After Decades of Marriage, Wife Discovers Her Husband’s Secret

By: Lisa Lee | Published: Sep 09, 2023

Imagine being married for several decades, believing that you know the love of your life better than anyone else. Then imagine that the love of your life passes, and after losing them, you discover that you didn’t actually know them that well at all.

Audrey Phillips found herself living this exact scenario after the passing of her husband, Glyndwyr. They were married for over a decade, and it wasn’t until he was gone that she discovered his secret.

A Partial Truth

Audrey was very much in love with her husband and was happy with the simple life they had built together. She was a retired economics teacher, and while they weren’t wealthy by any means, she cherished the time they spent together and never regretted the decision to marry him.

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Discovering his secret after his death was a devastating blow to the image of the man she thought she knew. She began to realize that he had kept more from her than she ever imagined.

Falling in Love with a Mystery

Audrey and Glyndwyr met at a bar and fell in love instantly. They knew from the moment they met that they wanted to spend their lives together. Glyndwyr admired Audrey and could see no other woman but her. Audrey found Glyndwyr mysterious, but rather than be put off, she was intrigued by him.

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Audrey quickly became very comfortable with Glyndwyr and wanted to spend every waking moment with him for as long as she could. They enjoyed each other’s company immensely and soon spent little time apart.

Finding Happily Ever After

While dating, Glyndwyr and Audrey admitted to one another that they had never felt for anyone else what they felt for each other. They explored their city hand-in-hand and were together whenever it was possible. Audrey knew that Glyndwyr sometimes had to leave town on business, but she did not inquire further.

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To everyone around them, they appeared to be the perfect couple. They married, and Audrey was thrilled to have her best friend by her side, someone she could trust above everyone else. A few months after they were married, their doctor delivered exciting news that changed their lives forever.

A Surprise Package

A few months after their marriage, Audrey noticed a sharp abdominal pain. Concerned it was something serious, she rushed to the local emergency room. Glyndwyr, having just returned from one of his many business trips, accompanied her.

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The emergency room doctor informed them that Audrey was pregnant. They were incredibly relieved that the pains were not an indication of anything serious, and Audrey later gave birth to a beautiful baby boy who they named Jake. Their family was growing, and they couldn’t have been happier.

Love and Mystery

Audrey understood that Glyndwyr could not share with her the details of his business trips. He had informed her that his work was very private, and in order to continue doing it, he was not permitted to share

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While she had to admit that she was curious, Audrey accepted this reality and was happy and confident in his love for her and their son. He was caring, attentive, kind, and gentle. When he wasn’t away, he made every effort to be present and focused on their life together.

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Unusual and Upsetting News

One day, Glyndwyr went out for a walk, something he did often to clear his mind. Usually, he returned from these walks feeling refreshed with a clear mind and ready to be present with his family. However, this day, his time away from home had only served to leave him more upset and frustrated. He had some news to tell Audrey that would affect their family.

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Glyndwyr informed Audrey that they had to move, and they had to do it within one week. He could not go into detail, and this upset Audrey.

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Putting Up a Fight

Audrey was completely shocked and by no means wanted to leave her home where they had built such a wonderful life and happy memories. She especially did not appreciate being told she had to uproot it all so quickly.

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Audrey loved her neighborhood and the people in it. They had strong relationships with the people around them, and she saw no reason that they should give all of this up. She was upset that she was given no choice in the matter and no concrete reasons.

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Faced With a Decision

The couple soon discovered that they were expecting their second child. This time they were told that the pregnancy was high risk and that going through with it would take an incredible toll on Audrey’s body. She would be unable to have more children after this.

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They now had to decide whether they felt the risk to Audrey’s physical health was worth continuing the pregnancy with the understanding that this was likely their last chance to have a second child.

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Change of Plans

Audrey and Glyndwyr chose to continue the pregnancy, excited at the news of a second child. However, this meant that they could not move. Audrey could not travel during a high-risk pregnancy and put her health in even more danger.

