My husband, Derek, and I have been inseparable for what seems like an eternity. We’ve built a life together, raising two children and merging everything from bank accounts to daily routines. We even drafted a prenuptial agreement, not out of mistrust but to sidestep any messy disputes should we ever split. I never imagined I would need it.
Derek has been a model family man and a respected sales agent at a top corporation, skillfully juggling work and home life. However, his work usually included some travel and meeting new clients, but recently, his business trips became suspiciously frequent.
About a month ago, I noticed these trips seemed excessive, with him out of town almost every week. Despite this uptick in travel, Derek didn’t mention any new clients or significant work changes that might explain his absences.
This unusual pattern triggered my curiosity and worry. One weekend while Derek visited a friend, I took it upon myself to clean his car, a chore he usually did himself.
While vacuuming and wiping down surfaces, I discovered a batch of receipts hidden in the glove compartment. My heart raced as I looked at them—one hotel room, the same local hotel, repeatedly booked on days he was supposedly out of town.
At first, I tried to find reasonable explanations—perhaps a mistake in the receipts or he was helping a friend. But deep down, doubt had taken root, and I couldn’t shake it off.
Resolved to uncover the truth, I began to monitor Derek’s activities more closely, noting when he left home and where he claimed to be going. I gathered any receipts I could find, scrutinizing them for clues. Occasionally, another hotel receipt would turn up, each one sending a jolt through me.
As evidence accumulated, a clear but unwelcome picture began to form. Despite this, I hadn’t confronted Derek; torn between disbelief and the harsh reality before me.
Tension thickened in our home as Derek’s excuses became more and more flimsy. One day, he abruptly said, “I have to leave urgently,” and I just nodded, pretending indifference. Inside, though, I was seething with suspicion.
Unable to bear the lies any longer, I followed him one evening after he rushed out. I discreetly trailed him to the very hotel listed in those receipts.
From a hidden spot in the lobby, I watched heartbroken as Derek and a woman laughed and touched intimately before embracing passionately—a sight that shattered me.
Overcome with emotion, I confronted them. Their faces registered shock and guilt as Derek stuttered an explanation I refused to hear.
The following days were a whirlwind of arguments and painful revelations. It turned out this woman was not just a fling; Derek thought they had something meaningful.
But karma struck swiftly. I later learned from a friend that this woman had tricked Derek into opening a joint bank account to start their “new life” together, only to drain it and vanish, leaving him ruined both financially and emotionally.
This twist of fate didn’t please me. Instead, it left a void filled with the sorrow of our disintegrated family life. Derek was crushed, fooled by someone he trusted, much like he had deceived me.
As we navigated our separation, the prenup I once saw as unnecessary now felt like a crucial safeguard for preserving what remained for our children.
Despite the pain, I couldn’t help feeling a touch of sympathy for Derek, remembering the love we once shared.
Now, in the silence of our once shared living room, I reflect on the deep scars left by betrayal and the long road to recovery ahead. Moving on is necessary—for me, our children, and even Derek—as we all seek to heal and reclaim our lives.
What would you do if you discovered your spouse cheating? Join the conversation on Facebook.
Man Hears His Dog Barking from Afar, Finds It Sitting near an Abandoned Baby – Story of the Day
Jack checked on his dog Ralph who kept barking on the street, only to discover an abandoned baby with him. The baby turns out to be a very special girl who would change Jack’s life forever.
Despite being a wealthy man, Jack was known as one of the kindest and most generous people in town. He could have had it all until three months ago when he discovered his wife had been cheating on him with his best friend.
Jack divorced his wife, and she moved to a different state with his now ex-best friend. He didn’t let the incident harden his heart, and he remained kind towards everyone around him. However, everybody knew that he was quite a lonely man no matter how kind and friendly he was.
To ease his loneliness, Jack got himself a dog and named it Ralph. “At least you won’t betray me, right Ralph?” he said once he got him, smiling through the pain.
As he was a busy man, Jack had Ralph trained to behave. He would allow Ralph the freedom to run in their backyard in the afternoons, and once he grew tired, the adorable dog would find its way back inside the house.
