Henry’s world shattered when he saw four chilling words scrawled across his car: “Hope She Was Worth It.” His pregnant wife, Emily, is devastated, and no matter how much he swears he never cheated, doubt creeps in. But the truth? It’s far worse than betrayal… because someone close to him wants to tear his life apart.
I should feel relieved. But I feel heavy and betrayed.
Emily is in my arms again, sobbing into my chest, clinging to me like she’s afraid I’ll disappear. Her voice is muffled against my shirt, but I can hear her words.
An upset woman standing in a living room | Source: Midjourney
“I’m sorry, Henry. I didn’t want to believe it, but I just… I didn’t know what to think.”
And I can’t blame her.
Because when you see something like that, something bold, cruel, and impossible to ignore, it plants a seed of doubt. And doubt is like rot.
It spreads, warping everything until you can’t tell what’s real anymore.
A pensive man | Source: Midjourney
I hold my wife tighter.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault, Emily.”
But someone is to blame.
And she’s standing right in front of us.
Claire shifts uncomfortably under Emily’s teary, piercing gaze. Her arms are crossed, her expression is unreadable, but I can see it in her eyes.
A woman standing in a living room | Source: Midjourney
She regrets this.
Maybe not entirely, maybe not in the way she should, but she knows she has crossed a line.
“Tell her,” I say, my voice firm.
Claire sighs like this is an inconvenience to her, like she’s doing me a favor. Then, finally, she confesses.
She tells Emily everything.
A woman with a hand on her head | Source: Midjourney
About how she wrote the message on my car. How she wanted to drive Emily away. How she thought she was doing me a favor. Because I once said, months ago, that I was scared about becoming a father.
“I’m just scared… we didn’t have the best example growing up,” I said. “I wonder if I’m going to be like him, you know?”
I didn’t think that Claire was going to take my words and twist them into her own reality.
Emily listens, silent.
Her face shifts from confusion to shock to something that makes my stomach twist.
A man sitting in a car | Source: Midjourney
Hurt.
Then, finally, she turns to me, tears pooling in her eyes.
“You really didn’t cheat, Henry?” Her voice is barely above a whisper.
“Never,” I say immediately. “Not once, not ever. I love you, Emily. I love our baby. I love our life together. Claire blindsided me with this just like she did you.”
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
The weight of it all crashes over her, and she hugs her belly tightly. Emily almost walked away from me. She almost believed it.
That Claire, my own sister, tried to break us apart.
Earlier
The last thing I expected when leaving the doctor’s office was to see my life falling apart in real time.
The exterior of a doctor’s office | Source: Midjourney
Emily and I had just heard our baby’s heartbeat for the first time. I was still riding that high, unable to believe that we had created this little human being.
We were floating as we walked hand in hand to the parking lot, my mind already racing ahead to baby names, nursery colors, and what life would be like when our little one finally arrived.
Then I saw my car, and my entire world crashed.
A happy couple | Source: Midjourney
Four words were scrawled across the driver’s side door in bold letters.
Hope She Was Worth It.
I stopped in my tracks, looking at the spray paint ruining my car.
“What the hell is that?” The words barely made it past my lips.
A message on a car | Source: Flickr
My wife stopped beside me. Her fingers instinctively hovered over her belly, like she was shielding our baby from whatever this was. I heard her sharp inhale, and I felt the way her grip loosened from mine.
Then, she spoke.
“Did you…?”
She didn’t even finish the question. She didn’t have to.
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
I whipped around to face her, my pulse hammering.
“No! Absolutely not! I have never cheated, Emily! I have never, ever cheated on you…”
She didn’t answer. She just stared at the words on the car, then back at me.
And I understood why.
A pensive man | Source: Midjourney
Because there it was.
The accusation. Painted right there, loud and undeniable. Someone, somewhere, thought I had done something terrible. And Emily, my wife, the woman who had always trusted me, always believed in me, was now caught between me and the evidence in front of her.
“It wasn’t me,” I pleaded, stepping toward her. “I swear to you, my love, I have no idea who did this or why.”
Emily exhaled shakily.
A close up of a man | Source: Midjourney
“I… I didn’t write it,” she said, her voice cracking on the last word.
And my God, that broke me.
Because I know what she was really saying. That if she didn’t do it, then who did? And why?
She wasn’t accusing me, not yet, but doubt had crept in. The same doubt that I knew would be impossible to shake until she had an answer. I knew that my wife’s imagination was running wild. She was probably thinking that that I had a beautiful woman on the side. Someone that I went to when I wasn’t with her.
A woman in a red dress | Source: Midjourney
“I need time to think, Henry,” she said.
“Emily, please…”
“I need to clear my head,” she cut in, her voice trembling.
She pulled out her phone and called her mom, quickly telling her that she needed to be picked up.
