cops," Lucy announced, holding Emma's shoulder. "John… His car rammed into a tree. He was…driving at high speed. They took him to the hospital, but it was too late. He had died on the spot. The cops are suspecting he was driving under the influence."

Emma's action eventually got John killed. The realization of it was devastating for her.

The studio echoed with Emma's painful screams and cries, but nothing would change.

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