After working out of town for a month, a soldier returns home hoping he’ll have a good time with his family. However, a shocking surprise awaits him at his doorstep that ultimately changes his perspective about his loved ones. While growing up, Daniel always felt inspired looking at men in the armed forces. He would spend hours in the local library looking at photos of soldiers in magazines and reading stories of their bravery and sacrifice. Since that age, the young man dreamed of serving his country.
As he grew older, he found an opportunity to realize his dream and immediately grabbed it. Although working in the armed forces meant he had to undergo rigorous training, the young man was ready to face all the hardships that came his way. Nothing could stop him from fulfilling his dream. Soon after applying to work in the armed forces, Daniel got through. This was just the beginning.
He was excited to wear his uniform for the first time and enjoyed every bit of his job to protect his land and help peace prevail. Daniel started a new chapter of his life. A few years after joining the Army, he tied the knot with the woman he loved the most, his high school sweetheart Megan. He believed life would be more joyful having her by his side, unaware that fate had a shocking surprise in store for him. Since the couple had dated for almost a decade before their marriage, Daniel saw Megan as the only person who understood him well.
He envisioned her blending in effortlessly with his wife and being his best friend for life. Everything went well during the first two years of their marriage, as expected. Daniel spent a considerable chunk of his time away from home while Megan stayed home with her mother-in-law Elizabeth. Megan shared a respectful bond with Daniel’s mother. They treated each other with love, which made Daniel feel at peace.
He always wanted a life partner who wouldn’t ask him to live away from his mother, and it seemed like he’d made the right choice by marrying Megan. After spending more than three months with his family, Daniel had to take up a two-month mission for which he had to be stationed abroad. He told his wife about it a week before he left. “I’ll be back soon, make it,” he said while holding her hand. “I know this is the first time I’ll stay away from home for so long, and you’re gonna miss me, but I’ll keep calling you, okay?
Please be safe.” Daniel hugged his wife, unaware of how his life would soon change forever. Daniel left home the following week, hoping to return after two months. He met Elizabeth before leaving and said, “Take care of yourself, Mom. I’ll call you every other day, okay?
You can always ask Megan for help if you need anything. I love you.” Saying goodbye to her beloved son always made Elizabeth feel emotional. The fear of losing her boy made her heart race, but she couldn’t do much to eliminate it except pray for his safety. While Daniel was away from home, he would call his wife whenever possible.
They talked briefly, updating each other about their day. Daniel would also ask his wife about his mother, and she’d always tell him Elizabeth was fine. A month into the mission, Daniel’s boss told him they didn’t need to stay there anymore. “Our operation ends here,” his chief informed the soldiers. “You’re free to go home, but please remember that we might have to work on another one of these next week.
Excited to meet their families again, the soldiers said in the military van that would take them to the airport. While some of Daniel’s friends informed their families before reaching home, he didn’t call Megan or Elizabeth to tell them about his arrival. All surprised him. He thought after returning to his hometown, Daniel sat in his car and drove back home. He bought flowers for Megan and a box of cupcakes for his mother, hoping they would be delighted to see him.
However, Daniel was shocked when he entered his stream. His gaze shifted from the road to a tent in his driveway. “What’s this about?” he asked, his eyebrows arching in surprise. After parking his car in front of his house, Daniel exited it, his gaze fixed on the tent.
He took the bouquet and cake out of the back seat of his car, wondering why someone had set up a tent in the driveway. Walking towards his house, Daniel noticed something strange. He saw his mother sitting inside the tent, eating from a disposable container, but he couldn’t understand why. “Mom,” Daniel looked at his mother and furrowed his eyebrows. “What are you doing here?
As Daniel neared the tent, he realized that his mother had been sitting there for a long time because he saw a bag of trash outside the tent and her clothes piled up in a corner. Daniel froze in horror. He didn’t want to answer his son’s questions. “Mom, what are you doing here?” Daniel asked her again as he got down on his knees.
“Nothing, honey. I just-” Elizabeth lowered her gaze. “Mom, look at me. I want to know what happened.” He cupped his mother’s wrinkled face in his palms, and his heart sank looking at how much frailer she’d gone.
Her smile was weak, her lips were chapped, and there was only a thin line of tears in her eyes. “Everything’s fine, Daniel,” Elizabeth lied. “Mom, please tell me why you’re living outside. Where’s Megan?” Daniel’s eyes darted around before fixating on his mother’s again.
“She kicked me out.” The older woman burst into tears while telling her son what had happened. “She always tells me to live in a tent when you’re not home. I never told you about it because I didn’t want to bother you, sweetheart.” Daniel couldn’t believe his ears.
“Megan kicks you out when I’m not around? Seriously?” Refusing to listen to his mother’s pleas to stop him from confronting Megan, Daniel stormed inside the house, shouting angrily. “Megan, how dare you make my mother sleep outside? Are you out of your mind?
Megan was stunned to see her husband standing in the living room. She didn’t expect him home so soon. “I was, uh, honey, come here. I missed you.” Megan tried changing the subject when she couldn’t find the words to defend herself.
“Stop right there. Why is my mother living in a tent outside?” Daniel demanded an answer, but Megan couldn’t even look at him. She couldn’t answer him, not without causing him to leave her and hate her forever. That day, Daniel learned the most shocking truth of his life.
The woman he loved the most had broken his trust. She had hurt his mother, discarded her out of the house like trash. He couldn’t rest without doing the same to Megan. Soon, Daniel divorced Megan and hired a nurse to look after his mother when he wasn’t at home. The young man never thought the love of his life would betray him like this.
He never thought Megan, the woman he loved for over 10 years, would bring his mother pain. But he was glad that fate’s plans revealed her true face before him.
