When Sarah gets home from the usual errands with her kids, the last thing she expects is to hear her husband spilling his true feelings about her \u2014 that she is just a means to an end in his life. But Sarah isn\u2019t about to let Ethan get away with his callous behavior. Instead, she decides to teach him a lesson.They say marriage is built on love, trust, and respect. I thought I had all three with Ethan. For seven years, we shared a home, two kids, and what I thought was a good life.Sure, there were the rough patches that popped up every now and again. But honestly, what marriage doesn\u2019t have those? We always found our way back to each other. Or so I thought.\n\n\n\n

It started like any other day. I picked up the kids, juggling their boundless energy with the chaos of school bags and snack wrappers. When we got home, I sent them upstairs to play and headed inside to get a moment of peace before dinner prep began.\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when I heard it. Ethan\u2019s voice, clear as day, drifting out of the living room.\n\n\n\n

At first, I didn\u2019t think much of it. He had a couple of his coworkers over, so I figured they were just chatting. But as I walked closer, I caught a snippet of his conversation.\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake a page from my book, guys,\u201d Ethan said, his tone dripping with confidence. \u201cI got it all figured out. I took the ugly wife for the housework and raising the kids, and I take the pretty ones on vacation. I know what I\u2019m doing!\u201d\n\n\n\n

My breath hitched, and I felt the grocery bag slip from my hand. My heart pounded, and the blood rushed to my ears as my husband kept talking, oblivious to my presence.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI mean, come on. Sarah doesn\u2019t even realize it. She thinks I\u2019m some kind of saint. Meanwhile, I\u2019ve got the house, the car, and everything handed to me on a silver platter. And the best part? She\u2019s just happy to keep everything running while I have my fun.\u201d\n\n\n\n

My husband, the man I\u2019d trusted with my life, was bragging about how he was using me.\n\n\n\n

\u201cWow, Ethan,\u201d one of his coworkers said, laughing nervously. \u201cYou\u2019re, uh, really living the dream.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know, right?\u201d Ethan replied, his voice full of disgustingly smug pride. \u201cIt\u2019s all about playing your cards right. It\u2019s easy, guys. I\u2019ll coach you. Ugly wife in the left hand, pretty wife in the right.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I wanted to scream, to storm into the room and demand answers. But I didn\u2019t. Instead, I stepped back quietly and slipped upstairs, ready to get into the shower and wash away the slimy feeling that had taken over me.\n\n\n\n

That night, Ethan acted like nothing had happened. He came into the kitchen and helped me cook the salmon and broccoli, a dish that the kids loved. He even kissed me on the cheek, asked about my day, and helped put the kids to bed.\n\n\n\n

It was almost comical how oblivious he was to the storm brewing inside me.\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d he asked later when I was making mugs of hot chocolate for the kids. Finally, he seemed to realize that I was quieter than usual.\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, don\u2019t overdo it,\u201d he said, patting my shoulder like he was doing me a favor.\n\n\n\n

The next morning, I got up early, my mind racing. Ethan left for work with his usual kiss on the cheek, and I plastered on a smile as he walked out the door.\n\n\n\n

As soon as he was gone, I started planning. I wasn\u2019t just angry. I was determined.\n\n\n\n

By mid-afternoon, I had everything I needed: photos of Ethan with his \u201cpretty ones,\u201d screenshots of flirty messages, and a few financial records that painted a very clear picture of his double life.\n\n\n\n

I sat there with my laptop, feeling like how I felt at university when I was putting an assignment together. The same looming anxiety because of a deadline. The same dread as I put things together. Like everything was riding on this. And if I\u2019m being honest\u2026 everything was.\n\n\n\n

I had no idea how long this had been going on for, but what I wanted was to make Ethan feel pain.\n\n\n\n

I wanted to embarrass him and break his heart. I wanted him to understand how humiliating his words were. I wanted him to grow up and realize that he wasn\u2019t behaving like the man worthy of a wife and children, unworthy of the life we had built.\n\n\n\n

When he came home that evening, he had no idea what was waiting for him. I hadn\u2019t bothered to cook for him. Instead, I had taken the kids to get Chinese food and dropped them off at my mother\u2019s.\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, babe,\u201d he said, flashing his usual smug smile. \u201cHow was your day?\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, just the usual,\u201d I replied casually. \u201cBut I did get something special for you.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpecial? What\u2019s the occasion? I\u2019m the luckiest man alive, aren\u2019t I? What\u2019s for dinner?\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just felt like treating you,\u201d I said with a sweet smile. \u201cCome to the living room. I\u2019ll show you.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cSit, honey,\u201d I said, gesturing for him to sit in the chair I\u2019d placed in front of the TV. I\u2019d even left a bowl of pretzels and a can of beer on the coffee table for him.\n\n\n\n

