My Perfect Wife's Hidden Secret, Racing to Freedom

The girl who once swore she would marry no one but me ran away from our wedding. She chose her high school sweetheart, Merrick Hayes, leaving me standing alone at the altar.

As I stood there in total humiliation, Tessa Vanderbilt stepped in. She was a high society heiress who had supposedly crushed on me for seven years. She saved the day by becoming my bride.

For three years, our marriage was a dream. We were the picture of domestic bliss, or so I thought.

Everything changed at the New Year's Winter Gala. Tessa won a prize for a poem she had written.

Our friends were all cheering and teasing her about her literary talent.

I went to collect her prize from the organizers. That was when I overheard a staff member talking to her.

"This acrostic poem you wrote... the first letters spell out Merrick. You must really love your husband," the staffer said.

Tessa's gaze was softer than I had ever seen it. "Yes, I love him more than life itself."

That night, I broke into the private study she always kept locked. Inside were tens of thousands of photos of Merrick Hayes.

They were arranged chronologically, from his teenage years right up until yesterday. Every single one was dated.

I read the journals she kept near those photos. My heart shattered into a million pieces.

I realized her only goal in marrying me was to clear every obstacle for Merrick. She used my influence to protect him.

I gave up on us completely. I pulled out my old racing suit, the one I had retired just for her.

The Copperhead Ridge Rally was only three days away. I decided to use it to stage a grand exit.

When my car plunges off that ten-thousand-foot cliff, I will finally be free.

1.

The night was thick and heavy.

I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of our mountain villa. Below, the lights of the Winter Gala stretched out like a glowing sea.

My former racing manager, Xavier, was shouting through the phone in disbelief.

"Cillian, are you serious? You're actually coming back? You aren't messing with me, right?"

"You're a world-class driver. You're a goddamn legend for Team Hurricane! You belong on the track!"

I gave a calm, short answer. "I'm entering the rally in three days."

Xavier was ecstatic. He started rambling about engine specs and tire modifications.

Suddenly, a tipsy voice drifted from behind me.

"What about tires? Honey, are you thinking about getting a new car?"

My heart skipped a beat. I covered the mic and ended the call with a few quick words.

"You're hiding something from me..."

I tucked the phone away just as Tessa reached me.

She wrapped her arms around my waist. It was her habit to bury her head against my neck and nuzzle me.

I frowned slightly and gently pushed her back. "You're drunk and hearing things. Go to sleep."

"No way. I can't sleep without my husband beside me."

I looked down at the woman acting so spoiled in my arms. A sharp pain stabbed at my chest.

During our three years of marriage, Tessa had been the perfect wife. She took care of every little detail of my life.

Our sweet moments often went viral on social media. People envied our love.

Whenever she got emotional, she would thank me with teary eyes for letting her stay by my side.

I really believed this was what true love looked like. I was a fool.

I carried her to the bed. As I tried to pull away, she grabbed my collar.

"Honey, why did you sneak back to the city this evening?"

"The city is covered in ads for Merrick Hayes entering the rally. I was afraid it would upset you. That's why I brought you to the mountains for a vacation."

I braced my arms against the mattress to keep some distance between us.

The rally was happening on the other side of this very mountain in three days.

Tessa claimed she brought me here to relax. In reality, she just wanted to be close to Merrick's race.

Did she really think I was that blind?

Ever since she told me she was terrified of me getting hurt, I had hung up my racing suit.

For three years, I played the role of a wealthy, idle husband. I didn't ask about the outside world.

In Tessa's eyes, I was probably just a useless trophy now.

Back then, I retired because she said she was worried about my safety. I thought she cared.

Now I know the truth. She was just afraid I would outshine Merrick on the track.

After all, Merrick had always been a loser compared to me.

"Honey? Why aren't you saying anything? Are you thinking about racing again?"

I snapped back to reality and looked at her.

Tessa's eyes were clear and sharp. There wasn't a hint of drunkenness in them.

I stared right back and lied.

"No. You love me so much. I could never bear to make you worry."

Tessa smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I knew you loved me the most."

"Three days from now is the end of the festival. Once I'm done with my errands, we'll fly to Switzerland for skiing. You've been talking about it forever."

I gave a low grunt of agreement. My eyes drifted back to the window.

In three days, you'll be the only one skiing in Switzerland.

