And through some strange, perhaps accidental, conjunction of circumstances, everything that was essential, of interest and of value to him, everything in which he was sincere and did not deceive himself, everything that made the kernel of his life, was hidden from other people; and all that was false in him, the sheath in which he hid himself to conceal the truth—such, for instance, as his work in the bank, his discussions at the club, his “lower race,” his presence with his wife at anniversary festivities—all that was open. And he judged of others by himself, not believing in what he saw, and always believing that every man had his real, most interesting life under the cover of secrecy and under the cover of night. All personal life rested on secrecy, and possibly it was partly on that account that civilised man was so nervously anxious that personal privacy should be respected.

“The Lady with the Dog,” Anton Chekhov

Russian author Anton Chekov is the greatest writer of short stories.  His tales depict with unsurpassed insight our weaknesses and virtues.  Why do some people believe that everyone is as deceptive as they are? “And he judged of others by himself, not believing in what he saw, and always believing that every man had his real, most interesting life under the cover of secrecy and under the cover of night. “

In this beautiful narration, a married man seduced a young married woman. As it often happens in real life, what it begins as a game, it turns into an indispensable love—the predator becomes the prey.  You might think you know someone, but you really don’t until you get close to this person.  In the long run, the chemical reaction of two human beings might be as unpredictable as the weather in Chicago.