A woman using her phone | Source: Midjourney
About ten minutes later, I watched as Emily climbed into the passenger seat of her mother’s car, wiping at her cheeks.
And just like that, she was gone.
I stood there, alone in the parking lot, with nothing but the letters branding me a liar and a thousand unanswered questions.
A man standing in a parking lot | Source: Midjourney
That night, I stood in my driveway with a bucket of water, scrubbing furiously at the hateful message.
I should have been inside with Emily, celebrating our baby’s first milestone, or our first milestone as parents-to-be.
Instead, I was alone, trying to erase the damage someone had done, not just to my car, but to my marriage.
My arms ached from scrubbing, but the paint had absorbed the ink. The words wouldn’t budge.
A bucket of soapy water | Source: Midjourney
Just like they wouldn’t leave Emily’s mind.
Because as much as my wife loved me, as much as she wanted to believe me, someone had planted doubt inside her. And doubt, once it takes root, doesn’t just go away.
Was it possible that my car had been mistaken for someone else’s? Maybe it had been a part of someone else’s revenge plan?
I was so lost in thought that I almost didn’t hear the footsteps approaching.
A man kneeling in front of a car | Source: Midjourney
But then…
“Don’t bother thanking me,” a voice said from behind me. “You’re welcome.”
I froze.
I knew that voice.
I turned around, my breath caught in my throat, and there she was.
Claire. My sister.
She stood there, eating an ice cream like everything was right in the world. She was smug as hell.
A woman eating an ice cream | Source: Midjourney
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, my voice dangerously low.
She shrugged.
“I wrote it. Duh.”
I blinked.
The words didn’t register at first.
“You… what?” I dropped the sponge I was using into the bucket.
A sponge in a bucket | Source: Midjourney
Claire tilted her head, like I was the dumb one here.
“I wrote it. You’re too chicken to deal with this baby, so I figured I’d help you out. If Emily thinks that you cheated, she’ll leave. Problem solved.”
The world tilted.
“You really think you helped me?” I hissed, stepping toward her.
She rolled her eyes.
A woman with her hand on her hip | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, come on. You’ve been freaking out about this kid for ages now. At Thanksgiving, you went on and on about how you weren’t ready. Don’t you remember? We were at the bakery getting the last-minute pies. You were going on about how money was tight. About how stressed you were. I just… made things easier for you.”
I was shaking.
“That was venting, Claire! It was normal stress! That didn’t mean I wanted out! And… am I not supposed to talk to my sister about these things? I should have known better.”
Pies in a bakery | Source: Midjourney
“Well, how was I supposed to know that?” she shot back. “You should’ve been clearer.”
I almost laughed out loud. Except that nothing about this was funny.
“This isn’t like when you ‘helped me out’ in college,” I snapped, kicking the bucket. “This isn’t like when you told my ex-girlfriend that I was flirting with other girls just so I’d break up with her. She cried for days. This is my wife. This is my child. And you…”
I pointed to the car.
A woman sitting on a bench and crying | Source: Midjourney
“You just ruined my marriage. You just burned my marriage to the ground, Claire! And for what? What did you get out of this?”
Claire actually had the audacity to look bored.
“You’re being dramatic. Emily’s overreacting. It’s just a little lie.”
A little lie?
My breath was uneven. My hands trembled.
An angry man | Source: Midjourney
“You’re going to fix this.”
Claire scoffed.
“Oh, yeah? And how do you suppose I do that?”
I gritted my teeth.
“Get in the car! You’re going to tell Emily the truth. Right now.”
A man standing in front of a car | Source: Midjourney
When we got to Emily’s parents’ house, I was armed with a bouquet of flowers and a chocolate cake. It had been her constant craving for the past week, and I hoped that it would make her smile.
She was hesitant to let me inside.
I could see it in her eyes. The uncertainty. The hurt. It was all there.
“I just need you to listen, my love,” I begged. “Please.”
A bouquet of flowers and a chocolate cake in a car | Source: Midjourney
After a long pause, she opened the door.
Claire shuffled in behind me, suddenly not so smug anymore.
“What’s going on?” Emily asked, arms crossed.
“Tell her,” I turned to my sister. “Now.”
A woman standing in a doorway | Source: Midjourney
Claire hesitated, glancing at me like she wasn’t sure anymore if this was a good idea. But I wasn’t letting her back out.
“Tell her.”
With a sigh, Claire admitted everything. And when she was finished, Emily turned to me and grabbed my waist.
My wife turned to Claire, her expression unreadable.
A woman with her hands on her hips | Source: Midjourney
“You owe me an apology, Claire,” she said. “This was despicable behavior. I can’t believe that you’d do something as horrible as this. If it was such a big deal, and you were genuinely worried about Henry, why didn’t you just come to me? You could have told me what he said and that you thought he wanted out.”
Claire shifted, clearly uncomfortable.
