I thought I knew everything about my husband Michael. We had been married for 12 years and had two beautiful kids, Shawn and Milly. But a terrible phone call told me a truth that destroyed everything I thought I knew.
It started out like any other day: I was doing laundry and talking on the phone with Michael. He was about to start therapy to deal with the stress at work.
I put my phone down on the table as we said goodbye. When I picked it up to call a friend ten minutes later, the call was still going. Michael still hadn’t hung up.
I was shocked by what I heard. He was seeing Dr. Hanks, and he asked Michael about his family. Michael’s answer sent chills down my spine: “My family is more than just my wife Colleen and our kids.” One family lives in California, and the other in New York.
My world fell apart. Michael’s words cut deep and showed a web of lies. He was hiding two families from me while living a third life.
I was frozen with shock, unable to comprehend how terrible his deception was. Michael’s emotionless statement stood in contrast to Dr. Hanks’ caring tone.
Michael told us he had been lying to us for years while I listened with tears running down my face. He said he loved us, but he couldn’t stand the thought of losing any of his three babies.
Even though therapy was over, my nightmare had only just started. I couldn’t talk to Michael right away because I needed some time to think things through.
When he got home, I claimed everything was fine, hiding how upset I was. But I came up with a way to see how honest he was.
I told Michael about a made-up affair while watching his response. I told him the truth: I knew about his secret families. He was very angry and ashamed.
Michael’s world fell apart, and his face went white. I stood strong, even though my heart hurt a lot.
I told the kids, “We’re leaving,” as I gathered our things. Michael begged, but no one heard him.
The divorce process began, and I promised to keep myself and our kids safe from his lies.
It will be hard to get our lives back on track, but I won’t let anyone hurt us again. Our family was broken by Michael’s lies, and the wounds may never fully heal.
How would you have handled things differently? Say what you think.
