When I married my husband, I thought we both wanted the same things. I carried the whole household, thinking I was supporting him in whatever work he did from his home office until I discovered what the “work” actually was.
For the past three years, I’d been married to Jake, a man who called himself “the busiest man on Earth.” That’s how he justified locking himself away in his home office for hours on end. But one day I became privy to his “work,” and everything changed between us.
A man working | Source: Midjourney
Jake often spoke of “building our future,” a phrase he used so often it might as well have been his motto. I believed him. I wanted to. Isn’t that what love is? Supporting your partner, even when it’s hard?
To ease his stress, I took on all the other work. I raised our two children, managed the house, and even worked part-time to help stretch our tight budget. But lately, everything felt like it was slipping through my fingers—our finances, my sanity, and, most painfully, my trust in Jake.
An exhausted woman | Source: Midjourney
Although our bills were always late and the struggle was constant, I trusted him when he promised that he was “so close” to a breakthrough. He spent most of his days locked in his bare “office,” saying he was in “important meetings” or “crunching numbers.”
I was forced to adjust our whole lives to support him, including keeping the children as quiet as possible and timing my chores to avoid disturbing him. Our days followed a predictable pattern.
A woman keeping her children busy | Source: Midjourney
Jake would wake up early, scarf down breakfast with a quick “Got a big meeting today,” and then disappear into his so-called “war room.” He called it that as if he were strategizing for a global takeover. But for all his ambition, our bills remained overdue.
But yesterday was different, and things changed drastically from that point onward…
A frustrated woman | Source: Midjourney
It was a Wednesday, the kind of day that dragged on forever. The kids were out of school, which meant extra chaos because they became restless. Tyler, my youngest, kept running circles around the dining table with the dog barking in gleeful harmony.
My older daughter, Mia, was practicing her cartwheels in the living room. All the while, I scrubbed the kitchen counters, trying to keep some semblance of order while also making an effort to be as quiet as possible.
A woman cleaning | Source: Midjourney
“Keep it down!” I hissed at Tyler as he whooshed past me. “Daddy’s working.”
“But Mommy,” he whined, clutching the dog’s collar, “Scruffy wants to play!”
I sighed. I didn’t have it in me to argue. Jake had locked himself in his office hours ago. He’d reminded us at breakfast, “I’ve got a critical meeting today. Zero interruptions.” I nodded, like always, though the words stung. Zero interruptions had become our family’s unofficial rule.
A man giving instructions | Source: Midjourney
As I wiped down the stove, my mind wandered. When was the last time Jake and I really talked? Not about bills or the kids, but about us? About anything real? I shook off the thought, focusing on the task at hand.
Then it happened.
When Tyler ran through chasing the dog, he frightened me and the frying pan slipped from my hand, clanging against the tile floor with a sound so loud it made Mia scream and my son laugh.
“Oops!” Tyler giggled, his hands flying to his mouth.
A boy laughing | Source: Midjourney
The next moment, Jake burst out of his office, his face red and eyes blazing! “Can YOU not keep it down for one single minute?!” he roared, startling the kids into silence. “Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is during a work meeting?”
I froze, clutching the counter for support. “Jake, I—”
He cut me off, his voice dripping with frustration. “You’re unbelievable, you know that? I’m in there busting my ass, and you can’t even manage to keep things quiet!”
A man shouting | Source: Midjourney
The kids were staring at us, wide-eyed and silent. Tyler clung to Scruffy’s fur as if the dog could shield him from the tension. I opened my mouth to apologize, but then I heard it, a woman’s voice. Soft, playful, and utterly out of place in our home.
I turned toward the office door, my stomach tightening. “Jake,” I said slowly, “who’s in there?”
His face turned from anger to panic in an instant. “It’s just a client,” he stammered, blocking the doorway. “Stay out of it.”
An upset and defensive man | Source: Midjourney
But I wasn’t buying it! My gut twisted with suspicion as I pushed past him and stepped into the room.
The sight before me was surreal! The computer screen displayed a bright, cartoonish online game. In the corner of the screen was a video call window, and inside it was a bubbly, animated avatar labeled “SUZYLOVELY88.” The avatar giggled as if this were the funniest thing in the world.
