My wife is hiding something in the garden

My wife is a lovely woman, we've been married for almost 8 years and are still as in love as the day we met. We've known each other our whole lives, and we're still the best of friends. The kind of friends who know each other inside and out. Or at least, that's what I thought.<br><br>We bought a small house near the countryside, and I was happy to see my wife so excited about it. She spent hours in the garden, planting flowers and vegetables. She had always liked gardening, but it seemed more important to her now than ever. But that wasn't the only thing that had changed. <br><br>She started acting strangely after moving into our new home. One night, she woke me up and asked me if I could check on the garden with her. I was groggy, but she said there was something important that she needed me to take a look at. I asked her what was wrong, but she refused to tell me. So we went outside. She had the flashlight, but I couldn't make out what I was supposed to be looking at. The moon was shining brightly in the sky, casting a silver glow over the entire yard. <br><br>She kept walking toward the wooden fence that surrounded our property, then stopped at one of the garden beds. There, I saw a small wooden door, slightly buried beneath the soil. I gasped, confused, and my wife turned to me with a mixture of sadness and anger in her eyes.<br><br>There was a small keyhole in the door's iron doorknob, and I could tell this hadn't been installed recently. How could I have never noticed this before? The one place I was supposed to know better than anyone, and yet I found myself lost and confused at such a familiar place. I took a step back, and my wife stood up. She started walking back toward the house and I followed her silently. Once we were back in bed, I couldn't help but ask her about the door. <br><br>"Why weren't you ever going to tell me?" I asked, trying to mask my fear. She sighed, and for a moment, I thought I saw tears in her eyes.<br><br>"I couldn't, baby. I couldn't do it. Not after what happened"<br><br>I was about to ask what had happened when she interrupted me. <br><br>"Go to sleep, I'll tell you in the morning."<br><br>I knew better than to argue with her, so I turned around and closed my eyes. The next morning, she was nowhere to be found. Her phone had no signal and she didn't answer my calls. It was 2 AM and I was alone and scared in my own home. I kept pacing back and forth across the house, calling her name out loud at the top of my lungs. I stumbled into the kitchen and saw that the back door was open. I ran out into the garden. At that moment, I didn't care about the door anymore, I just wanted my wife home safe.<br><br>She was digging a hole near the fence, her hands covered in mud and her breathing ragged. I took a step forward, but she didn't seem to notice me. She kept digging, the shovel slicing through the soil, the sound echoing through the night. I approached her slowly and gently put my hands on her shoulders. She gasped, startled, and her eyes met mine. She looked empty, as if her soul had been sucked out of her.<br><br>"What are you doing?" I asked, watching her glance back at the shovel. She blinked slowly and spoke in a hollow voice:<br><br>"I need to make room."<br><br>I didn't ask for what. I just helped her dig. I couldn't think of anything else. After a while, she said it was enough and laid down in the hole. I covered her with mud and sat by her side. At some point, I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was back in our bed. It all seemed like a dream until I saw the dirt on my hands. I rubbed it off and went back to sleep, hoping that everything would be okay in the morning.<br><br>The next day I woke up to my wife cooking breakfast in the kitchen. The smell of coffee and toast filled the house, and the warm sunshine peeked through the windows. "Good morning", she said, without turning around. <br><br>"Good morning" I answered, but she didn't seem to notice the coldness in my voice. I sat down at the table and waited for my breakfast. "Will you be home today?" she asked. I told her I would be. She smiled and went back to cooking. I ate my breakfast, watching her every move. When she finished, she left the plate on the table and went out into the garden, closing the back door behind her. <br><br>She spent the rest of the day outside and by dusk, she was back inside, sitting in the living room. She was reading a book, and I was sitting on the couch, keeping an eye on her. It all seemed so normal, so peaceful, as if nothing had happened. I thought of asking her what was wrong, to tell me what she was hiding, but I couldn't. I didn't want to know. I knew her better than anyone, so I knew that If she didn't want me to know something, it was because she wanted to protect me.<br><br>After a few hours, I fell asleep. When I woke up again, I was back in the garden. She was holding the shovel, her eyes wide with fear. She didn't notice me, too caught up in her own world. I approached her slowly, and she didn't see me. She started digging, and I saw the small wooden door in the soil. I gasped, and she finally noticed me. <br><br>"What are you doing?" I asked, in a voice I couldn't recognize. She blinked slowly, and in that moment, I knew that I was in grave danger. <br><br>"I need to make room." she said, keeping her eyes locked on mine. I took another step forward, and she swung the shovel at me. I ducked, but it was too late. She swung again, and again, and again, the sound of the shovel hitting my body echoing through the night. I didn't feel any pain. All I could hear were those thuds, and see her hollow eyes staring back at me. And then I felt myself being dragged across the grass, the damp soil sticking to my skin. <br><br>I tried to scream, but my voice was hoarse. I had lost too much blood, and I couldn't move. She lay down in the hole and I saw her eyes meet mine for the last time. I tried to move, but I couldn't. She was too strong, and I was too weak. I watched as the mud covered her, hiding her from my view, until I couldn't see her anymore. At that moment, I felt the darkness take me away, and everything went black.<br><br>When I woke up again, I was back in bed. It was morning, and my wife was sleeping next to me. I touched her hand, and she smiled. "Good morning baby, will you be going out today?" she asked, with the kindest smile on her face. But I wasn't afraid of her. I actually felt better. I felt like I had been given a second chance.<br><br>"Yes, I have to" I answered, trying to sound calm. She looked at me with that same sad expression she had on her face a few days ago, when I saw the door. But I wasn't curious anymore. I didn't want to know what she was hiding, all I wanted was for her to be okay. I took her hand and kissed it. She smiled, and I knew that she had forgiven me. I got out of bed and got dressed as quickly as I could. She was already in the kitchen, making breakfast. I sat down at the table, and she put a plate of toast in front of me.<br><br>"Make sure you eat something at lunch, okay?" she said. I nodded, and finished my breakfast. Once I was done, I put my plate in the sink and turned to her. <br><br>"Have a good day at home, okay?" I said, with the most natural smile I could conjure up. She smiled back and kissed me. I walked out of the front door, and took a deep breath of the crisp morning air. It was a beautiful day, and I felt reborn. I walked to my car, unlocked it, and sat down in the driver's seat. As I looked in the rearview mirror, I saw my wife standing in the doorway, waving at me. I waved back and started the car. We smiled at each other, and I drove away from home.<br><br>After a while, I couldn't see the house anymore, and I felt an enormous relief. I took another deep breath and focused on the road ahead. But as I glanced in the rearview mirror again, I saw her. She was in the backseat, her eyes cold and empty. The shovel was in her hands, and she smiled at me.<br><br>"I need to make room."