My Husband’s Brothers Called Me ‘The Second Wife’ for 20 Years – I Was His Only Wife, so I Finally Asked About the First

I thought, if betrayal ever came for my marriage, it would have a familiar shape. Another woman. A hidden phone. A hotel receipt. A message arriving after midnight. I never imagined the other woman would have been dead for twenty-two years. Her name was Joanna. And the first thing I learned about her was that my husband’s brothers called me his “second wife.” They said it like a joke. Everyone laughed. Including Daniel. Including me. At first, I thought it was one of those ridiculous  family references that had lost its original meaning years ago.…