The woman was happy in her relationship with her fiancé.
Laura, 37, shared her personal story with us, which may resonate with many people in relationships. She began by mentioning her long-standing relationship with her fiancé, Mike. Laura revealed, «I have been dating Mike, a divorced man with two kids, for five years.»
In her letter, Laura described their relationship as mature, devoid of unnecessary drama and excessive emotions. Both she and Mike knew what they wanted from life and each other, and they worked diligently to maintain a healthy and harmonious partnership.
Although Laura expressed her happiness at the proposal, she admitted that she had never been in love with Mike in the traditional sense. Instead, she had immense respect for him and valued their partnership built on trust and a shared vision for the future. This unique dynamic had always been fulfilling for both of them.
Mike has never betrayed Laura’s trust, up until one day.
Laura continued her story by explaining that Mike had always been transparent about his relationship with his ex-wife. They communicated openly about co-parenting issues, and Laura felt secure about their arrangement. However, everything changed when Mike began coming home late consistently for over two months.
The woman wrote, “Mike started to come home very late. It had lasted for over 2,5 months. He consistently explained that he was dealing with a heavy workload due to a demanding new project. Initially, I trusted his explanation. However, one day, I bumped into one of his coworkers at a grocery store. This coworker had visited our place a couple of times before, so I recognized him and stopped for a brief chat.
During our conversation, I mentioned how challenging the new project must have been for both Mike and him. To my surprise, he revealed that they had actually completed the project a month ago and even celebrated its closure. Since then, Mike and his coworker had been working normally, with no reasons for Mike to stay late at the office. It became clear that Mike had been lying to me about his work schedule.
Before this, Mike had always been open about his relationship with his ex-wife, and we had discussed co-parenting openly. However, his consistent late nights changed everything and made me question our arrangement.”
Laura confronted Mike, but to no avail.
After her conversation with Mike’s colleague, Laura decided to confront Mike directly. She recounted, «I asked him to sit down and talk with me. I let him know that I was aware he wasn’t staying late because of that project. Mike looked me in the eye and admitted that he had been lying to me. However, he claimed it was for the sake of our relationship. He explained that he had taken on extra work to earn more money and wanted to surprise me with a special wedding gift.»
Although Laura had a feeling that Mike might still be lying, she chose to act as if she believed him. She expressed, «Deep down, I sensed he was lying. I didn’t have concrete evidence of cheating or anything similar, but his explanations about the wedding gift and extra work sounded like excuses to me. I couldn’t prove it, so I decided to overlook it for the time being.»
The truth was revealed accidentally, when no one expected it.
Laura continued her narrative, revealing a significant event that shook her trust and perception of Mike’s honesty. She recounted, «On his daughter’s birthday this year, we went to drop her off at his mom’s house. I had never been there before, as Mike’s mom wasn’t known for her hospitality. However, this time was different, much to my surprise. I was invited inside to see the gifts Mike’s daughter received from her mom and grandmother. My heart sank when I noticed that, on all the walls in the house, there were pictures of Mike and his ex-wife taken on their wedding day, as well as other family and baby pictures.»
Laura was overwhelmed, because she hadn’t expected Mike to hold onto memories of his previous marriage so prominently. But then, she noticed one more photo that put her into a huge shock, disappointment and despair. She described, «There was a fresh photo displayed prominently in the hall, dated to the start of Mike’s supposed ’project’ at work. It depicted him and his ex-wife sharing a kiss. It dawned on me that he had been meeting her in secret all this time, carrying on a romantic relationship with her. What’s more, his mom was aware of it and took the initiative to display this photo on the wall.»
Laura concluded her story with a profound realization, stating, «You might wonder why Mike proposed to me if he still harbored deep feelings for his ex-wife. The truth is, Mike and his ex-wife didn’t want to officially remarry, but they retained strong emotions for each other. Essentially, I was expected to play the role of a ’paper wife,’ convenient for Mike while his ex enjoyed the benefits of his genuine feelings and care. I learned all of this directly from Mike after a heated confrontation about the photos.»
She shared that she called off the wedding, a decision that baffled Mike. He couldn’t comprehend why she would end what he viewed as an ideal relationship, unaffected by his affair with his ex. However, Laura came to a poignant realization, confessing, «It dawned on me that I had truly fallen in love with Mike, only to be deeply hurt by his affair and lies. Despite the pain of ending our relationship, I preferred to mourn a lost love than spend a lifetime with a deceitful and unfaithful partner like Mike.»
Truth can come out in ways you least expect. For instance, this woman uncovered her husband’s infidelity thanks to his tattoo.
Preview photo credit Kristyna Squared.one / Unsplash