I'll be halfway across the world.

2.

Tessa became incredibly clingy after her drinks. Once we were settled in bed, she started moving her hands over me.

Her warm, smooth leg rubbed against mine, trying to spark a flame. I felt a wave of pure revulsion.

In the past, this would have driven me wild. I would have folded into her embrace instantly.

But now, I pushed her away with force and got out of bed.

Tessa looked stunned. "Honey, what's wrong?"

I realized I had reacted too strongly. "Nothing. My throat is dry. I'm going to get some water."

I threw on my robe and hurried out of the bedroom.

Before the door closed, I caught a glimpse of her eyes. They were cold and indifferent.

I opened the living room window to breathe in the freezing air. I needed to kill the irritation in my gut.

A phone buzzed on the coffee table. It was Tessa's.

She usually turned it off at night to avoid being disturbed. I used to think she was just being considerate of my sleep.

Now I realize she was just hiding the thirsty texts from Merrick.

The notifications were scrolling across the screen. I saw enough.

To give Merrick a better shot at winning the rally, she had gifted him a custom carbon-fiber Aston Martin.

I looked down and let out a bitter laugh.

For Merrick, a five-million-dollar car was a casual gift.

For Merrick, a custom designer suit was a given.

But for me? I hadn't even received a three-hundred-dollar tie in three years.

I grabbed my own phone and sat on the sofa.

I lit a cigarette and opened my message requests.

Merrick had been trying to add me for months. I had always ignored him.

Tonight, I felt a twisted urge to see what he was posting. I accepted the request.

His feed was exactly what I expected. Besides the mansion and the cars, it was all about Tessa.

I scrolled through the posts. It finally clicked why Tessa "traveled for business" every week.

She was taking Merrick on luxury trips all over the country.

I was about to close the app when I saw a post of him showing off a mansion.

The caption read: Thank you, Ms. Vanderbilt, for the gift. I love this Baroque estate.

I tapped the photo. My eyes widened as my body went stiff.

That house... it was my childhood home.

It had been renovated, which was why I didn't recognize it at first.

I had lived there for ten years.

When my family's company hit a financial crisis, my mother sold it with tears in her eyes. She planned to buy it back once we recovered.

But she died in a car accident shortly after.

Before she passed, she begged me to get that house back. It was the only thing her parents had left her.

When our company finally got back on its feet, the realtor told me a mysterious tycoon had bought it.

I tried everything to contact the owner. I offered anything I had to get it back.

I never got a response.

Now, finding out the truth this way felt like a sick joke.

I couldn't tell myself it was a coincidence.

Tessa knew. Merrick knew. They both knew what that house meant to me.

They did this on purpose to spit on my memories.

The pain was so sharp it turned into a dull numbness.

I dropped my finished cigarette and collapsed onto the couch.

3.

The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon.

I rubbed my sore neck. I wanted to call Xavier and tell him I was going to scout the track early.

But before I could pick up my phone, Tessa walked over. "Morning, honey."

She leaned in and pressed her red lips against the corner of my mouth.

A second later, she scowled. She looked at the overflowing ashtray on the table.

"Honey, why are you smoking again? You promised me you'd quit."

She pouted and reached for the pack to throw it away.

I grabbed it before she could. "It's nothing. Just a craving."

Tessa stood still, her eyes scanning me with an intensity I hadn't noticed before.

Seeing my frown, she softened her tone and giggled. "I'm just worried about your health."

"Go wash up. I'm taking you to the carnival today."

She led me to a haunted house attraction at the fair. It was themed like an old gothic manor.

She loved taking me to these places. I once asked her why.

She said, "You used to be a racer. I thought you liked the adrenaline."

I had told her clearly that I hated these scripted scares. She kept dragging me to them anyway.

Last night, I found out why. Merrick was the one who loved haunted houses.

Tessa was just practicing on me.

Halfway through the attraction, we had to do a solo task.

Tessa told me to wait in a "safe room" while she went to find a clue.

The room was dimly lit. I waited for almost thirty minutes, but she didn't come back.

Worried she might have actually gotten hurt, I went to look for her.

I walked down a long corridor and heard Merrick's muffled voice.

"Tessa, baby, aren't you afraid Cillian will catch us if you're this bold?"

I stopped in my tracks. I looked through a cracked window into one of the prop rooms.