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It was clear to her that this news unsettled Glyndwyr because he felt the move was incredibly important. However, he vowed to remain by her side and do everything to ensure she and both of their children remained healthy and safe.

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A Growing Family

Glyndwyr dedicated even more of his time to his family. He cared for their son and for Audrey while she was placed on bed rest. He took care of the home as well and spent as much time as possible making sure that they were ready for the new baby.

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Glyndwyr had also reduced his travel time. His secret business trips became much less frequent as he devoted his time and energy to his growing family. His primary focus was on their life together.

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A Shift in Priorities

One day, Glyndwyr approached Audrey and told her that he had changed his mind about moving their family. He no longer believed that it was the best decision for them at that time. He believed that they needed to stay close to their support system and prioritize raising their children.

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While Audrey was relieved that the subject was no longer an issue, she couldn’t help but wonder about his sudden change and what had prompted the desire to move in the first place.

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A Beautiful Life

Audrey and Glyndwyr lived their life together for nearly fifty years. They raised their children and were just as happy with one another’s company throughout the years as they were when they first met. They enjoyed their time together and loved one another fiercely. They even became grandparents.

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Unfortunately, as they aged, Glyndwyr’s health began to decline. His hands would often shake, and he found himself struggling to walk and needing help. He was unable to do all the things he had once enjoyed.

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Coping with Devastating News

Glyndwyr’s health continued to get worse. He ultimately decided to visit a doctor to find out the issue. His doctor soon diagnosed him with Parkinson’s Disease. He was told that his prognosis was not good.

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The news devastated both of them and upset their families. Audrey wondered what she would do without him and was heartbroken to know that she would soon lose him. She resolved to enjoy every moment and make the most of their time together.

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Losing Her Love

Glyndwyr’s health never recovered. He continued to decline rapidly as they tried to cherish every moment they had left together. He sometimes considered sharing his lifelong secret with Audrey but was concerned about devastating her further.

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It eventually became too late. Glyndwyr passed away before he could share with her the truth about how he had spent his life when he was away from her and their children. She remained in the dark as she grieved for her lost love.

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A Community Loss

Glyndwyr was very much loved in his community. There were many who knew him who were stricken by losing someone so dedicated and loving. He was well known to be hardworking and dedicated to his family.

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His community believed that he worked as a civil engineer. They admired his work ethic and his willingness to do anything to care for those he loved. They knew him as someone who could be counted on no matter what. But they didn’t know everything.

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The Journey Through Grief

Audrey avoided going through Glyndwyr’s belongings for as long as she reasonably could. She was so heartbroken at losing him that the thought of taking such a final step meant accepting the loss completely. Leaving things as they were helped her feel as if a part of him was still present.

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However, Audrey knew that she couldn’t avoid the task forever and that she would eventually have to go through them and decide what to do with everything he had left behind.

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Tears and Acceptance

After three long years of avoiding the task, Audrey finally summoned the courage to sift through Glyndwyr’s possessions. She had left everything untouched for so long, unable to accept that this would mean he was really gone forever.

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Going through his things caused a lot of memories to resurface – memories of their life together and the time they had treasured as husband and wife. It was a slow, painful process. At last, she was down to one drawer left to be cleaned.

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A Love for Writing

Glyndwyr sometimes retreated to his study where he loved to write. The final drawer to be cleaned was in his office where Audrey suspected he kept his creative writing work. She knew that he had written several poems and novels in his spare time.

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A part of her was excited to read the work that he hadn’t yet shared with anyone. She felt it would give her an opportunity to continue to know him even better. She had never gone through his things before, and it felt as if she was invading his privacy.

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The Unfamiliar Name

When Audrey opened the drawer, instead of finding Glyndwyr’s prose and poems, she found strange, unfamiliar documents. They appeared to be quite old, and she could not recall her husband ever mentioning what they might be.

