Sara exceeds every previously defined barrier to collect the evidence she needs to substantiate her suspicions about what her husband, Mark, is doing behind her back. And when Sara looks at an apparently ordinary-looking family photo, she notices something that forces her to file for divorce… So what did Sara see in this photo? What could have gone so wrong that she felt compelled to divorce her husband? What had Mark been keeping from Sara, and what did this signify for their family’s future?
Sara takes the torn scrap of paper on which Mark scrawled his computer password. She hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but she didn’t have much of choice. She must see what is in these photographs. She needed to find out what Mark had been keeping from her…
The photo
Sara eventually finds the folder she was looking for after some searching. She inhales deeply and opens her mouth. A sense of astonishment and perplexity washes over her.
This was not what she had expected. She clicks on one of the photographs and then notices it…
How could he?
She honestly cannot believe it. She had no idea Mark was capable of such a thing. He couldn’t have done this to their family! Her eyes are welling up with tears.
Yet, in order to comprehend Sara’s dramatic reaction, some background information is essential…
Happy family
The Millers appear to be a typical American family, comprised of Mark and Sara and their two young children. Nevertheless, while the family may appear typical now, they haven’t always been.
There was a lot going on beneath the surface that no one knew about…
Meeting at a young age
Sara has been with Mark since she was 15 years old, and the couple appears to have grown up together. They were quite close very fast after the meeting, and there was a reason for that…
Being childhood friends certainly did help with strengthening their bond with eachother.
Where they first met
Sara originally met Mark while hanging out with a few of his pals at an abandoned warehouse where many young people squatted. This was a local hangout that frequently had parties going on beneath the radar of the cops and was, therefore, quite popular in the little town.
This is a place where some homeless people would stay, making it a non-viable place for teens to hang out.
Mark kept his distance
He had only been residing at the warehouse for a few weeks at that time. When Sara and her companion came, along with a few other individuals, he was first quite quiet and didn’t make eye contact.
He sat alone outside the building for most of the night. He didn’t want to interact with anyone.
Only 16 years old
Several squatters who had lived in the warehouse for a long time informed Sara and her pals that this had been the situation since he arrived.
They weren’t fans of his disruptive conduct, but they weren’t about to expel a 16-year-old with nowhere else to go…
Sara was interested in Mark
Sara became increasingly intrigued by Mark as she spent more time at the warehouse and as the night progressed. Something about his appearance and his nature drew her in.
She couldn’t take her gaze away from him and made her move… she was keen on making friends with Mark.
Just the two of them
Sara decided to separate Mark from the group to see if he would become more communicative when he was alone. They had plenty of room to walk about and converse because the warehouse was rather large.
And Sara was not disappointed by her decision… she was sure that it wouldn’t be something she regretted doing.
Secretive about his past
When it was just the two of them, Mark rapidly shed his bashful manner and appeared to be really interested in Sara. They had a lengthy and interesting talk, during which Mark did not divulge anything about himself.
But he did offer Sara some information since he still wanted to continue their conversation…
Moved from across the country
Mark had apparently moved to this town from someplace else in the county and had no plans to return. Yet he refused to explain why or where he had come from.
Sara didn’t ask any further questions about it at the time, but perhaps she should have, and perhaps she would’ve known more about Mark…
Falling in love
Sara couldn’t stop thinking about Mark when she arrived home. He didn’t leave her thoughts for days on end, and she wanted to see him as soon as possible.
They began to meet often and rapidly fell in love. But, it would turn out to be far from a perfect relationship…
Meeting Sara’s parents
Sara ultimately brought Mark home to meet her family, and her parents instantly warmed to the quiet, but courteous young guy. They were taken aback when Mark revealed his position, and they realized they had to do something to assist him.
They wanted to help this young boy, because they felt pity considering their daughter was also the same age as the young boy.
Worried for Mark
Sara’s parents were against a 16-year-old guy squatting in an abandoned warehouse with a bunch of strangers. They made a crucial choice that would save Mark from his hazardous situation after much debate and Sara assuring them she truly loved Mark…
Sara’s parents truly wanted to help Mark out of his current situation, and the fact that Sara loved him indeed helped with making that decision.