“What is this?” My voice came out shaky but firm.
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
Jake’s panic morphed into indignation. “It’s my hobby,” he said, puffing out his chest like he always did when cornered. “You’re always so boring! I need an escape! Suzy gets me. She’s fun to talk to, unlike you.”
I felt like I’d been slapped!
“Your hobby?” I repeated, my voice rising. “You’ve been locking yourself in here, pretending to work, while I’ve been breaking my back to keep this family afloat? And for what? To talk to some stranger online?!”
An angry woman shouting | Source: Midjourney
“She’s not just some stranger!” Jake snapped, his face flushed. “She actually listens to me, which is more than I can say for you.”
I blinked, stunned into silence. The kids peeked around the corner, their curious eyes darting between us. I gestured for them to go to their rooms, and thankfully, they obeyed.
Turning back to Jake, I felt my anger boil over. “Do you hear yourself?” I said, my voice trembling with emotion.
An angry woman shouting | Source: Midjourney
“I’ve sacrificed everything for you—for us! And you’ve been sitting here, wasting time on this… this nonsense?”
Jake scoffed, his bravado crumbling. “Maybe if you weren’t so naggy and exhausted all the time, I wouldn’t need this.”
Tears streamed down my face, but I didn’t care. Getting angry again, he added, “You know what? I’m done! I’m going to Suzy! She actually makes me happy!”
He stormed out of the office, grabbed a duffel bag from the bedroom closet, and started stuffing in clothes without looking at me. I followed him, trying to talk some sense into him, but he wouldn’t listen. And just like that, he was gone.
An upset man leaving his home | Source: Midjourney
The next day passed in a blur. I vacillated between anger, heartbreak, and an odd sense of relief. The house felt quieter, not just physically but emotionally. The kids kept asking when Daddy was coming home, and I gave them the same answer each time: “I don’t know, sweetheart.”
On the second day, Jake’s mother called. I hadn’t expected it, and the desperation in her voice caught me off guard.
“Sweetie,” she began, “I know you’re upset, but I need to tell you something.”
A woman on a call | Source: Midjourney
“What is it?” I asked, bracing myself.
Her voice quivered as she explained. “Jake drove hours to meet Suzy. But… she wasn’t who he thought she was.”
My heart sank. “What do you mean?”
“Suzy,” she continued, “isn’t a woman. He’s a middle-aged man with a beard. He’s been catfishing Jake for months and even convinced him to send money for ‘plane tickets.’ My son’s devastated!”
An upset woman on a call | Source: Midjourney
The absurdity of it hit me like a wave, and before I could stop myself, I burst into laughter! Real, deep, uncontrollable laughter. It felt good, like releasing years of pent-up frustration.
“So, all along he really wasn’t working?” I asked curiously.
“No, sweetie, he played video games for some money but wasn’t making much. Whatever little he got, some of it he sent to this Suzy person. Please,” his mom pleaded. “He’s humiliated. He wants to come home.”
A desperate woman | Source: Midjourney
I took a deep breath, my laughter fading. “No,” I said firmly. “Jake made his choices. I’ve spent too long putting myself last. I’m not doing it anymore.”
When Jake tried calling to ask to come back, I told him I wanted a divorce and that I was taking everything. I offered to let him keep his laptop. “Maybe you’ll find a better ‘Suzy’ next time.”
Not having much to his name and having cheated online, my husband couldn’t fight me much, and I got everything, including the kids.
A sad man | Source: Midjourney
In the weeks that followed, I began rebuilding my life. I found a full-time job and enrolled the kids in daycare. It was scary, but every step I took felt like a step toward freedom. The weight of carrying Jake’s burdens was gone, and I felt lighter than I had in years!
One night, as I tucked Tyler into bed, he looked up at me with big, curious eyes. “Mommy,” he whispered, “are we gonna be okay?”
I smiled, brushing his hair back gently. “Yes, sweetheart,” I said with a confidence I hadn’t felt in years. “We’re going to be more than okay.”