Merrick was dressed in an actor's costume, lying back on a velvet prop bed.

Tessa's shirt was half-undone, revealing her black lace lingerie.

There were fresh, dark marks on her pale skin. Hickeys.

Blood rushed to my head. I was about to burst in when I heard her laugh.

"Why would I be scared? That idiot is still waiting in the fake safe room."

"He has no idea that if no one leaves for thirty minutes, the ceiling is rigged to spray red fluid everywhere. He'll look like a slaughtered pig."

They both burst into laughter.

Merrick rolled over and pinned her down.

"The loser probably doesn't even realize the 'ghost' following you guys and scaring him was me."

They started making out, clothes and shoes hitting the floor.

I stood there, feeling a cold shiver run down my spine.

My feet felt like they were rooted to the ground. I couldn't move.

My brain was spinning at a thousand miles per hour.

I finally understood the wink the ticket seller gave Tessa when we walked in.

I understood why a game meant for six people started with just the two of us.

I forced myself to turn around and leave that suffocating place.

As I walked away, I heard Merrick panting.

"I checked with Team Hurricane. Cillian is actually entering the rally."

"You did a great job, baby. Using this vacation to keep him off the track."

"I want to see how he plans to race without scouted notes or a practice run."

4.

I walked straight out of the carnival and hailed a ride to the rally course.

The track was closing for prep at five p.m. Today was the last chance for a trial run.

When I arrived, Xavier rushed over with my racing suit.

"It's a sixty-mile course. You have thirty-five minutes before they lock the gates. Your navigator is waiting in the car. Move!"

I pulled on my gloves and headed for the modified McLaren.

"I'm on it," I said, my voice steady.

The moment I sat in the driver's seat, my eyes stung with tears.

Regret and relief fought for space in my heart.

I fired up the engine and launched.

The car flew forward like a bullet. As I tore through the corners, my life with Tessa flashed before my eyes.

I drifted through the tight bends, my navigator barking out notes.

Thirty-two minutes. I crossed the finish line.

I pulled a sharp one-eighty and brought the car to a perfect halt.

I saw Xavier jumping for joy in the distance.

But before he could reach me, Tessa appeared. Her face was a mask of fury.

She wasn't the sweet wife anymore. She slapped me hard across the face. "Cillian, how could you..."

She stopped herself, breathing hard.

I knew what she wanted to say. She was going to give me the same old speech about safety.

Merrick's best time was thirty-three minutes. I had crushed it on my first try.

Merrick was standing right behind her, looking arrogant and pissed off.

"Cillian, you think that junk car is going to help you beat me?"

I pushed my tongue against my swollen cheek and smirked. "Only weak drivers blame their gear."

For the next two days, Tessa stayed home from work. She spent every second trying to brainwash me.

Merrick got more aggressive, too. He sent me disgusting texts every hour.

When I didn't reply, he started sending photos of him and Tessa together.

Tessa knew I was polite on the surface but had a wild streak in my blood.

On the day of the race, she locked all the doors. She stood in front of me with her arms out.

"Cillian, if you go out there today, we're through. I won't sit around waiting to become a widow!"

Looking at her lying face, I felt nothing. No pain. Nothing.

I snatched the keys, shoved past her, and drove to the track.

By the time Tessa arrived at the scene, I was already flooring it through the first curve.

Xavier was screaming from the sidelines. "Cillian, you maniac! You're going to get yourself killed!"

"You only ran this track once! You don't even have a navigator!"

Tessa heard him. Her face went bone-white. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

"Cillian!" she screamed.

She gripped the metal railing, her eyes glued to the screen showing my car.

She could tell. The way I was driving... I wasn't trying to win. I was trying to end it.

She prayed for me to come back safe, her mind spinning with fear.

Another sharp turn.

I drifted at full speed, successfully putting distance between me and a desperate Merrick.

The blind spot was a hundred yards away. I hit the nitrous.

I looked up at the sky and smiled.

Suddenly, every camera feed on the track cut to static.

When the picture returned, the crowd gasped in horror. A second later, the screaming started.

My car had smashed through the guardrail. It was tumbling down the side of the massive cliff.

Tessa screamed my name until her voice broke.

Tears streamed down her face as she sprinted toward the track like a madwoman.

"Cillian!!!"