Living with Sara’s parents
They welcomed Mark into their home, and their friendship blossomed throughout Mark’s stay at Sara’s parents’ house. Mark acquired a side job soon after moving in and was able to finance photography school. Something he had always wanted to do.
Mark made sure not to be a burden to them and always found his own way to help around the house while studying for his photography school.
Graduating and finding work
When he eventually earned his photography degree approximately three years later, Sara’s parents gave him a fantastic camera, and with it, he rapidly found a lot of work as a freelance photographer, developing quite a solid name for himself.
Mark was very fond of his work and therefore never found it a chore whenever he had something to do.
Buying an apartment
He began to make more money, and it didn’t take long for the couple to be able to put a down payment on a tiny apartment in which they could reside and begin to create their life together.
Everything appeared to be going swimmingly for the young couple. Was this, however, the case?
Something was bugging Sara
During the next few years, the couple gradually built their life together, but there were still some things that bothered Sara. Something Sara has struggled with from the first time she met Mark and continues to do so…
This was something that continued to keep Sara up at night and sometimes even have her daydreaming in the morning.
Mark’s mysterious past
Sara and Mark had been together for years at this point, but he was still very secretive about his history, which was beginning to scare her. What could he be keeping from her, or what was he finding so difficult to talk about?
What was Mark trying to hide? Whenever Sara wanted to talk bout his past Mark always had an excuse to not continue the conversation.
Not wanting to talk about it
Sara had begged him to tell her more on several occasions, but she had always received the same hesitant replies. Mark argues that he no longer has a family and that talking about everything hurts too much.
He simply wants to forget everything and Sara pushing for him to tell her certainly wasn’t helping with that…
Accepting she will never know
Sara had simply accepted it as the truth of the situation at this point. Mark had been like way since she had known him, and he was unlikely to change.
Sara eventually gave up on trying to figure out his past since forcing him could lead to problems in their relationship with eachother.
Accepting His Secret
Fortunately, Mark’s secrecy was one of the few weaknesses she saw in him, and she could live with it. At least for the time being…
Even though Mark had secrets Sara decides to accept it, since it didn’t seem like Mark had any plans of telling her about it.
Getting married
They chose to marry after being in a relationship for nearly 7 years, having their first kid together, and now have another one on the way. Sara wanted to meet some of Mark’s relatives at the wedding finally…
At the wedding Sara was extremely excited since she wanted to meet who Mark’s relatives.
Mark’s family is absent
Nevertheless, maybe not to Sara’s surprise, but certainly, to her chagrin, Mark had only invited his pals to the wedding. That was also simply the friends he had met throughout the period she had known him.
There wasn’t a single person there who knew Mark before he arrived in the city at the age of 16.
The family was flourishing
Yet, in general, Sara wasn’t bothered by this. They had a wonderful wedding, with or without his family, and they got along well in general. Not only emotionally or romantically but also monetarily.
Mark was making significant progress in his professional career. Though Mark’s family wasn’t there it didn’t seem that much of a big deal to Sara.
Never turning down a job
Mark’s reputation had grown over the years since he graduated as a photographer, and he now had a variety of wealthy clients prepared to pay him generously for his services.
What also helped was Mark’s willingness to take “any” type of photograph, when we say anything we mean anything, Mark wasn’t the type to pass on a job…
Sara got somewhat uncomfortable
Sara was obviously delighted for Mark, but she was also relieved that his success meant that money would never be an issue for the growing family.
Yet there were other parts of Mark’s profession that Sara became more uncomfortable with as time passed…
Flying all across the country
The first was that Mark frequently went across the nation for work, which meant he may be gone for many days, leaving Sara alone with their son and, eventually, their infant daughter.
Though she was happy that her husband was a hard working man, there’s no doubt she felt lonely whenever he wasn’t home with them.
Full-time Parent
Sara was a full-time parent at the time, so she could take it, but missing Mark so frequently became too much for her. It seemed like Mark never wanted to go home and it bothered her deeply.
However, there was a lot more that was bothering her and it wasn’t just the fact that Mark was rarely home…
Photos of a different nature
Sara was also unhappy with the type of photographs Mark was producing at the time. The majority of his tasks were very mundane, such as large athletic events or photoshoots with models.
