Secrets:

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character from Days of Our Lives. This story was not written to infringe, but for entertainment.

Part I - Letter:

Miriam 'Mimi' Brady sat at the desk in the apartment she shared with her husband, Shawn. Her fingers drummed lightly against the hard mahogany wood as she twirled the pen in her other hand. There were no sounds in the room, other than the slow song playing on the radio in the kitchen and the soft whoosh of the breeze coming in through the window.

Her eyes scanned the stationary paper in front of her and her mind immediately filled with thought, questions, scenarios and emotions of what was about to play out. She was thankful her husband was out right now. She really didn't need to be distracted right now. And his being there, with that crooked smile and soulful eyes, the way he simply looked at her made her melt; he would have distracted her just by being in the same room.

It was hard to imagine what her life would be like now. She knew she would be hated. His family would hate her for not being honest. For taking away something special that they needed. Friends of his family would scorn her, saying she only intended to get him away from Belle, his one true love. Her friends would hate her for the agony she caused. Her family would hate her for not being able to keep her mouth shut. Shawn would hate her for the lie. That alone, she had promised him she would never do. However, most of all, and in spite of everything, she hated herself. She hated what she was doing, the position she was in and the fact that this would always be between her and the man she loved.

That was the reason she was doing this.

She had two very important things to do today. Two very important things that would dictate how the rest of her life would turn out. No matter what the future held, and she was most certain she would be losing her husband, she would always have this moment. The moment she decided to grow up, to be the woman she has always wanted to be; the moment she found her self-respect. If she could do nothing else after today, she would be able to look at herself in the mirror.

With a deep sigh, she brought the tip of the pen to the paper and began taking her life back.

'Dear, Shawn…'

- - -

When she stepped in the house, Shawn wanted nothing more than to kiss his wife. He would hold her in his arms, kiss her and all would be right with the world. It took him by surprise just how quickly he fell in love with his wife. He's loved her all of his life…as a friend. When they married, he knew he could love her as his wife for the rest of his life. However, Belle Black would always be in his heart. She would always be his one true love, his soul mate. In the five months that he and Mimi have been married, he found that not to be true.

Belle was his past. A special girl whom he would always love. He would always be there for Belle, to keep her from ruining her life or her husband and daughter's life by her unending pursuit of him. But that was as far as the extent of his feeling for her went. Shawn wasn't sure when it happened. When Mimi became the center of his universe. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that his soul connected to hers on a level that was deeper than any before. He couldn't pinpoint the moment where he knew, without any doubt, that she was the one for him. He was sure that it wasn't even a grand moment. No catalyst had been reached when he came to that conclusion. He was sure it was some trivial moment when the business with his cousin Max was going down the drain and she simply held his hand and listened to him. She would caress his face and tell him that he would figure it out, he always did. She wouldn't coddle him or try to figure it out for him, but she would never let him give up on himself. Thinking about it now, Shawn was certain he fell so deep in love with her when she smiled at him.

"Mimi!" - Shawn called as he stepped into their apartment, the smile on his face brighter than the sun. "Baby, I'm home." - he closed the door behind him and walked further inside. He heard no sounds in the apartment and his brow furrowed. He checked his watch, sure that she would be home from class by now. Walking to their bedroom, "Baby?" - he called to her again.

Nothing seemed amiss in their bedroom, but the envelope on the bed caught his attention. His name was written across it and he knew it to be her handwriting. Thinking for a moment that she had some surprise cooked up, he allowed an absent smile to cross his lips. Sitting on their bed, he opened the envelope. Pulling out the few pages of stationary, he read her words.

'Dear Shawn,

There is no other way to say this. I know you'll hate me when you finish this letter and I do not blame you. You deserve to hate me. But, please, do me one last honor and read this all the way through. Maybe then, you will understand why I've done this. Why I've left you…never to return…'