Working from home means I miss out on office Christmas parties where people, after a few too many drinks, finally spill their secrets. My husband, Travis, wasn’t so lucky this year—he had to go. So, I decided to send him off with a little joke.
Don’t judge me—Travis is a bit of a lightweight when it comes to drinking.
We’ve been married for five years, and I trust him completely. It all started as a playful joke when I picked up a marker while he was getting dressed for the party. With a grin, I wrote on his chest, “This is my husband—touch him, and you’ll pay—M.”
Travis laughed, shaking his head. “Micaela,” he said, “I’m just going out for a few drinks. I’ll be back early, I promise.”
While he was out, I decided to get into the holiday spirit. I put up the Christmas tree, decorated the living room, and made everything feel warm and festive. But when Travis finally stumbled back home, clearly tipsy, I helped him to bed. That’s when I noticed something new written on his chest.
“Keep the change,” it read.
I laughed at the message, thinking it was just another joke. But as I settled in to watch some Christmas movies, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It played over and over in my mind, like a movie on repeat.
The next morning, I asked Travis how the party went. He told me they started at the office, then moved to a bar for karaoke, and ended up at a club. When I mentioned the note, he looked genuinely puzzled.
“Probably one of the guys,” he said with a shrug. “There was a lot of drinking, and you know how they get when they’ve had a few.”
Even though his explanation seemed reasonable, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling I had. So, I called my mom for advice. Her suggestion? Plant a GPS tracker in Travis’s car. I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of spying, but my doubts were growing louder.
For the week leading up to his Christmas break, I kept an eye on his movements from my laptop. Everything seemed normal until one evening, when he called to say he needed to stay late at work. I believed him at first, but when I checked the tracker, I saw his car heading in the opposite direction of home.
My heart started pounding as I followed him. I drove through unfamiliar streets until I found his car parked in the driveway of a beautiful house. I sat in my car, watching in disbelief as Travis got out and met a woman. They hugged, and then they kissed.
It felt like my world was collapsing. I quickly took photos of them together, capturing the evidence of my marriage falling apart. With my heart racing, I walked up to the house. Travis looked 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 steady.
Instead of being scared, she looked at me calmly and said, “You deserve better. Husbands like this deserve to be treated like spare change.” She gave Travis a cold glance.
Travis turned bright red, a mix of anger and embarrassment. “How dare you?” he shouted at her, but she simply turned and slammed the door in his face.
Feeling numb, I walked back to my car. As I sat there, I received a text from my mom with the number of a divorce lawyer. That was the Christmas gift I never wanted, but now realized I needed.
Instead of the holiday celebration I had been looking forward to, I found myself facing the painful reality of rebuilding my life. As I step into the new year, I know I have to find my own happiness again. Life is unpredictable, even after five years of marriage, and I’m learning that the hard way.
If you were in my shoes, what would you have done?