But some other photographic gigs were extremely different and these photography gigs were what Sara was felt uncomfortable with…
Risque photos
Mark was receiving a lot of gigs where he had to take photographs for magazines that were a little more risqué. Sara had seen some of these shots and couldn’t help but feel uneasy about Mark taking these types of photos.
It was only right for Sara to feel uneasy… After all who on earth would want their partner taking pictures of Risque photos… Even if it was for his job, Sara still felt uncomfortable with the situation.
Sara disliked this
Sara was envious and, at times, anxious about the situation. She’d always heard horror stories about what might go wrong between photographers and their models. She knew Mark wasn’t like that, but she couldn’t get the notion out of her head…
She had faith in her husband, but the feeling never of uneasiness doesn’t just go away like that…
Trusting Mark
Despite the fact that Sara’s concerns were not going away, she believed they were not severe or substantial enough for her to complain to Mark about.
These photoshoots were frequently quite lucrative, and the benefits clearly outweighed the drawbacks for her. Furthermore, she still had faith in Mark…
Something unfortunate happens
With two children in the family and her unable to work because she needs to care for them, they can’t just refuse assignments because she doesn’t like certain kinds of images.
And this is especially true once something terribly tragic occurs one day, they would need money in order to deal with it…
Trying to buy groceries
Sara is shopping for her weekly groceries and a few other goods that grab her attention in the store like she does every week.
She knew she had spent a lot more than usual when she went to pay for them, but she never anticipated this to happen at the register…
Sara’s card gets declined
Her credit card was refused when she attempted to pay. The machine cited “insufficient cash” as the explanation for this. Sara was taken aback.
Now this was something unexpected… Sara’s card declining was the last thing she was expecting to happen.
This Wasn’t Supposed To Happen
This had never occurred before, and she was certain that there was still plenty of money on the card. She tried it again and again, but nothing changed.
Sara kept trying, perhaps there was just something wrong with the machine… But no, the card was indeed empty.
Mark had withdrawn all their money
Sara had to put the items in the trolley and decided to phone the bank for an explanation. They instantly examined the records and discovered that all of the money in their spending account had been removed that morning.
And it was revoked by Mark without explanation, now this was something that surprised Sara, why would Mark do this?
An investment opportunity
Sara quickly phones Mark while he is on one of his frequent trips to beg for an explanation. Mark informs her that he discovered a terrific investment opportunity.
While chatting to some folks at the photo shoot and that he needed the money soon before someone else beat him to it.
This struck Sara as odd
He could only access the money quickly by pulling it out of their spending account. He’d previously requested that money be deposited back into it from their savings account, but it hadn’t yet been processed.
A reasonable answer, yet Sara found it unusual and she has a right to feel that way, cause come on he needed ALL of the money??
Not interested in investing
Mark had previously shown little interest in investing. They’d always had the money for it, but Mark didn’t want to be continually preoccupied with it, and Sara had no idea how she’d handle something like that.
Furthermore, there was something quite peculiar about this “investment” it wasn’t something that Sara fully trsuted…
An unknown start-up
All Mark could tell Sara about it was that it was a startup in its early stages with little public information. According to Mark, this meant that nothing about the firm had been published online or anywhere.
This raised a lot of red flags for Sara, it was incredibly suspicious and sketchy…
Becoming very suspicious
Sara became much more cautious about what Mark told her after that. The money going missing would turn out to be the beginning of a series of unusual incidents and discoveries that began to make Sara suspicious and concerned about what Mark was doing.
This was the start of everything just being completely unusual, and Sara was about to find out more.
Mark often traveled to the same place
Sara began to notice that some of Mark’s trip stories didn’t make sense. He always said he flew all over the nation and nearly never went to the same spot again.
When Sara “accidentally” inspected Mark’s flight history, she saw he frequented one airport in particular. Why would he lie about this?
Why would he lie about this?
Could he be there with a customer Mark didn’t want Sara to know about? So what could be so unique about that customer? Is it possible that something else is going on? Perhaps something completely unrelated to photography…
This made Sara paranoid, what on earth is Mark doing? Anyone with partners would feel uneasy about the situation.
Less romantically interested
What was also beginning to happen was that when Mark was at home, he appeared less interested in being romantic or doing other things with Sara.
