On that fateful day three years ago, one minute, Michael and I were having dinner, laughing over a joke he made about my terrible cooking, and the next, he was clutching his chest, his face twisted in agony!
I called 911, my hands shaking so badly I almost dropped the phone! But by the time the ambulance arrived, it was too late. Losing him shattered me.
I walked around in a fog for months, unable to comprehend how my life had flipped upside down in an instant. Little did I know, it was about to become worse.
A sad woman | Source: Midjourney
One moment, I had a loving husband, a home filled with warmth and laughter, and the next, I was just… alone. Eventually, I tried to move forward. I wasn’t looking for love right away, but I also knew Michael would have wanted me to be happy.
He was always the kind of man who thought life was too short to dwell in sadness. So, after some time, I allowed myself to start dating again. I wasn’t expecting to find anything serious so soon, but then I met Ryan.
A handsome man | Source: Midjourney
Ryan was charming, confident, and he made me feel alive again! He was spontaneous in a way Michael never had been, always whisking me away on weekend trips, surprising me with little gifts, and making even the dullest moments exciting.
I was surprised when he proposed after just three months of dating! And despite my hesitation, I told myself that maybe love didn’t have to follow a timeline, so I happily accepted.
A woman’s hand showing off her engagement ring | Source: Midjourney
But barely five months into our marriage, I started noticing strange things. Ryan was suddenly more secretive with his phone, always stepping out to take calls and keeping it face down on the table.
He worked late more often, and when he came home, he smelled faintly of a perfume I didn’t wear. I tried to push away my suspicions, telling myself I was just being paranoid.
But then the photos arrived.
A plain envelope on a doorstep | Source: Midjourney
They came in a plain, unmarked envelope. Inside were crisp, clear images of Ryan in a dimly lit restaurant, his hand resting intimately on a blonde woman’s thigh. In one photo, they were laughing together, her fingers trailing along his jaw in a way that was far too familiar.
I was confused about where the images came from, but couldn’t deny what I saw, so I confronted him that night. He didn’t even try to deny it.
“Look, I didn’t plan for this to happen,” my husband said, running a hand through his hair. “But you’ve been so distant, always comparing me to Michael—”
An upset man | Source: Midjourney
“I never compared you to him!” I snapped, my hands trembling.
Ryan sighed, as if this was something that had simply happened to him rather than something he had done. “I just think we rushed into this, and maybe we should call it quits before things get worse.”
I was too numb to argue. We divorced quietly, and I tried to convince myself it was just bad luck. That not all men were like this. Luckily, things moved so quickly I never got a chance to fall in love with him.
Then I met Jason.
Jason was different. He was kind and patient, a school teacher who worked with special needs children. He had the warmest brown eyes and a steady, reassuring presence that made me believe I could trust again.
We took things slow, and when he proposed a few months later, I felt like maybe I was finally moving in the right direction.
But once again, months into our marriage, I received another envelope!
More photos. More proof of betrayal.
Photos of infidelity | Source: Midjourney
This time, my third husband was with a woman I recognized, his “friend” from work, the one he swore was just a colleague. I confronted him immediately, but unlike Ryan, Jason didn’t admit to it right away.
