Although I was used to doing laundry, this evening it led me to find something that would forever change my life. A letter my husband had written fell out of his pocket and onto the floor as I was going through the clothes.
When I opened the letter and read the words that were meant for someone else, my heart sank. “Hey, honey, happy anniversary! The best seven years of my life! Come see me at Obélix on Wednesday at 8 p.m. “Be in red.” What was wrong was that David and I had been married for 18 years.
It felt like the world had turned upside down. What did David do to me? In him, I had put all my trust. My thought was filled with memories of his late nights at work, his occasional stays at hotels, and his plausible excuses. I had no idea that he was seeing someone else.
I called my mom for help because I didn’t know what to do. But I had other ideas. She told me to be brave and talk to him. I chose to catch him in the act to find out what he really said.
That night, I put on a red dress that David had given me a few years before and went to the fancy restaurant where he was meeting his lover. I thought the other woman was the red-clad woman I saw sitting at a table when I got there.
So I could wait for David, I sat down at the table next to her with my back to her. He walked in with a big smile on his face, and when he saw the other woman, his eyes lit up. When he saw me stand up and say hello, though, his smile quickly turned into shock.
David was taken off guard, and the other woman was lost. Because of our kids, he told her that we were living apart and getting along. I knew that was not true, though.
I didn’t stay to hear his reasons. After the meal, I told him he needed to explain himself to our girls. I wasn’t going to be the one to tell them.
We broke up because of that letter. I was angry and hurt at first, but later I felt better. I knew I deserved better than a husband who lied and cheated on me.
I hope that other people will learn from my story. Don’t go against your gut if you think your partner is cheating on you. Face them and ask them to tell you the truth. You have the right to know what’s going on in your relationship.
