The message read: “My wife is out of town and the kids are at their Grandma’s place. We’ll have the house to ourselves tonight, babe! I can’t wait to have you in my arms and my bedroom ;)”
You can imagine my shock after 25 years of marriage to my husband, Dustin. So, I decided to witness this secret meeting with my own eyes.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
I hid my luggage and waited in the shadows of our balcony. My husband would think I had already left.
Hours later, Dustin arrived with his companion, who I was horrified to recognize as Madison, my son’s math teacher.
From my hiding spot, I saw them enter our bedroom. Overcome with emotion, I couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into the room.
“DUSTIN, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” I screamed.
Dustin jumped in surprise and started stuttering in confusion. Before he could explain, Madison intervened.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
“Hold on, Lauren,” Madison said calmly. “This is not what you think. I’m NOT your husband’s mistress. I’m his DAUGHTER! I sent that text to your phone.”
Stunned, I turned to Dustin for an explanation.
“Are you… Brooke’s daughter?” Dustin asked, looking almost as confused as I felt. When Madison nodded, his face transformed into one of understanding.
Then, he told me his long-held secret: 25 years ago, when Dustin and I had an argument that led to a temporary breakup. I was leaving for New York to pursue my dreams in interior design.
One of those nights, he met someone named Brooke and drowned his sorrows in her body. It was just one passionate encounter, and he forgot all about her the moment we got back together.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
I had returned, telling him that a new city held nothing for me if we weren’t together. I remember how happy we were that first day together, rekindling our love and planning our future.
“Remember how you asked me to pick some things from the store to make me a special dinner?” Dustin asked, sighing. I nodded.
I didn’t know at the time, but Brooke was outside waiting for him. She told him she was pregnant. Dustin told her he wanted nothing to do with the baby, but she wouldn’t get rid of it.
In fact, Brooke demanded $100,000 to leave him alone forever.
When he returned to me that day, Dustin acted like nothing was wrong. But that’s when he did something even more awful than hiding a child.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
He remembered I had a hidden suitcase of money in my father’s garage. So, when I went to bed that night, he sneaked out and stole it. Afterward, he met Brooke and paid her.
“I never saw her after that night,” Dustin confessed, hanging his head.
I was enraged. “You broke into my father’s garage? You caused his heart attack?!” The man I had sacrificed everything for, the man I trusted, was the same one who had betrayed me so deeply.
But that wasn’t the worst part, either. Madison spoke up and told me that she had been tracking Dustin for years and even got a job at our son’s school to be closer.
“I found out a lot of interesting things from observing him…the kind of secrets you would have never known despite being his wife! It’s an immense pleasure to share what I found with everyone, Lauren!”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Reaching into her purse, Madison started taking out photographs. Each of them showed Dustin with a different woman. My heart shattered further with every image.
One even featured my husband with his boss’s wife, and I was done. I already had my luggage, so it was time to leave this worthless man for good, but suddenly, Dustin’s phone rang.
It was his boss. I looked at Madison, and I knew from her little smirk what would come. A loud shout came through the speakerphone:
“WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST GET IN MY MAIL?” his boss demanded
I didn’t want to hear anything else, so with my head held high, I walked out of the life Dustin and I had built. It was a lie anyway.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Lauren got her heart broken by Dustin, but Melinda’s suspicions led her to Miami, where her husband, David, was in a much more complicated situation.
3. I Discovered My Husband’s Two Plane Tickets and One Wasn’t for Me
How far would you travel to find out the truth? Well, I had to go all the way to Miami and almost made a huge mistake. Let me tell you my story:
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I know I promised this weekend would be solely for us, but I have to leave again. It was completely unexpected,” David said to me when he arrived home Friday night.
My shoulders slumped in defeat as I sat in the kitchen. I had been so excited about our plans to walk around the beach in Westport, Washington, especially because David traveled so much for work.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
I missed him terribly, but I understood the demands of his job. My career was much more stable, with no need for travel.
“I’m going to pack my bag and briefcase for tomorrow,” David announced, reciprocating the kiss.
“Do you want me to do that for you?” I asked, but he didn’t answer.
When the sound of the shower began in the bathroom, I took the opportunity to check his briefcase, knowing he often forgot things.
I ensured his wallet was inside and tidied up the other items. Then, a plane ticket poking out from a side pocket caught my eye.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
I pulled it out to place it on top of his other items, and my heart stopped—there were two tickets. One bore David’s name, but the other displayed a woman’s name: Annamarie. Her last name was Simmons.
What business did David have in Miami, and who was this woman? He usually traveled alone, or so he claimed. Why two tickets? Was he lying to me?
The dreadful suspicion that he might be cheating made my heart start beating faster. The shower noise ceased, snapping me out of my frozen state.
I swiftly put the tickets back and left the bedroom. Throughout dinner, I acted as if everything was normal, but inside, a storm of thoughts raged. I needed to confront this situation, but how?
Well…
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
By Sunday morning, I found myself in Miami, still unsure of my plan. David had departed early Saturday, leaving me a day to mull over everything.
Driven by desperation, I invaded his privacy, searched his Google history and emails, and discovered his reservation at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
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