In the first few months after their wedding, Sara noticed subtle changes in Luke's behaviors that unsettled her.
It started with short unexplained absences. Luke would disappear for hours, only to return vague about where he had gone. When Sara asked, he brushed it off as "taking care of some things."
He also seemed to almost have superhuman abilities at times. Once when a heavy box fell off a high shelf, Luke caught it instantly with one hand. The box should have crushed him, but Luke set it down unfazed.
Sara tried to shrug it off, but more odd incidents kept happening. Luke never got sick, despite Emily and Sara catching bad colds. And he could go nearly a full day without food or water before finally eating dinner.
Sara debated talking to Luke directly but hesitated, not wanting to damage their new marriage over potentially trivial concerns.
Finally she confided in her friend Zoe one afternoon. "Am I just being paranoid?" she asked after describing Luke's strange behaviors.
Zoe sipped her coffee thoughtfully. "It does seem a bit...odd. But every marriage has quirks to adjust to."
"You're probably right," Sara said. "I don't want to read into things too much."
Still, her doubts lingered. Luke was keeping parts of himself locked away. But how could she get him to open up without pushing him away?
As Luke's unexplained absences and eccentric behaviors continued, Sara's unease grew.
One weekend when Luke disappeared for over 24 hours, Sara reached her breaking point. Emily was worried when Luke didn't come home and Sara had no answer for his absence.
Finally Luke returned, evading Sara's questions about where he had gone. After Emily was asleep, Sara confronted him.
"I can't keep doing this Luke. The constant wondering where you are and what you might be hiding from me - it's too much."
Luke sighed and reached for Sara's hand. "You're right, I haven't been fair to you lately. But I promise there are good reasons I can't yet explain."
Sara felt a flare of anger. "We're supposed to be partners now! How can I trust you when you disappear for days or deflect my questions?"
"Please be patient a little longer," Luke implored. "Some things are beyond my control."
Sara crossed her arms. "I've been patient for months. It's time for the truth."
Luke's shoulders slumped. "I wish I could tell you everything. But you'd never look at me the same way again."
He retreated to the guest room, leaving Sara standing hurt and confused. The distance between them felt wider than ever.
The next morning, Sara called Zoe in tears. Zoe offered to come over right away.
Over coffee, Sara poured her heart out about Luke's secrecy tearing them apart. Zoe listened sympathetically before suggesting that maybe Sara should leave Luke for awhile.
"To snap him out of this," Zoe explained. "Show him you're serious about needing transparency."
Sara nodded reluctantly. As painful as it felt, putting distance between them may be the only way left to breakthrough to Luke.
The next day, Sara asked Emily to stay at a friend's house for a few nights so she could have a serious talk with Luke. After her daughter left, Sara steeled herself for the coming confrontation.
When Luke arrived home, Sara sat him down. "We can't go on like this. Either you start opening up to me tonight or I'm leaving."
Luke looked distraught. "You can't mean that. Think of Emily!"
Sara folded her arms. "I am thinking about her. She needs stable, honest parents. So this is your last chance."
Luke started pacing, running his hands through his hair. "Please try to understand - I'm restrained from telling the full truth. But not because I want to hide things from you."
Sara fought back tears. "Then help me understand! Whatever it is, we can face it together."
Luke kneeled before Sara, eyes pleading. "If I share more, you'll think I've deceived you all this time. I don't want to lose what we have."
Sara's voice wavered. "What we have is already broken. A marriage can't survive this level of secrecy."
Luke looked down, shoulders slumped in defeat. "You deserve better than the monsters you imagine me keeping company with during my absences. But the reality might be the most monstrous yet."
With that cryptic response, he retreated to the bedroom, leaving Sara alone with her swirling doubts and fears about who or what Luke was protecting.
Over the next few days, Sara only spoke to Luke when necessary and slept in the guest room. The cold distance between them felt unbearable.
When her friend Zoe came over, Sara confided that the separation wasn't motivating Luke to open up so far.
"You may need a more drastic wake up call," Zoe advised. "What if you actually left for a week or two?"
Sara wrung her hands, anxious at the thought. "That feels so extreme though..."
"Look how evasive he's being! Desperate times call for desperate measures."
Sara knew Zoe had a point. With a heavy heart, she packed a suitcase and left a note for Luke when he returned from another suspicious outing.
The note explained she and Emily were staying with her mom for a short time because Luke wasn't ready to be truthful. Sara's mom Sylvia welcomed them in, though seemed surprised by the revelation of marital troubles.
"He always seemed so devoted," Sylvia remarked. "I'm sure you two will work this out soon."
But as the days passed with no word from Luke, Sara felt her hope fading. One evening, Sylvia took Sara's hands gently. "The man I saw look at you like you were his entire world wouldn't let you go so easily. Have faith."
Sara managed a small, grateful smile. Her mom always knew what to say. Still, Luke's silence hurt.
Nearly two weeks had passed when Luke showed up at Sylvia's door looking weary and anguished.
"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but please come home so we can work through this," he implored Sara.
Seeing him so distraught, Sara felt her resolve waver. "How do I know anything will change?"
"Because I realize now I can't lose you. You and Emily are my whole world. I'll do whatever it takes."
As Luke's eyes bored into hers, Sara saw real fear of losing her in them. Could this be the turning point they needed?