What would you do if your husband, who had once been so devoted and attentive to you, starts to become distant and his income starts to decrease? This wife’s search for the truth had led her to a mysterious storage unit.
Source: Creepy World
As she turned the key in the lock and heard it click, she paused and sighed. There was a moment of hesitation. She knew that this was a breach of privacy. At the same time, she also was curious – what was her husband hiding from her?
Meet Lavona and Charles
Lavona had been married to Charles for seven years. The couple from Port Isabel, Texas, got married after dating each other for three years. All in all, they have been together as partners for 10 whole years.
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When they were blessed with Taylor, their firstborn, Lavona had to quit her job to look after the baby full time. Although they were not well off, Charles did not mind having to support them financially. After all, he has done it before when Lavona was in between jobs.
Her husband’s opportunities
Comparing the two, there was no doubt that Charles had more opportunities. He had a good education and was able to get good job offers when he finished his degree. He was able to get a job that paid more than the usual wage.
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Compared to Charles, Lavona felt inadequate. She had always struggled to find a job. Her qualifications were not as good as her husband’s. But this did not matter to Charles. He had always looked after her and she loved him for that.
Drifting apart
Lavona had no doubt that her relationship with Charles was solid as a rock. She had always seen him as her soulmate. But three years into their marriage, it had felt as if they have drifted apart.
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Back then, Lavona and Charles had their own jobs. Lavona was working hard so that she could contribute to their expenses as a married couple. Charles also had been working long hours in the office.
Respecting his privacy
In his free time, Charles would meet up with his friends and drinking buddies. Every time Charles would go off to spend time with his drinking buddies, he never shared what had transpired. It seemed like he never wanted to talk about it.
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Lavona did not mind – she understood that her husband liked having his private time and space. She also liked having some time to herself after working hard. Despite the secrecy, Lavona never got suspicious that Charles was doing things behind her back.
Their first baby
When Lavona found out she was pregnant with their first child, things started to change. Charles became more attentive and started to hang around the house more. He was always there to help her out on anything she needed.
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Lavona was secretly pleased with this development. It felt as if she had the old Charles back again and she loved the feeling of being taken care of. She had hoped that this pregnancy would turn things around for them.
She thought wrong
However, five months into her pregnancy, Charles once again went back into his distant ways. It seemed that Charles had suddenly lost interest in the pregnancy and had gone back to his distant ways.
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Lavona found herself painting the nursery on her own. Charles went back to his old habits of arriving home late from work without mentioning where he had been or what he was doing. He started hanging out with his drinking buddies again on the weekends.
The big day
Charles’ attention and care had declined steadily and soon enough, the baby was about to be born. Lavona had hoped that Charles would become more attentive when she gives birth. But when the big day has come, Charles was nowhere to be found.
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Lavona tried to contact him a couple of times but his cellphone was always out of service. Lavona had no choice but to deliver their beautiful baby on her own without her husband by her side. When she finally got to contact him, he apologized and said he was working.
She felt like a single mother
Lavona named their beautiful child, Taylor. The baby was the most precious thing she has ever seen. And for a while, Charles seemed to think the same. Maybe this time with the baby out, he would choose to be more attentive to his family.
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But even with Taylor around, things had not changed. Lavona thought that interacting with Taylor will change Charles but a few months later, he also did not pay much attention to their baby. It was clear that the baby will not change Charles. Lavona felt like she was a single mother.
Dwindling finances
Lavona kept silent since despite being distant, Charles had been a good provider. Even if she quit her job to take care of Taylor full time, they were able to manage. But soon enough, Lavona noticed that there was less money around.
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Lavona noticed that Charles was putting in less money on their bank account. Lavona was confused, She refrained from spending a dime on anything selfish in respect to the fact that Charles was doing all the hard work.
Confronting Charles
So where was all the money going? When it came to the point that Lavona could barely buy groceries and cover the needs of her baby, she decided to confront Charles. When she found the opportunity, she decided to ask Charles about their financial situation.
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Charles told her casually that he had been earning less because he took a few days off to destress. Lavona then wondered if he had taken a few days off, how come he was not hanging out with them in the house? Where had he gone?
Her husband snaps
Charles immediately became defensive. He snapped that if Lavona was no longer satisfied with the money coming in then she should get a job and make money herself. Lavona was shocked. This was the first time Charles had snapped at her.
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Lavona felt hurt and offended. But what made things worse was that Charles seemed to not care that he had upset her. Lavona remained silent. If Charles failed to mention that he took a few days off work, surely he was lying about other things as well.
Lavona steps up
Lavona felt desperate. If this situation keeps up at this rate, they would not be able to make ends meet. If Charles was not willing to work and earn more money, she would have to step up and come up with a plan herself.
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First, she needed to know where all the money was going. Lavona decided to look into their monthly statements and bills of their shared bank account. Lavona found one item that kept appearing on the bank statement. A $95 monthly bill that goes to “STOR336.”
Figuring out the mystery bill
Lavona tried to recall all their monthly bills and she could not recall this one. So she called the bank to trace down what STOR336 was. The bank informed her that the money was going to a company called “Store-IT” in South Bay. Lavona did a Google search on the company and found that it was a storage facility.
