My marriage looked strong, but a strange note on our bathroom mirror made me suspicious. It said, “I already miss you, last night was great!” “XOXO.” I texted my husband Ryan because I thought it was from him and was hoping for a nice answer. Instead, the fact that he was awkward sent up red flags.
His first rejection and later admission that he had forgotten the note made me even less sure. He almost never forgot things, so something didn’t seem right. My thoughts started to race: Was Ryan lying?
My nervousness got worse as the day went on. My thoughts kept taking over my work, and I couldn’t concentrate. That night, Ryan’s carefree attitude made me feel even worse. I chose to look into it, and I looked through his phone for any clues. Even though it was clean, my feelings told me not to.
A few days later, Ryan’s dad, Bob, showed up out of the blue and said his laptop was having problems. It started to look fishy that he always came by when I wasn’t there. Claire, Ryan’s mother, called and told them about Bob’s strange behavior. I felt like there was a link.
I was determined to find out the truth, so I faked to go to the gym and parked nearby to watch. A woman showed up at my door. It broke my heart. I hid and watched as she came in. As the shower ran, I went to the bathroom. What I saw broke my world: Bob with the strange woman.
When I talked to Bob, I asked him questions. His stumbling excuses made my worst fears come true. He was having an affair in our house. It wasn’t just Bob who let me down; Ryan was also involved.
I talked to Ryan that night. He was defensive at first, but finally admitted that he knew his father was cheating on his wife. His reason—to protect his mother—made me even more angry. How could he put respect to his family ahead of being honest and trustworthy?
Our fight went on for hours, and Ryan still didn’t understand how bad what he did was. To get some space, I told him to sleep in the living room.
I told Claire the next morning, and we came up with a plan. We were going to leave with the money Bob had sent for her 65th birthday party. Both of us had filed for divorce by the end of the week.
Now Claire and I live together in a nice apartment without lying to each other. Our renewed freedom feels good. We’re moving on to a better future after ending a chapter of lies and betrayal.
What would you have done if you were me?