If I’m being honest, I could barely look at my sister. Something had changed in me. She wasn’t the person that I loved a few hours ago. Now?
An upset man | Source: Midjourney
Now she was a horrible woman who had tried to end my marriage based on a conversation we had a long time ago. A conversation that had been in passing. A conversation that had never gone any further than that moment.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Emily. And Henry, I was wrong. I didn’t think it would go this far. I just thought that you two would be forced to have a conversation and that he would tell you the truth.”
“But that isn’t the truth,” Emily said. “It was just your assumption.”
A frowning woman standing in a living room | Source: Midjourney
Claire looked to Emily as though she would say something else. Anything to make it seem as though forgiveness was in sight. But Emily didn’t say much else to her. And I could tell that she was done with Claire.
For a long time, maybe. Or maybe even forever.
And honestly? So was I.
I couldn’t imagine Claire being around my child. I couldn’t imagine what she would be whispering to my child or how she’d treat that baby.
No, we were better off without her.
A new born baby | Source: Midjourney
Over the next few weeks, Emily and I worked through everything. It wasn’t easy breaking through the doubt that had crept in, but we came out stronger.
As for Claire?
Well, she’s on thin ice as far as family is concerned.
I made it clear that she’s not welcome around us unless she gets her act together.
A smiling woman sitting in a rocking chair | Source: Midjourney
In the end, I learned two things:
Never let anyone’s drama mess with your marriage.
Be careful who you vent to.
Because some people don’t want to help you. Some people just want to watch you burn.
A man sitting on a porch | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
If you’ve enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |
When Ally hears that her daughter died, the heavy haze of grief takes over her until one evening when her son, Ben, admits that his sister waves at him from across the road each night. Is Emily still around, or is something spooky at hand?
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 Kids Listed My House on Airbnb While I Was in the Hospital — I Found a Way to Teach Them a Lesson
Mariah had been feeling less than healthy lately, causing her to admit herself to the hospital so that she could have a check-up. But in her absence, her children decided to rent out her house as an Airbnb, ready to pocket the money for themselves. When Mariah found out, she decided to teach her children a lesson.
“Mariah,” my friend Liz said on the phone, “why on earth is your house listed as an Airbnb?”
A phone opened to an Airbnb app | Source: Pexels
“What?” I asked, completely confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Denise was looking for a house to rent for the weekend because it’s her bachelorette weekend, and she came across your house. Aren’t you still in the hospital?” she asked.
A group of women | Source: Midjourney
“Liz, I truly have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, looking at the IV drip away into my bloodstream. “Send me the link to the site Denise saw.”
This is how I taught my children a valuable lesson:
Recently, my blood pressure had been all over the place, causing me to faint at odd moments.
A close-up of an IV | Source: Midjourney
“Mom,” my son, Liam, said, “you need to get it checked out. There’s no point in going to the pharmacy and getting medication over the counter just because you think it’s going to help. You need to get everything assessed properly.”
“And you need to start eating better,” Leah, my daughter, said. “Having oats in the morning, toast during the day, and soup at night isn’t a balanced diet. You’re playing with your health. It’s time to take things seriously.”
A counter at a pharmacy | Source: Midjourney
Leah moved around my kitchen, slicing vegetables to make a salad to go along with the grilled chicken she had been marinating.
“And what about your constant headaches? It’s time to get everything checked out. You should go into the hospital and do a full check-up,” Liam said.
A plate of grilled chicken and salad | Source: Midjourney
“But I feel fine, other than the headaches and dizziness; I’m good!” I retorted.
Both my kids snorted and rolled their eyes at me.
“Do it, Mom,” Leah said, pointing her finger at me.
A young woman pointing and smiling | Source: Midjourney
I had to agree with them. I had been downplaying my health lately. I still walked every second day and did as much yoga as my body would allow during the week.
But still, there was a nagging feeling that something could be wrong.
Women at a yoga class | Source: Midjourney
“Just go to silence that feeling,” Liz said when we met for smoothies after our yoga class one day.
“But what if we find something?” I asked, suddenly nervous to be speaking my thoughts out loud.
“Then, we’ll deal with it together. I know that Paul isn’t here anymore, but I’m here,” Liz said. “And anyway, we need you up and running for Denise’s wedding. I don’t know how to do the mother-of-the-bride things.”
A close-up of smoothies | Source: Midjourney
“I’ll go to the GP and take it from there,” I said. “If he thinks that it’s the way to go, then I’ll do just that.”
“Yes, Mariah,” the doctor said. “I think it’s a great idea for you to go for a full-body check-up. There’s nothing wrong with just knowing your health and body. And I’ll recommend a CT scan for your headaches, too.”
A doctor putting on gloves | Source: Pexels
Which is how I ended up at the hospital, and how my children chose to take advantage of the situation.