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Lavona recalled that Charles had inherited a storage unit when his father passed away a few years ago. She had never seen the storage unit or asked what was inside. She also could not recall a time when Charles went there. She assumed that he had forgotten about it too.
Her hopes went up
Maybe there were items in the storage unit that Lavona could sell to help with their financial situation. It would be a temporary fix for a month or two but it was something. Lavona thought of using the money to hire a nanny for Taylor. With a nanny, Lavona could take up a part-time job.
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Lavona took Taylor with her and drove to the storage facility. She did not have the key but she had payment references for the unit. She planned to tell the manager that she lost her key in the hopes that a copy would be provided.
Suspicions arise
But when she got there, the manager told her that they do not keep the tenant keys for security reasons. Lavona was disappointed. Seeing this, the manager told her that he knew Charles and he had just visited the storage unit last Monday.
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This new information surprised Lavona. She had no idea that Charles had been checking the storage unit. In fact, he had never brought it up since he had inherited it. The manager then said that if Lavona needed a copy of the key, he can arrange for something to be done tomorrow. Lavona thanked him and told him she would be back the next day.
Why was it kept a secret?
As Lavona got back in the car, she tried to recover from the shock of what she had discovered a few minutes earlier. She looked at her baby and forced herself to pull herself together. Clearly, Charles had his secrets. Before she would have respected his need for privacy but this time it is different. She needed to know what was going on.
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By the time Lavona and Taylor arrived home, Charles was, as usual, not home yet. Lavona could hardly sleep that night. She heard Charles creep in the room and lay down beside her at some late hour. Soon enough she could hear him snoring beside her.
A sleepless night
Lavona opened her eyes and checked the clock. It was almost 4 in the morning. She lay awake, wondering what could be in the storage and why Charles had hidden the fact that he had been visiting in the past years. Does it have something to do with the way he has been distant?
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Her thoughts were interrupted when Taylor started crying. Lavona sighed and got up. She decided not to mention what she knows to Charles until she finds out what was in that storage unit. She did not want to start a fight over something she was not sure about. It might just push Charles further away from her and their baby.
Waiting for her husband to leave
Lavona busied herself preparing breakfast and a packed lunch for Charles. Even though she was so mad that her hands were shaking, she decided not to say a word about it to Charles and force herself to act completely normal.
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She waited for a few minutes after Charles pulled off the driveway to head to work, Then she prepared herself and Taylor for another trip to the storage unit. Today, she was determined to solve the mystery of the storage unit.
Getting the key
When Lavona pulled up to the gate, she gave the security guard her name as instructed by the manager. The manager told her to claim the key from the guard on duty. And true to his word, the guard gave her a key to the storage unit 336 without any questions.
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Lavona was grateful that the manager was able to make a copy of the key. But as she drove around the facility looking for unit 336, she suddenly felt uneasy. It was almost too easy how she got everything to work her way in her little investigation.
A moment of hesitation
When she finally found the unit, Lavona parked somewhere close and took Taylor out, and placed her in the trolley. They headed to the storage unit but when Lavona slid the key into the lock and felt it click into place, she hesitated.
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Opening this unit will mark the moment that she had crossed a line and betrayed her husband. She wanted to be fully aware of her actions. She knew if she proceeded with her plans, there is no turning back.
The moment of truth
Lavona shook her head and slid the red door of the storage unit up. There was a musty smell that hit her as the light streamed into the unit. Lavona moved Taylor away as she waited for the cloud of dust to settle. She then saw that there were piled boxes in the sides and a large object in the center covered by a tarp.
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Lavona approached the large object and removed the tarp covering. It was an old car! She felt excited at this find. Lavona did not know anything about cars but she knew that they are worth a huge amount of cash. Selling the car could cover their needs for more than a few months.
Was he having an affair?
But why did Charles keep this old car a secret? They could easily sell it and use the money. He knew that they were just a month or two away from being evicted. Lavona tried to peer inside the dusty car for clues. Even though the car was dusty, she could see that someone had been inside the car recently.
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Lavona could make out a bright green lunchbox and a brown folder on the passenger seat. Lavona started wondering, was her husband having an affair? But why meet at a storage unit and not at a hotel? Lavona shook her head. It must be something else. Maybe the envelope’s contents could help her solve the puzzle.
Clearing the dust
Lavona tried the door handle but found that it was locked. She looked at the dust on top of the car. It was clear that Charles had not been driving it. So what was Charles doing inside the car? Since she could not get inside, Lavona decided to wipe off the dust so that she could look inside.
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Lavona set Taylor in a corner where she would be far from the dust. She then began to use the tarp to wipe off the window. The space she wiped on to let a little more light in. This time, Lavona can see stacks of paper in the back seat. There was a box of cigarettes and some crumpled beer cans.
Her hunch paid off
Lavona was about to give up when she remembered something. Charles always had this habit of leaving his car keys in the garage so that he could easily find them. It was his solution to keep himself from losing them, which has happened several times. Could Charles be keeping the key in the storage unit too?
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Lavona felt her heart racing as she scanned the storage unit for hiding places where Charles could have hidden the key. Looking at the pile of boxes nearby, her eyes were drawn to a small round box. The box did not have any dust in it. She knew that this could be the hiding place – and she found out later that her hunch was right.