When Lucy’s mother comes to her one afternoon with devastating news about her husband, Lucy’s heart breaks. But instead of confronting him at home, Lucy and her mother try to humiliate him in public.
You know how life throws you curveballs? Well, mine threw a fastball right at my face. It started innocently enough. My mom, who’s been single for a decade, finally agreed to try online dating.
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I was thrilled—my mother deserved some happiness in her life. And even if it just meant pushing her outside of her comfort zone, she needed it.
We sat together at a coffee shop, sipping on lattes and eating slices of cake while going through her gallery and choosing photos for her upload.
The interior of a coffee shop | Source: Unsplash
“I’m not sure about this, Lucy,” my mother said. “Are you sure that it’s not a bad idea?”
“It’s a great idea!” I said, picking up my fork and getting a piece of cake. “You need something new and exciting, and this could be both!”
A person holding a slice of cake | Source: Pexels
“What if I make a fool of myself?” she asked, looking sad and uncertain of everything.
“Then it will just be a funny story to tell and an experience that you’ll always have,” I said, trying to reassure her. “But look, if you don’t want to do it, then there’s no pressure at all.”
A person holding a phone | Source: Pexels
I almost expected her to say no and delete the entire profile.
“No, I’ll do it,” she said. “I have nothing to lose.”
A smiling woman | Source: Unsplash
But it turns out that while my mother had nothing to lose, her stumbling upon my husband, Sam’s profile on the app, meant that I had my entire marriage to lose.
Recently, Sam had been a bit off—distant and irritable, which he blamed on stress from a recent job change. But also, we were trying to have a baby, and that came with its own set of challenges.
A smiling man | Source: Pexels
So, we were not in the happiest stage of our marriage.
But still, when Sam blamed his mood on work, I wanted to believe him, so I did—until yesterday.
A couple sitting on a bench | Source: Pexels
I was in the kitchen about to start with dinner prep when my mother came over, letting herself in.
“Hi, darling,” my mother said, sitting at the counter.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, immediately picking up on her mood. She seemed very weighed down by the world around her.
A woman in the kitchen | Source: Pexels
“I have something to tell you,” she said.
I put the kettle on and turned to her.
“Tell me everything,” I said.
Steam from a kettle | Source: Pexels
My mother hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath.
“Listen, Lucy,” she said. “Last night when I was on the dating app, I came across Sam. He has an entire profile, and it’s active.”
A person holding a phone | Source: Unsplash
My heart dropped. I knew that Sam and I were not in a good place, but I always expected us to get back on track—especially because I thought that we were on the same page about having a baby too.
But this?
A person holding a pregnancy test | Source: Pexels
This changed everything. Suddenly, Sam and I were no longer praying for a baby together. We were not together. I was here, wanting to be a mother and wife, but Sam was out there, across the internet, waiting to meet other women.
While my mind raced, I continued to cook.
A person chopping garlic | Source: Pexels
“What do you want to do?” my mother asked.
“You tell me. I’ll do what you tell me, Mom,” I said, feeling absolutely defeated.
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My mom, shocked but quick-thinking, devised a plan. She created another profile, using images from the internet. When she was done, she matched with Sam immediately.
I pictured my husband sitting at his desk, and instead of working, just sitting on his phone and entertaining other women on a dating app.
A phone opened to different dating apps | Source: Unsplash
“He wants to meet,” my mother said when I placed a bowl of noodles in front of her.
“Agree,” I said.
She asked him to meet her for a date, hinting that she would be the lady in red.
Two bowls of noodles | Source: Pexels
The setup was simple—a public confrontation to catch him in the act. I sat hidden in a corner of the chosen restaurant, anxiety gnawing at my insides. I had a glass of wine to help me.
Was I really just sitting here, waiting for my husband to come out and show me that he wasn’t who I thought he was?
A woman holding a glass of wine | Source: Pexels
Soon, Sam walked in, clutching a bouquet of flowers, scanning the room. His face lit up when he spotted a woman in red entering.
But then, the recognition hit him like a truck. His face paled, the flowers nearly slipping from his grasp. He stumbled forward as if his legs betrayed him. My mom approached, her smile waning into a tight line.
A woman in a red dress | Source: Pexels
“Looking for someone in red?” she quipped, her voice dripping with disdain.
Before he could stutter out an excuse, I emerged from my corner.
“Surprised, Sam?” I asked. My voice was calm, surprising myself too.
A shocked man | Source: Pexels
My husband’s shock deepened, eyes darting between me and my mom, realizing the gravity of his mistake.
“I wanted to believe that this was a misunderstanding,” I said, standing firmly beside my mom. “But here you are, and everything is clear.”
The restaurant had grown silent, the atmosphere thick with tension. My mom addressed the room, her voice clear and strong. She picked up a glass of wine from the table.
A busy restaurant | Source: Unsplash
“This man came here expecting a date with someone he met on a dating app, not knowing it would be his mother-in-law catching him in the act.”
Humiliation washed over Sam’s face. He tried to speak, to salvage some dignity, but there was nothing he could say.
A man with a clear expression | Source: Pexels
“Lucy, please,” he said. “I can explain; there are so many things going on. It’s just my way of de-stressing, that’s all.”
I looked at him, trying to find the man I married, but he wasn’t there. There was nothing behind his eyes, just a shadow of the man I loved.
But since my mother had revealed the whole thing, I felt that I had fallen out of love with him.
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My mother and I left the restaurant—heading for a fast food joint for me to eat my feelings.
“What do you want to do now?” my mother asked, helping herself to fried chicken.
“Divorce him,” I said, drinking a beer—it was completely uncharacteristic of me, but I wasn’t feeling like myself at all.
Fried chicken in a bowl | Source: Unsplash
“Really?” my mother asked. “Just like that?”
“Well, everything is different now,” I said. “There’s nothing about him that appeals to me anymore.”
My mother nodded.
“And I wanted to have a baby with this man, Mom,” I continued.
When we got back to my house, I expected Sam to be there, waiting to apologize, but he wasn’t. The house was dark and empty.
A house without any lights on | Source: Unsplash
In the solitude that followed, with the support of my mother, I began the painful process of divorce. Sam came to the house and packed a bag.
“I’m going to my parents,” he said. “I’ll be back for everything else soon.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t care.
A brown duffel bag | Source: Unsplash
The agony of betrayal gave way to a fierce determination to rebuild my life on the foundations of self-respect and truth.
And now, I find myself alone and trying to figure out the rest of my life.
A smiling woman | Source: Unsplash
What would you have done?
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