“I’ll bring your lunch soon,” the nurse said, smiling at me. “You just rest after your CT scan.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m just going to call my best friend and catch up with her.”
A smiling nurse holding a clipboard | Source: Midjourney
Catching up with Liz meant that hearing that my children had let my house out as an Airbnb for the week that I was scheduled to be in the hospital.
“So, what are you going to do about it?” Liz asked me when I called her back after I confirmed that it was my house on the site.
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I want to teach them a lesson. Leah and Liam should have known better. But Leah and her husband are always looking for ways to make extra money. I’m sure that Andrew has a gambling problem, too.”
“Tell me what you want me to do,” Liz said, chewing something into my ear.
A couple playing poker | Source: Pexels
“I want you to tell Denise to book it,” I said. “But they’ll recognize that it’s her, so she’s probably going to need to create a new account. Do you think she’ll be okay with that?”
“Of course, she will!” Liz said. “Anything for you. But then what?”
“I’m getting discharged tomorrow,” I said. “But the kids think that I’ll be here until the end of the week. So, let them think that they’re going to make some money off the place.”
A close-up of a woman’s IV and hospital band | Source: Midjourney
“You want Denise to rent the place, but you want to mess it up?” Liz chuckled. “That’s devious.”
“No, my children are devious,” I said.
I hung up the call, and the nurse brought my lunch to me, ready to leave me alone to eat while she did her rounds.
A tray of hospital food | Source: Midjourney
If I was being honest, I didn’t know how I felt about my children’s betrayal. But it hurt me to imagine that while I had been away at the hospital, my children were perfectly fine with having strangers take over my home.
“What were they thinking?” I asked myself.
They hadn’t given a second thought to people using the mugs I had hand-painted, or people sitting in their father’s worn armchair. Paul has been deceased for a few years now, but it still felt like his chair.
An armchair in a living room | Source: Midjourney
“No,” I said to myself. “I’m going to get back at these kids.”
The next morning, I was discharged with a clean bill of health, despite warnings to keep my stress down.
“And keep an eye on your cholesterol, Mariah,” my doctor said. “Eat lots of green leafy vegetables.”
Leafy vegetables on a countertop | Source: Midjourney
I drove myself to Liz’s house, where I was going to wait for Denise to meet me with the keys to my house.
“Are you sure about this?” Liz asked, making me a cup of tea and buttering a lemon and poppy seed muffin.
“Yes,” I said. “And this way, they’ll truly have to feel accountable for their actions.”
A cup of tea with a muffin | Source: Midjourney
I went home a few hours later. There was something different about the house. The smell was different, and I knew for sure that someone else had been staying there.
There was a sweet perfume scent that took over my usual woody-scented house.
I had a long shower, ready to wash away the scent of the hospital that clung to my skin. I was ready for a long sleep in my own bed.
A comfortable bed | Source: Midjourney
For tomorrow, the fun began.
The next morning, I made myself some breakfast and dutifully took the array of vitamins and supplements that the doctor had given me.
Then, I began to pack away all of my appliances.
Appliances in the trunk of a car | Source: Midjourney
“Where are you going to put everything?” Liz asked me when she came over.
“I’m going to put some into the trunk of my car, and we can hide the rest in the garage for now,” I said.
Together, Liz and I emptied out the house, leaving only the old toaster behind.
“Come on,” Liz said, linking her arm in mine. “Let’s get you out of here.”
An old toaster in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
I waited until Friday, staying with Liz. And then I drove myself home that afternoon.
“Hi Mom!” Leah said excitedly when she saw me pull into the driveway.
“Hi, honey,” I said, taking out my bag from the backseat.
We walked into the house, and there were entirely new appliances all over my kitchen.
A kitchen with new appliances | Source: Midjourney
“What’s all this?” I asked, pretending to be shocked.
“Liam and I thought that you deserved new things!” Leah said, looking at the floor as she spoke.
“No, you didn’t,” I said. “You came back to my home when your guest was supposed to check out and you found everything gone.”
Leah stared at me with her mouth open.
A shocked young woman | Source: Midjourney
“You know?” she said.
“Of course, I do!” I exclaimed. “I took everything! You needed to be taught a lesson. Why would you let my house out?”
Leah blinked slowly.
“Mom,” she said softly. “I’m so sorry. Andrew and I thought that it would be a good idea because it seemed like a great opportunity to make some extra money. Liam said that it was okay as long as nothing was broken.”
A close-up of a young woman | Source: Midjourney
“Darling,” I said, hugging her. “You can’t do this. If you and Andrew need money, you come and talk to me about it. Don’t do things like this. It’s going to ruin our trust.”
My daughter smiled and took my bag from me.
“Come,” she said. “I’ll make you some tea with the new kettle. I’ll return everything else tomorrow. And the money is all yours.”
A fancy kettle on a countertop | Source: Midjourney
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