At first, Ethan didn\u2019t understand what he was seeing. The first few photos were harmless enough\u2014scenic shots from vacations he\u2019d taken under the guise of \u201cbusiness trips.\u201d\n\n\n\n

There he was, arm in arm with a woman I recognized from his Facebook friends list. Then another photo of him laughing with a different woman, drinks in hand.\n\n\n\n

\u201cHush, honey,\u201d I said. \u201cKeep watching. Enjoy the show.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere did you get these?\u201d he demanded, his smugness replaced by panic.\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not exactly subtle, Ethan,\u201d I replied. \u201cBut that\u2019s not the point. The point is, I\u2019ve put up with a lot over the years. And I\u2019ve ignored all the red flags, much to my mother\u2019s dismay. I\u2019ve ignored every stupid excuse. But this? Bragging to your friends about how you\u2019re using me? That\u2019s a new low, even for you.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cSarah, please, let\u2019s talk about this, honey,\u201d he pleaded, his hands actually trembling.\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, we\u2019re going to talk,\u201d I said, stepping closer. \u201cBut first, let me introduce you to someone.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis,\u201d I said calmly. \u201cThis is the beginning of the end, Ethan.\u201d\n\n\n\n

Ethan would lose the house, which was my parents\u2019 wedding present to us. He\u2019d lose the car, which was in my name. And most of his paycheck would go toward child support.\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t do this, Sarah!\u201d Ethan shouted, his face turning red.\n\n\n\n

\u201cActually, I can,\u201d I replied. \u201cYou made your choices, Ethan. Now you get to live with them.\u201d\n\n\n\n

The next day, Ethan packed his things and moved out. He planned on couch surfing until things \u201csettled for him.\u201d\n\n\n\n

At first, he tried to win me back with apologies and promises. He swore that he would change and that he\u2019d been \u201cstupid\u201d and \u201cselfish.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cI gave you everything,\u201d I told him during one of his desperate calls. \u201cBut you threw it away. This is on you.\u201d\n\n\n\n

The kids and I are doing fine. They\u2019ll ask about Ethan occasionally, and they do get excited when I take them to meet him. But at the end of the day, we\u2019re better off this way.\n\n\n\n

Months later, I heard through a mutual friend that Ethan was struggling.\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s still crashing on Joshua\u2019s couch,\u201d she said. \u201cApparently, he can barely keep up with his expenses.\u201d\n\n\n\n

And it turned out that his \u201cpretty ones\u201d had all disappeared, leaving him alone to face the mess he\u2019d made.\n\n\n\n

I was thriving. Between work and all my free time, I started taking time off for myself. I rediscovered my love for embroidery, which is something I did with my grandmother when I was a child. And I even went on a few dates.\n\n\n\n

But the best part? Seeing my kids smile, knowing that they were growing up in a home filled with love and respect.\n\n\n\n

Ethan thought he\u2019d broken me. He thought he could take and take without consequences. But in the end, the only thing he broke was himself.\n\n\n\n

My Husband Left Me and Our Toddler in Economy Class and Went to Business Himself \u2013 He Regretted It So Much in
When Claire, John, and their son, Ethan, board a flight to John\u2019s parents, John mysteriously disappears to Business Class, leaving Claire to tackle the flight with the baby alone. But when they get to their destination, Claire\u2019s father-in-law teaches John a lesson that he won\u2019t forget.\n\n\n\n

About a week ago, my father-in-law really showed my husband that despite being married and having a son, he still had a lot to learn.\n\n\n\n

My husband, John, and I were gearing up for the long-awaited trip to his parents with our energetic two-year-old son, Ethan. John had been particularly stressed with work and kept going on about how much he needed a break.\n\n\n\n

\u201cClaire, I can\u2019t wait to finally relax,\u201d John said as we packed our bags. \u201cI just need some peace and quiet, you know?\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know, John. We all need a break. But it\u2019ll be fun for Ethan to see his grandparents and be spoilt with their love for a bit.\u201d\n\n\n\n

At the airport, I was busy wrangling our toddler and managing the luggage while still trying to open a container of applesauce for Ethan. John mysteriously vanished.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"