Today, around 11 a.m., Clara returned home after a four-month business trip. She didn’t call ahead to let her husband or son know she was coming.

Not the messy home she expected after being gone for months.

She set the groceries down gently.

Then she saw them.

A pair of women’s shoes near the wall.

Not hers.

She knew immediately.

For a split second, she tried to explain it away. Maybe a gift? A surprise?

But the thought didn’t hold.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Step by step, she moved down the hallway, continue reading …