One day, he let Ralph outside. He was watching a movie on TV when he realized Ralph had not returned home yet. He stepped out and heard the dog barking from afar.
Jack ran over the fence to get closer. Once he reached the road, he saw Ralph next to a baby lying on the grass.
“You poor child,” he said, saddened that someone would leave a helpless baby out on the street. He checked around the area for a bag that might have belonged to the child, but there wasn’t any. A tiny baby was crying, lying in a basket, while my dog sadly nudged her with his nose, as if out of sympathy. Inside the basket, I found a note. I read it with a heavy sigh.
“Don’t look for her parents. This child is yours now. Take care of her.”
Before taking her home, he went to the nearby convenience store and purchased baby milk and diapers so that he could properly care for the child. When they got home, he fed her and changed her diapers. Then he called the police and reported the incident.
“This poor baby was left alone on the street with nothing but her clothes. There were no other adults in the area, so I took her in,” Jack explained.
The police said that they would check CCTV footage in the area to find her parents. However, they were to search for foster parents for the baby for now.
After hearing this, Jack didn’t hesitate. “Can I become her guardian?” he asked. “I run my businesses from home, so I wouldn’t have any problems taking care of her.”
The police got a couple more details and proof of identification from Jack, and they allowed the little girl to live with him. Jack took care of her for months, and when it was determined that her parents could not be identified, she was up for adoption.
As soon as he could, Jack processed the papers needed to adopt the little girl, whom he named Emily, legally.
He raised Emily as his own daughter, even naming her after his mother who also raised him on her own. He loved Emily dearly and provided her with everything she needed and more.
Likewise, Jack was Emily’s hero. She looked up to her dad and always wanted to be around him. Together, they enjoyed every meal together and would go to the park, their favorite ice cream parlors, and the arcade where they spent time a lot of time together.
When Emily turned seven and started going to school, many of the parents and even teachers would note how Jack and Emily looked alike. Even Jack’s friends would say that they “looked like twins.”
Jack never thought of Emily as his adopted daughter, so he took these as compliments and would simply smile every time someone spoke about their resemblance.
One day, while Emily was playing with Ralph in their backyard, she fell and scratched her head on the pavement. As Jack began to treat the wound with an antiseptic, he noticed an incredible thing.
“Would you look at that, sweetheart? We have the same birthmark!” he said, surprised. He never noticed Emily’s birthmark before because her hair covered it.
“We were always meant to be together, dad,” she said, wiping her tears away and smiling at her dad.
Curious about how this could happen, Jack decided to do a DNA test. He took a sample of Emily’s hair and sent it alongside his own. He didn’t think much of it, but he was stunned when the results came about three weeks later.
The test showed a 99.9% match that Emily was his daughter. He had always been a loyal man, so it only meant one thing – his ex-wife had been pregnant with his child.
He decided to give her a call, and she answered. “What do you want, Jack?”
“Why didn’t you tell me we had a daughter?” he asked her as soon as she answered.
“I didn’t want to raise your child, nor did I want to see you ever again, so I left her on the road. I knew you’d find her anyway. Bye now, and please don’t ever call me again,” she said before putting down the phone.
Jack couldn’t believe it and was in tears. While knowing that Emily was actually his biological daughter did not affect his love for her, he was glad to know that he was able to care for his own daughter.
“What’s wrong, dad?” Emily asked after she saw her dad crying.
“Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart. I’m just really happy,” he explained. “Remember what dad told you? That you were sent to me from heaven even though I was not your real dad?” he asked her.
Emily nodded. “You are my real dad, dad. Don’t forget that,” she corrected him.
“Yes, sweetheart. I am your real dad. These DNA results prove that” he said, handing her the paper.
“I told you, dad. We were always meant to be together,” Emily said, hugging him.
A few years later, Jack found love again. Having been present in all of Emily’s school activities, he eventually fell in love with one of her teachers.
Two years after they got married, Emily gained a baby sister. Emily took on being a big sister with a lot of pride and joy.
Since then, Jack, Emily, and the rest of their family have lived peacefully and happily. They valued their time together as a family more than anything. This prompted Jack to retire early to spend more time with his children.
Leave a Reply