And for the first time, I truly believed it.
A content woman and her son | Source: Midjourney
Unfortunately, Jake’s wife isn’t the only woman who has had to deal with a secretive husband, but in the following story, the truth is something worse and completely unexpected. It changes the woman’s life for the better.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
My Ex-husband Got Our House, Car and All Our Money After Divorce – I Laughed Because That Was Exactly What I Planned
After a bitter marriage marked by Mike’s obsession with material wealth, Nicole shockingly agrees to give him everything in their divorce. But as Mike revels in his “victory,” Nicole’s laughter reveals a secret plan in motion. What Mike doesn’t know is that she’s about to make her final move.
I stepped out of the lawyer’s office with a blank expression, my shoulders slumped, looking every bit the defeated ex-wife. The rain was coming down hard, and the gray sky matched my mood — or at least the mood I wanted people to think I was in.
A woman walking past a window | Source: Midjourney
Inside, I was buzzing. My hands clenched the cold steel of the door handle as I headed toward the elevator. No one was around. Good.
The elevator door closed behind me with a soft ding, and as soon as I was alone, I let out a little giggle. It wasn’t something I planned; it bubbled up from deep inside like champagne finally uncorked.
The more I thought about what I’d just done the more it built up until I was cackling in the elevator like a lunatic.
A woman laughing in an elevator | Source: Midjourney
If anyone saw me right then, they’d think I had finally snapped, gone over the edge from all the stress, but oh no, this was just the beginning. Everything was falling perfectly into place.
The house, the car, the savings — Mike could have them all. It was exactly what I wanted. He thought he’d won, and that was the best part. He didn’t have a clue what was coming.
The elevator stopped with a jolt, and I pulled myself together. I glanced at my reflection in the elevator’s mirrored wall: messy hair, tired eyes, and a faint smile still lingering on my lips. I didn’t even care. This was going to be fun.
A woman in an elevator | Source: Midjourney
A few weeks earlier…
Mike and I hadn’t been happy for years, but it wasn’t just the regular kind of falling out of love. Mike was obsessed with his image. He was all about the flashy cars, having the biggest house on the block, and wearing only designer clothes.
All of it was a performance, and I had played my part for too long. The cracks had started to show, and when the arguments became more frequent, I knew it wasn’t long before the inevitable happened.
A thoughtful woman | Source: Midjourney
The thing is, I wasn’t scared of the divorce. I knew Mike, and I knew exactly how this would play out.
He didn’t care about saving the marriage. No, what he wanted was to win — win the house, win the money, win the divorce.
All I wanted was to be free of this pretentious lifestyle. But that didn’t mean I was going to let him screw me over, either. So, I’d let Mike have what he wanted, but with a catch as sharp as a fishhook.
A thoughtful woman | Source: Midjourney
It happened on a Tuesday. Mike came home late, again. I was in the kitchen, pretending to scroll through my phone, not bothering to look up when he stormed in.
“We need to talk.”
I sighed, barely masking the boredom in my voice. “What now?”
He slammed his keys on the counter, and I could practically feel the frustration radiating off him. He always got like this when things didn’t go his way at work, and of course, I was the easiest target.
An irritated man | Source: Midjourney
“I’m done,” he said, his voice low and tight. “I want a divorce.”
I blinked up at him. Finally. I nodded slowly, like it was sinking in, but really, I had been prepared for this moment for weeks.
“Okay,” I said simply.
He frowned, clearly taken aback. “That’s it? No fight? No begging?”
I shrugged. “What’s the point?”
A woman staring ahead | Source: Midjourney
For a second, he looked confused, like I had taken the wind out of his sails. He was expecting resistance, expecting me to plead with him to stay.
But I just needed to give him enough rope to hang himself with.
The divorce negotiations were as awful as I expected. We sat across from each other in a sterile conference room, lawyers flanking us, as Mike outlined every little thing he wanted. The house, the car, the savings; it was like he was reading off a grocery list.
Close up of a man’s eyes | Source: Midjourney
And the entire time, he had this smug little grin on his face, like he thought I’d break down and cry at any moment.
