Bottled Secrets: Unraveling the Truth Behind a Friend’s Husband
My Best Friend’s Husband Hid Bottles from Her – His Reason Shook Me to My Foundation
Eager to celebrate a birthday, Sadie, Lori, and their husbands go a weekend trip. Ben, Lori’s husband, leaves Sadie with a mysterious letter concerning a secret he’s holding. Maybe some secrets aren’t worth keeping? Sadie fights with whether to inform her best friend or preserve the secret.
Sadie and I have been best friends since high school. We grew up side by side and in front of one another. Lori was treated like any other daughter at home.
Every night, my mom would inquire, “Lori, will Lori be joining us for dinner?”
We therefore experienced everything together, including dating and eventually getting married to our two closest friends, Benjamin and Keith. I still recall our encounter at school. Though Keith ended up winning me over and Lori and Benjamin finding their true mates in one other, I was still convinced that I would end up with Benjamin.
We were each other’s maids of honor, of course, our relationship growing closer as our lives became more entwined. Benjamin and I also became close over time, creating a quartet of love and friendship with our spouses.
These days, we’re couples that like doing everything together, including holidays and birthday dinners. Thus, in order to celebrate Keith’s birthday in a different location, we booked out a little chalet.
Lori said, “Book a place, Sadie.” “You do the accommodation, and Ben and I will do the food.”
Though it wasn’t far, we were both childless and eager to get away.
When Keith’s birthday finally arrived, we arrived early and were ready to celebrate. Even though we were only going to be there for the weekend, I ordered enough food for two weeks and a birthday cake, which Lori picked up.
Everything was going well until the night took a strange turn. Nobody was going to be driving; we were all going to be drinking. We were secure. But Benjamin, who had overindulged, joined me on the balcony to enjoy the refreshing night air.
Lori and Keith were inside, belting out songs from YouTube videos.
Benjamin stammered as he said, “You know, Sadie, there’s something I’ve been working on for Lori.”
I prodded him for more, intrigued.
“Ben, what are you planning?”
“It’s unexpected! If I tell you, though, you’ll have to keep it a secret. It has been quite difficult to conceal bottles from Lori.
I said, “What bottles?”
He responded, “Oh, you know,” his voice drifting off as inebriation set in.
Lori and Benjamin weren’t heavy drinkers; they occasionally had drinks with Keith and me but didn’t do it on their own. It was all because Lori’s father was an alcoholic that she felt uneasy about having alcohol in their house.
“What mischief are you two up to?” Even with her lighthearted and fun tone, Lori’s curiosity was still very evident.
Benjamin bounced back fast, telling Keith and himself that earlier in the week they had become trapped in an elevator.
“We just sat on the floor and waited,” he said to Lori.
She narrowed her eyes and whispered, “I know.” “You told me this story the moment you got home.”
With a quick smile, my closest friend retreated inside.
I stayed up late trying to decide whether or not to inform Lori about the hidden alcohol bottles that Ben had been keeping all about their house.
On the one hand, their connection was wonderful, and Ben would constantly go above and above to help Lori. He lived off of bringing her joy.
However, Lori’s father visited their house frequently. Lori would never be able to forgive herself if he relapsed.
“What should I do?” After we had gone to bed, I asked Keith.
He said, “Do you think Ben was serious?” “He was pretty out of it.”
“Wouldn’t that just be him telling the truth?” I enquired. “More lubricated to the truth.”
Keith chuckled.
“Sadie, if you’re concerned about it, perhaps you ought to talk to Lori. You’ll just blame yourself for knowing if something goes wrong.”
Keith was accurate. If something wasn’t right, even if Ben hadn’t given me enough details, I would still hold myself responsible.
It was too good to keep to myself.
Lori and I went for a stroll the following morning and stopped for coffee along the way. I told her everything Ben had said or pointed out as we walked.
“Are you sure?” She applied pressure. “Are you sure he said ‘bottles’?”
Sure, but let me tell you—I’m only speculating. In case something happened, I wanted to let you know. With your father around, I understand how you feel about these things.”
Lori gave me a long, hard stare.
She said, “Ben has been a bit secretive lately.” “But it cannot be what you think it is!”
We talked about everything and nothing as we made our way back to our rental; in particular, we didn’t discuss the bottles or what we both believed they were.
It didn’t seem to phase Lori as much as I had anticipated. Even yet, I was glad I had shared my knowledge with her. It was her responsibility to be ready for anything that might arise.
When we returned to the rental, Ben was scrubbing the floor and Keith was putting away our clothing.
Keith responded, “We ought to leave soon.”
After checking out, we had lunch at a little café before making our way home. With Keith and myself nearby, I didn’t believe Lori would question Ben, but I did wonder what she was thinking.
The text that Lori sent me the following day caught me off guard.
My life was spared by you. Later, give you a call.
My mind kept repeating the phrase. Even though I had no idea what she was talking about, her words carried enough foreboding to chill my spine.
Lori informed me how she opted to eat an early lunch at work during the course of her day when she phoned me later.
All I wanted to do was go home and explore a little. For containers, or anything else, you know? Whatever Ben was concealing in our house, I had to locate it.”
As a result, she was greeted with the scent of gas as soon as she entered their house because neither of them had remembered to turn off the gas in their haste to leave for work that morning.
“Can you imagine if I just came home and switched the stove on, Sadie?” Lori continued chatting away. “Our house would have caught fire. Most likely with us in it.
Her voice sounded shivering to me.
“Did you find anything?” Lori quieted down, so I asked her inquisitively.
Lori answered, “I did.” “They were behind the towels in the linen cupboard.”
“What were they?”
“They are bottles,” she explained. “But they’re not alcohol.”
I let out a relieved sigh. Being in the center of things was something I detested. Although I was sorry for breaking Ben’s trust, Lori had to come first.
“Sadie,” she said. “Those are vintage bottles of perfume. Not quite, though. In addition to antique bottles, there are a few perfume bottles. I have no idea why Ben has those, but they’re really valuable. Every one of them has tags on it.”
I couldn’t make sense of it. I knew Ben loved antiques; occasionally, he would purchase them to amass a collection, keeping everything in his parents’ house. On occasion, though, he would purchase them only to resell them for more money.
Ben’s revelation revealed the extent of his love for Lori when she confronted him that night.
“Every bottle sold brought us one step closer to realizing our dream, Lori. On our anniversary, I intended to surprise you with a vacation to Paris. Thus, I purchased those antique bottles online and have been making money off of them,” he stated.
“And what about the perfume bottles?” Lori enquired.
Ben explained that they were for her, as if they were taken from the set of an old movie she loved.
He laughed and said, “They’re supposed to be the first present.” “Paris was the second.”
How Ben found the time to find, purchase, and sell these things eluded me. They cost an absurd amount of money. If I had become interested in the hobby, Keith would have been impressed.
Keith told me, “Maybe it’s just his way of showing his love,” over dinner that night. “Lori does love her old movies.”
Ultimately, I felt guilty for spoiling Ben’s surprise, even though Lori never disclosed that I had told her about our chat. She just mentioned that while washing laundry, she happened found them.
She comforted me, saying, “He has no idea.”
Even yet, I believed that telling her was justified because, in the worst case scenario, Ben might have been concealing alcohol in their house. It might have caused a terrible chain of events.
Everything is good now, and it appears that my closest pals will be visiting Paris in a few months. Let’s see, Keith and I have a wager on whether or not they invite us to travel with them.
Do you believe that telling Lori was a mistake?