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The document referred to a man by a name that she did not know. She had never heard of this person before and wondered why her husband would have been in possession of someone else’s paperwork. Who did these documents belong to?

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A Gifted Memory

As she read through the documents, Audrey found one that showed test results for the name in question. This person, a young boy, had shown that he had an incredible memory, especially a strong propensity for remembering the details in pictures and maps.

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The report said that this person had a photographic memory that enabled him to recall many things in extreme detail. It was a rare gift. Audrey still wondered why her husband had been in possession of these documents.

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The Boy in the Letter

Audrey continued to read through the stack of strange documents. She was learning more and more about the life of this mystery boy. She came across a letter that talked about the same boy who had taken the test.

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This letter discussed a decision to remove said boy from school. They again referred to his photographic memory, determining that formal education would not benefit him. The letter was dated and indicated that the boy was around thirteen years of age at the time.

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She Begins to Do the Math

Audrey realized that her husband would have been the same age as the boy referred to in the documents. She wondered if this boy had been a friend to Glyndwyr but still could not come up with a reasonable explanation for why he would have a friend’s school documents.

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She continued to dig deeper, reading through the documents, hoping to find the answers to her growing list of questions. She found the entire situation to be very bizarre and unexpected.

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Digging Deeper

Audrey continued to search for any information that might indicate to her how her husband was connected to this mystery boy. She filed through information about his education, his intelligence, and decisions regarding the two.

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She read each individual paper carefully, from top to bottom. She wanted to make sure she wouldn’t miss anything important. It wasn’t until she came closer to the bottom of the pile that she found something even odder than anything she had read so far.

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More Secrets Uncovered

Audrey began reading a document that referred to a secret operation known as “XX” as well as a counter-espionage project. She read the document repeatedly, certain that she was misunderstanding and struggling to figure out what this actually had to do with Glyndwyr.

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The coded language in the document did not provide clear details, and her curiosity and confusion continued to grow. Within the pile of documents, Audrey found a note with only a telephone number. Should she call?

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Wrestling With a Choice

Before making a final decision to pursue the matter further, Audrey took several days to consider what it might mean. She was incredibly curious about what appeared to be very important documents about someone with a name she had never heard.

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She wondered if her husband would be upset that she had found this information and wanted to pursue it. More importantly, she worried that if what she found was negative, it might tarnish his beautiful memory and beloved reputation within the community.

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Heavy Anticipation

Audrey finally worked up the courage to sit down and make the call. She stared at the telephone number for several minutes, terrified about what this decision might lead to. She could barely sleep as she just wanted answers.

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At long last, she dialed the number. It rang through with no answer. She took a deep breath and dialed again. Again, there was no answer. She began to think that this might be the end of her search after all. The man told Audrey that Glyndwyr had incredible intelligence that was unmatched by his peers. His parents and school noticed these talents when he was very young, and as he grew older, his talents only grew increasingly stronger.

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A Different Kind of Training

By the time Glyndwyr was a teenager, he had been pulled out of formal education. He was eventually recruited and trained in the army. However, his talents and intellect meant that he was destined to be far more than just a soldier.

Instead of shipping off to basic training, Glyndwyr and his colleague were chosen to participate in a special military program. They were only permitted to tell their fathers. No one else, not even their wives, children, or mothers were allowed to know about their work. They had to keep it secret for a lifetime.

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While in the program, they were taught how to speak German, underwent several other training programs, and were given a long list of memory tests. Glyndwyr and his colleague were both young at the time and didn’t fully understand what they had signed up for. They knew that regular academics were boring to them, and they were excited to embark on what they saw as an adventure.

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The Adventure Begins

They didn’t know what tasks lay ahead of them or even what types of lives they would lead due to having to keep this secret. When they had nearly reached the end of their training, the Second World War began. Glyndwyr and his colleague were tasked with crawling through very long concrete prison pipes to gain access to the German prisoners of war. It was their job to get the men to trust them and provide them with information.

