Disclaimer: I own only the idea
The words he had said millions of times before stuck in his throat. He literally felt like he was choking on those words. He was the only one remaining silent. He literally couldn't talk.
"It's alright Adrian," she reassured him.
Natalie put one hand encouragingly on her friend's shoulders. He didn't flinch. He didn't scream out for a wipe. He was too busy staring at his wife in shock.
"Monk," Leland said, "its okay… you don't have to… we all understand"
He didn't want to love her. He didn't want to love her because loving her meant losing her again and that hurt. He wanted to be angry with her. He didn't want to understand that she did what she did to protect him.
"Mr. Monk," Natalie said, "this can be easily resolved…"
He wanted to stop loving her but not loving her was about as likely as not brushing his teeth 10 times a day. Natalie looked at Leland desperately.
"Can't you call in a favor or something," she asked
"Okay I have a question," Trudy said, "what is going on here"
Suddenly something caught Monk's eye and it all made perfect sense.
Tears rolled down his eyes.
"Monk?"
"It wasn't her. She didn't kill him. The fake one did…"
"Okay I'm lost. Un-lost me," Leland said using one of his catch-phrases.
"Here's what happened," Monk said, "the man who forced Trudy to fake her death was about to be exposed. He couldn't have that happen. So he hired a woman to play the part of Trudy.
"By now he figured she had to have been dead and if Zachary Ellinghouse found out about him his life would be not worth living. So with Ellinghouse out of the way this man would go free-"
"Wait… Monk, are you saying there are 2 Trudy's," Leland asked.
"No what I'm saying is that there is Trudy," he explained putting an arm around his wife's waste, "and then there's the imposter."
"How do you know," Leland asked
"I swear if I had a dime for every time someone asked him that," Natalie said, "I'd be a rich woman"
"I saw the imposter right around the corner"
"Well what are we waiting for? Monk you want to come with?"
"No thanks," Monk said with a grin, "I'm staying here… with my wife"