Working from home means I miss out on the office Christmas parties, where tipsy coworkers finally spill their secrets. My husband, Travis, wasn’t so lucky—he had to go to one of those parties. Before he left, I sent him off with a playful little note on his chest.
Don’t judge me—Travis can’t handle his drinks!
We’ve been married for five years, and I trust him completely. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun. As he was getting dressed, I grabbed a marker and wrote a cheeky message on his chest: “This is my husband—touch him, and you’ll pay—M.”
“Micaela,” he laughed as he headed out the door, “I’m just going out for a few drinks. I’ll be back early, I promise!”
While he was out, I decorated the living room and put up the Christmas tree, making everything festive and cozy. But when Travis finally stumbled back home, clearly tipsy, I helped him to bed and noticed something written below my note.
“Keep the change,” it said, scribbled in his messy handwriting.
I laughed, thinking it was just a harmless joke. But as I stayed up watching Christmas movies that night, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right about his night out.
The next morning, I asked Travis how the party went. He told me they started at the office, then went to a bar for karaoke, and ended up at a club. When I brought up the note, he looked confused.
“Probably one of the guys,” he said with a shrug. “There was a lot of drinking, and you know how the guys get.”
Even though he seemed innocent, I couldn’t shake my unease. So, I called my mom for advice. She had a bold suggestion—plant a GPS tracker in Travis’s car. I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of snooping, but my doubts were eating me up inside.
For the next week, I secretly monitored his movements from my laptop. Everything seemed normal until one evening when he called to say he had to stay late at work. I believed him at first, but when I checked the tracker, I noticed his car was heading in the opposite direction of home.
My heart started pounding as I followed him, driving through the streets until I found his car parked in the driveway of a beautiful house. I watched in disbelief from my car as he got out and met a woman. They hugged, and then they kissed.
It felt like my whole world was crashing down around me. I quickly grabbed my phone and took photos of them together. The reality of my marriage falling apart hit me like a ton of bricks. Summoning all my courage, I walked up to the house, and Travis looked completely shocked when he saw me approaching.
“So, you’re the woman who left a message on my husband?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking.
Instead of backing down, she looked me straight in the eye and said, “You deserve better. Husbands like this deserve to be treated like spare change.” She threw a glance at Travis.
Travis turned bright red, a mix of anger and shame. “How dare you?” he shouted at her, but she just turned and slammed the door in his face.
Feeling crushed, I walked back to my car, holding back tears. As I sat there, I received a text from my mom with the number of a divorce lawyer. That was my painful Christmas gift—one I never wanted, but realized I needed.
Instead of celebrating the holiday season, I found myself facing a new year full of uncertainty, rebuilding my life, and searching for my own happiness. Life can be unpredictable, even after five years of marriage, and I was learning that the hard way.
If you were in my place, what would you have done?