“Fine,” I said, barely listening. “You can have it all.”
My lawyer shot me a look, one that clearly said, “Are you sure?” But I just nodded.
Mike blinked. “Wait, what?”
“I said, you can have it. I don’t want any of it, except for my personal possessions.”
A woman | Source: Midjourney
He looked stunned. “You… you don’t want the house? Or the money?”
“Nope,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “It’s all yours.”
His shock quickly morphed into glee. “Great. Then take this afternoon to pack up your belongings. It’s not much, so that should be plenty of time.” Mike glanced at his watch. “I’ll expect you to be out by six.”
“No problem,” I replied.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
He sat up straighter, his chest puffing out like he’d just won the lottery. And I let him think it.
And that brings me back to that moment when I stepped into the elevator in the lawyer’s office building, and couldn’t contain my laughter anymore.
As I stepped out of the elevator, I pulled out my phone. My fingers hovered over the screen for a second before I typed out a quick message: I’m heading to the house to pack up my things. I’ll call you when it’s time to make your move.
I hit send and smiled. Time for the real fun to begin.
A cell phone | Source: Pexels
Packing up the house was easier than I thought it would be. I didn’t want much, just a few personal things, mostly items that held memories that weren’t tainted by Mike. The house was too big for just the two of us anyway, and it always felt more like his house than mine.
I was taping up the last box when I picked up the phone to make the call. My mom, Barbara, answered on the second ring.
“Hey,” I said, keeping my voice light. “It’s time.”
A woman making a phone call | Source: Midjourney
There was a pause, and then Mom’s familiar, no-nonsense tone came through. “Finally. I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
Mom couldn’t stand Mike. She saw right through his flashy facade the day I introduced them. But the best part? She had helped us buy this house. She was the reason Mike thought he had scored such a great deal on it, and now she was going to be the reason he lost it.
I hung up, feeling a strange sense of relief as I looked around. I was done pretending.
A woman holding her phone | Source: Midjourney
The next morning, I was making breakfast in my new little apartment when my phone rang. I smirked as Mike’s name flashed across the screen.
“Hello?” I answered sweetly.
“You set me up!” Mike’s voice was furious, practically frothing at the mouth.
I put the phone on speaker, grabbing a piece of toast as I leaned against the counter. “I’m sorry, what are you talking about?”
A slice of toast | Source: Midjourney
“Your mother!” he spat. “She’s… she’s in my house! She’s taken over everything!”
“Oh, right,” I said, biting into my toast. “Remember that agreement we signed when she gave us the down payment? The one that lets her live there whenever she wants, for as long as she wants?”
There was a long pause, and I could practically hear the gears turning in his brain. I could imagine the look on his face, realization dawning.
A woman speaking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
He had signed that paper years ago, too blinded by the allure of a fancy house to even think twice about the fine print.
“You! You cheated me! This isn’t over. I’m getting my lawyers—”
Before he could finish, I heard Mom’s voice in the background, sharp and cutting through the phone. “Michael, you better get your feet off that coffee table! And stop hogging the remote!”
There was a muffled sound as if Mike had turned away from the phone, trying to whisper. “Barbara, this is my house—”
A smiling woman on a phone call | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, hush,” Mom interrupted, louder now. “It’s my house just as much as yours. And another thing, what’s with all these cheap snacks? Do you know how to grocery shop? I’m not living off frozen dinners!”
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Mike mumbled something incoherent, his frustration barely contained, but before he could get another word in, I heard her again.
“And turn down that TV! You think I want to listen to that nonsense all day? If you’re going to watch those ridiculous car shows, at least mute it!”
A woman smiling | Source: Midjourney
There was a loud crash, followed by some more muttering, and then the phone clicked off abruptly. I took a deep breath, smiling as I sat down at the table.
Freedom never tasted so sweet.
Here’s another story: When I overheard my husband advising his friend to deliberately botch household chores, I felt a surge of anger. That moment marked the beginning of a transformation in our marriage, one where I decided to confront his weaponized incompetence by treating him like the child he was pretending to be.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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