I came home early that day, exhausted from work, only to stop dead in my tracks when I heard Ethan’s voice drifting from the living room. He was on the phone with two of his coworkers, speaking loudly enough for me to hear every word.
“Take a page from my book, guys,” Ethan said, his tone smug. “I’ve got it all figured out. I keep the regular wife for the housework and kids, and I take the pretty ones on vacation without her knowing it. Got a house and car from her parents, and now I’m just living the good life.”
My stomach turned, and my fists clenched at my sides. *The regular wife?* The audacity of it all! I couldn’t believe the man I had shared my life with for the past eight years was capable of such betrayal.
I wanted to burst into the room and confront him right then and there, but something in me held back. Instead, I crept upstairs, my heart pounding, and waited for him to leave for his evening workout. Once the door slammed shut, I sat on the bed, fuming.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. His words kept echoing in my head, fueling my anger. By the time morning came, I had devised the perfect plan to give Ethan a taste of his own medicine.
The next evening, I waited in the living room, my heart racing in anticipation. But I wasn’t alone. Sitting beside me on the couch were two people Ethan never expected to see in his own home: his boss, Mr. Gregory, and my divorce lawyer, Maria.
When Ethan walked in, his usual smug expression froze as he took in the scene. His eyes darted between me, Mr. Gregory, and Maria, confusion and panic etched across his face.
“Uh… what’s going on?” he stammered.
I stood up, my arms crossed. “Oh, nothing much,” I said coolly. “Just a little surprise. You know how you’re always telling your coworkers to take a page from your book? Well, I thought it was time someone else took a look at that book.”
Ethan paled as I pressed play on my phone, and the recording of his conversation from the day before filled the room. His boss’s jaw tightened with every smug word Ethan had said.
“I’ve got the regular wife for the housework and kids…”
“…got a house and car from her parents…”
“…living the good life.”
By the time the recording ended, Ethan looked like he was about to collapse.
“Ethan,” Mr. Gregory said, his tone icy, “I’ve never been more disappointed in someone in my entire career. Taking advantage of your wife like this? Using your position at work to brag about it? Consider this your last day at the company.”
Ethan’s head whipped toward me, his eyes wide with desperation. “Wait! Honey, I can explain—”
“Oh, you’ll have plenty of time to explain,” I cut him off, holding up a stack of papers. “To the divorce court. Maria’s already drawn up the papers, and by the way? That house and car you love so much? My parents paid for them, so good luck keeping them.”
Ethan sputtered, trying to form words, but I didn’t wait to hear them. I turned to Maria and Mr. Gregory, thanking them for their support, and then walked out the door, leaving Ethan to face the fallout of his actions.
As I drove away, a weight lifted off my shoulders. I had spent years being his so-called “regular wife,” but that chapter of my life was over. It was time to start a new one—on my terms.