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The pipes were filthy, and the work was long and grueling. They knew if they were ever caught, that they would be in incredible danger. They were secret spies for the army and understood the seriousness of their work.

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The Next Stage

This was their job until the war finally came to an end. When it was over, both men remained in contact with their commanding officer. He had no desire to let their special talents go to waste and had new work ready for them if they would accept.

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The work they were given required even more training and even more secrecy. No matter what happened in their personal lives, they were not permitted to reveal the nature of their work to anyone.

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A Secret Identity

Part of their training involved learning how to lead a double life. They were told to find partners, establish families, and lead normal lives to maintain appearances to the outside world. They were permitted to create lives they loved while still being available to the military.

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The men were often called for secret intelligence missions that required them to be away from home for long periods of time. While on the outside, it might have seemed glamorous, it was not.

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The Beginning Mission

Glyndwyr and his colleague were sent on their first mission to capture enemy spies. They received payment if they completed the mission. This mission involved infiltrating an army camp and surveilling the intended targets.

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They were responsible for ensuring that they had the right people and reporting back to headquarters so the men could be captured. Believe it or not, this was one of their less dangerous missions.

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Fear and Danger

The man told Audrey about one particular mission where Glyndwyr was responsible for rescuing one of his fellow spies from a boat. From there, they were responsible for picking up and transporting a load of arms in two separate gunboats.

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He used his searchlight to ensure that he, his fellow spy, and their two gunboats were not captured by the enemy. They were continually on the lookout. It was not a mission that went smoothly, although it did result in a happy ending.

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The Post-Wedding Trip

The man told Audrey with a humorous chuckle that this mission had taken place just a few weeks after she and Glyndwyr had been married. He had told Audrey that he was going away for a weekend of football.

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When he came home covered in bruises and feeling rundown, Audrey was led to believe it was from having fun with friends. His lie gave her no reason to think he had been on a secret military mission.

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The Answers Produced Questions

Audrey was shocked that she had never suspected something like this. She knew Glyndwyr went on private business trips, but it had never occurred to her that he could have been a secret military spy.

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She had even more questions for Glyndwyr’s colleague than she had had before he began speaking. She wondered if he was willing to continue speaking with her and sharing the details of their work together.

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A Note from Her Love

Before she could begin asking her myriad of questions, her husband’s colleague handed her a note. Glyndwyr had written it before he passed and given it to him for safekeeping. It was as if she had part of him with her again, for just a few moments.

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Rather than feeling the dread and panic that she had been feeling for several days, she suddenly felt calm and at peace. He had considered her enough to leave a message behind for her to make sense of his life after he was gone.

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Her Husband’s Words

In his letter, Glyndwyr told Audrey that he knew that if she was reading his words, then she now knew the secret he had kept from her their entire marriage. He hoped that she would understand why he couldn’t tell her and that he wanted her to always stay safe.

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He also let Audrey know that there would be a surprise waiting for her when she was ready to see it. He had prepared something that she would not see until after he was gone.

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A Final Gift

Enclosed in the letter was a check in the full amount of the money that he had earned for being a military spy. He had saved it with the intention of giving it to her after he had passed. They had lived a very simple life together because he had not used any of this money.

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His letter said that he hoped that this money could serve as an apology for keeping such a big secret from her for all those years. While the secret had come as a huge shock to Audrey, she felt a great amount of pride and affection for the man she had chosen to marry.

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The Veteran Relief Fund

Rather than use the money for herself, Audrey decided that she wanted to donate the money to the veteran relief fund. She believed that other veterans should benefit from the brave work that her husband had done. She wanted other men in her husband’s position to know that their families would be cared for.

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Audrey was incredibly proud of Glyndwyr and held no resentment toward his secret. She wanted the world to know what a brave man she had married. She told the story of his life to her grandchildren, emphasizing his courage and dedication. Their family continues to keep his memory alive.

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