While this used to be one of the first things that sprang to mind when he returned home from a lengthy journey…
Sara’s friend fears the worst
Sara first assumed that this was just a normal element of being in a long-term relationship. But when she told her friends about it, they were even more concerned, and the only answer they could come up with was Sara’s biggest nightmare…
Sara’s friends gave her an answer she didn’t even want to think about… But now that her friends said it, she had to consider the possibility of it.
The final straw
Sara was nearly fully consumed by her anxieties and uncertainties when something happened that appeared to send her over the brink.
Something that appears to connect all of the material she has gathered thus far and leaves her with just one interpretation…
A late-night call
The house phone rang late at night when Mark was on one of his outings. As Sara went to answer it and said her name, the caller instantly unplugged the connection.
Sara thought this odd and instantly jotted down the weird number so that perhaps in the future she could give this number a call.
Searching for the number online
Sara went to Google with the phone number to see if she could possibly find out who was phoning her at this time of night and discovered a stunning revelation…
Saara decided to investigate the number that called her husband in the middle of the night and what she saw was shocking.
It’s from the city Mark visited so often!
Sara immediately learned that she couldn’t get the specific number since it didn’t appear in any of her searches. But what she did discover was that the area code corresponded to the place where Mark frequently flew!
Sara had reached her breaking point first her husband consistently goes to a specific place and now a number from that place calls him in the middle of the night.
Sara had to get answers
She had always stressed the need to respect Mark’s privacy, but enough was enough. There were too many red lights for her to ignore, and she needed to figure out what was going on.
Sara went to the only place she could think of for help, she was sure she’d get answers or help if she went to that place…
Mark’s home computer
Sara proceeded to try to access Mark’s home computer. Mark had never disclosed the password to her. He presumably believes Sara is unaware, but she discovered a crumpled piece of paper on the ground on which it was written months ago.
Written on that crumpled piece of paper was his computer’s password, and thanks to that she was able to open his computer.
Full of photos
As she unlocks the computer, she is met with a slew of beautifully ordered folders full of photographs. Sara is temporarily stunned by the overwhelming volume, but she quickly recovers.
She knows just where to begin her quest, she then began conducting her investigation to figure things out…
Looking for specific dates
Sara has a freshly updated spreadsheet with Mark’s flight history saved on her phone and begins looking for images from a few days following Mark’s visits to the city he frequented.
Sara had received a call from the same city the night before. Sara, on the other hand, was taken aback by what she discovered…
Not finding any photos
Sara couldn’t discover any images from these exact eras as she moved from old to new. Sara knew that one of the first things Mark would do when he got home from work was load the new images into this computer.
So it must imply that he didn’t go on these trips to snap images… Then there must be a different reason as to why he went on these trips.
A suspicious folder
But suddenly Sara comes upon the folder she was looking for. It was postmarked shortly after Mark’s most recent visit to the city. Sara opened the packet, her fingers trembling with excitement.
She felt like she was ready for anything. Anything but this was too much even for Sara to bear…
More and more pictures
All of the photographs in the folder are of Mark. But not just of Mark by himself, but also of him with another family! A second wife and two children!
She had never seen these folks before and couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw them. “That can’t be…”
So many questions
She suspected Mark was up to something, but she had no idea he would have another family on the side. When? How? Why? Was her family aware of her existence?
Could this be the answer to everything? Sara got into a complete panic, she was heartbroken to what she found…
Waiting until he gets home
Sara’s only desire is to approach Mark and demand an answer. She wants to shout at him and tell him all she thinks about him, but she is unable to do so.
Sara will have to wait till he returns home the next day because this cannot be done over the phone.
Wanting a divorce
Sara didn’t sleep a wink that night. All she can think of is her life crashing to the ground. For more than 7 years, she had committed her life to a guy who was leading a double life.
She is aware that she must leave Mark and file for divorce, she loved him but she knew what she had to do… for herself and for her children.
Getting the kids to a friend
Sara is waiting for Marks when he returns home late in the afternoon the next day. Mom made certain that the children spent the day with one of their pals.
She didn’t want them to be present for this. Youngsters should not have to witness their parents in this manner…
Mark is caught off guard
Mark, who is fully ignorant of what Sara discovered, is presented with everything the moment he walks into the house. He attempts to persuade her that she is incorrect and that he can explain it, but Sara remains unconvinced.
