April 17, 2018. On this day, my husband and daughter and I celebrated his father’s birthday. We had a great time with a small group. Brian was in a great mood, joking around, remembering funny stories from his childhood and adolescence.
The only thing missing at the table was our son. After a delicious lunch, Victoria and I decided to walk the in-laws home. My husband went home. After the accident, he can’t walk long distances because of pain in his leg. And he had had a lot to drink. I was sure he’d be asleep by the time we got home.
And I was right. He fell asleep at the table in front of his open laptop. Victoria went into her room, and I decided to make some coffee. I was on my way to the kitchen when my gaze fell on the monitor.
Brian was on social media. He was about to delete some message, but apparently he didn’t have time. Sleep disturbed him. I stepped closer to see what the correspondence was about.
When I saw “I love you,” my eyes went black. Brian had written it to Monica, his former colleague. On trembling legs, I walked back to the couch to sit down.
My father’s warnings flashed through my mind. Dad had always been against my marriage to Brian, believing that I would suffer because of the man. I had managed to prove otherwise for almost twenty-eight years.
Brian and I had been through a lot. I nursed him after a serious car accident, in which our whole family suffered. I supported him when the management asked him to retire. He could no longer work for the police with such an injury, and his sick leave was too long. Brian lived his job, so the layoff was an ordeal for him.
We were able to get through it. He found another job. More than once he told me how grateful he was for my support, love, and care. And he was lying, it turns out.
I gathered my strength and stood up. I didn’t know what to do, so I decided to turn to my daughter. She just picked up the book, but froze when she saw me. I didn’t immediately realize that tears were rolling down my cheeks.
I told her what happened. She quickly ran out of the room and walked over to my father. I was even afraid she was going to hit him on the head with something heavy. Instead, Victoria carefully canceled the deletion of the messages and called me over.
Reading the love correspondence of a spouse with another was unbearable. But it made sure that their connection obviously has lasted more than one month. I guess it all started when he got a job at the Pension Fund. Victoria silently took her phone out of her pocket, and took a picture of the correspondence.
My head was a complete mess, so I trusted my daughter’s actions. At this time she was already writing a message to Monica . Like, if you love him, take him, please. We’ll pack a few things quickly.
Again I took a picture. Monica left the website as soon as she got her message. Victoria ran to her room and sent her father the screenshot, accompanying it with a request to be a man and leave in silence. Then she came up to me and hugged me tightly, repeating that I was strong and could get through this, and she would always be there for me, at my side.
I just had to wait for Brian to wake up. I didn’t know what he would do or what his reaction would be. Victoria and I flinched when his cell phone rang.
It was clearly Monica’s. Brian, to my surprise, answered. I guess he thought we weren’t home yet. The conversation lasted less than a minute. I heard him get up, go into our room, and get dressed. As he walked past us, he lingered for a moment. I didn’t want to look at him, so I turned away to the window. Victoria waved at him with a sweet smile.
The next time I saw him was when he came to get his things. I still couldn’t believe that just like that, in an instant, a family could break up. How can I believe a man after that? Twenty-eight years together. Beautiful gestures and words. And in the end, divorce.
