I never thought that a chance meeting on a plane would cause my marriage to end. But that’s exactly what happened when I sat down next to Clara, my husband’s ex-wife.
The flight home from seeing my sick mother was meant to be a relaxing one. Instead, it changed into a revelation that would make my relationship fall apart.
As Clara introduced herself, I tried to keep my cool. How did she understand who I was? She told me that she had seen me on Oscar’s social media accounts. The news she was about to drop was hidden by her casual tone.
We started off by talking about family and trips, which was a nice start. But then Clara told me something shocking: the house Oscar and I shared was actually made for her. Everything was hers, every little thing. Oscar had just moved in and didn’t change anything.
A wave of sickness came over me. Our safe place, home, was always a reflection of Oscar’s past. But that was just the start.
Clara went on to say that Oscar still sent her flowers on their anniversary and her birthday every year. He had forgotten to buy me those flowers every time. My husband was still heavily involved with his ex-wife. It hit me like a tonne of bricks.
The final blow came when Clara told me that Oscar would call her whenever we fought, looking to their past to calm and soothe him. I felt like a stand-in, something that took his mind off of how he really felt.
Even though the flight was over, my problems had just started. With my fingers shaking from anger and pain, I texted Oscar, “It’s over.” Talk to Clara.”
I’m now thinking about what happened as I sit in a coffee shop in an airport. Was it the right thing to do to end things without talking to Oscar? Would it have been better to try to work things out?
My marriage will never be the same, that’s for sure. I’m left to put together the pieces of my broken heart because trust was broken.
When I think about what to do next, I remember that sometimes the strangest people can change the course of our lives forever.
“A Neighbor’s Secret”
When my husband Tom went to see our strange neighbour, it threw my perfect marriage into chaos. Our relationship showed flaws when she was around, and I wondered if our love was strong enough to handle the truth.
Things were great for Tom and me. Seventeen and a half years of marriage, two lovely kids, and a love that didn’t seem to break.
When we moved to a quiet neighbourhood six months ago, though, everything changed. There was something strange about our 63-year-old neighbour that Tom found out when he went to her house.
That day, Tom came home late and with sad eyes. Even though he didn’t say anything, his quiet said a lot. I knew something wasn’t right.
Tom’s behaviour became more and more unpredictable as the days went by. He would leave the house without giving a reason, and he stopped making the emotional moves he usually did.
I realised that our neighbour was making things worse between us and our spouse. But what did she have to hide? What if our love was strong enough to beat the truth?