Her wrath has blinded her, The emotions Sara was feeling were intense, she was angry, upset, and heartbroken, at the fact that she has been lied to for so many years.
Sara is about to leave
Her suitcases, as well as the children’s, are already packed. Sara informs Mark that she will file for divorce in the morning. Mark pauses for a few seconds as Sara marches towards the front door, but then he says something that utterly freezes Sara in her tracks…
Sara stopped the moment Mark said it… is it true? or is this just another one of his lies?
I have a twin brother
“I have an identical twin!” shouted Mark. Sara turns back, and her immediate reaction is to become even more enraged that Mark would offer such a foolish explanation.
But then he claims to be able to confirm it, and he pulls up the precise image on his phone, pointing to the man’s hand…
Missing a finger
The man in the image is plainly missing a finger, which Sara didn’t see the first time she viewed it. Could Mark possibly be telling the truth?
They sat down when both of them had cooled down a little, and Mark began describing everything in great detail so that Sara would believe him…
He Wasn’t Lying
It turns out that Mark actually has a twin brother named Eric who, owing to an unfortunate lawnmower accident, lost his finger at a very young age. There was a legitimate reason why Mark had never previously told Sara about him.
Mark never intended for things to turn out this way, but rest assured that he never led a double life.
Conflicts
In contrast to Mark, Eric turned out to be less of a fan of the so-called “straight and narrow” as the brothers grew up. From an early age, he got into trouble frequently, which resulted in frequent arguments between the brothers.
However, Eric was not the only person acting in this manner. Mark began telling Sara about his past with his twin brother.
Starting Anew
Additionally heavily involved in numerous activities that ought to remain hidden from public view were Mark’s parents.
Mark realized at a young age that he needed to leave his family in order to keep from becoming like them. He only had a backpack when he went when he was 16 years old. looking for a new life.
Behind Bars
Eric’s condition deteriorated throughout the years after Mark severed contact with his family, and just a few months ago, it put him in jail. He was given a 5-year prison term after being accused with being a repeat offender.
Eric and Mark led separate lives, Mark started telling Sara of the things he and his brother did.
Lending A Hand
Eric decided he wanted to change his life after reflecting on it for a time. He was aware that Mark was the only one who could be of assistance to him in this situation.
After much thought, Mark agreed to help when he was contacted from prison. Of course Mark was willing to help is brother out.
Paying His Bail
Because Mark still didn’t want Sara to know anything about his family, he had to keep his assistance to Eric a secret. He feared she would try to get in touch with them.
The lost funds were used to cover Eric’s bail and assist him in getting back on his feet. This answered the question as to why the card suddenly declined one day.
Secret Meet-ups
Mark visited Eric a few times after he was released from prison to check how he was doing and to assist him in adjusting to a healthier life away from the troubled road Eric had previously been on.
And it didn’t take long for Mark’s efforts to start paying off. Mark told Sara as to why he always had somewhere to go… His twin brother was the reason.
Life Was Going Well
Just a few weeks after being freed, Eric was working as a garbage man. Aside from that, he also met a woman with whom he immediately fell in love.
The woman was divorced and has two children of her own; Eric found that her presence was exactly what he needed.
Taking A Photo
During Mark’s most recent visit to his brother, he made the decision to take pictures of Eric and his new family. The call Sara had received the night before was from Eric, who wanted to know whether Mark could give him a particular photo.
However, Eric appeared to have been intoxicated when he reportedly forgot he wasn’t supposed to phone the residence.
Wanting To Meet Eric
Sara found it challenging to digest all the information she was receiving. But Mark appeared to be able to back up every assertion he made.
Sara had to meet Eric; there was nothing else she could do at this point. She would finally meet a member of Mark’s family.
Everything Worked Out
The much-awaited meeting goes well overall. While Sara is undoubtedly still furious about it, she does understand Mark and Eric’s sincere apologies for keeping everything a secret.
She believes Mark was likely correct when he assumed she would try to make contact, but she still felt rightfully upset.
A Better Relationship
After making a pledge to stop keeping secrets from one another, Mark and Sara’s families begin to get along pretty well over the ensuing few months.
The image that nearly led Sara to file for divorce is now a focal point in Eric’s living room, showing how far he’s gone from where he started.