I’ve been super careful with money for years, always saving every penny, never buying anything nice for myself, just so we can pay the rent for our cute little house. Paul and I would both chip in for it, but he was always the one to actually pay the landlord. I never questioned it because I trusted my husband, I mean, we’ve been together since forever.

Anyway, he was off on this short business trip, and I thought, “He’s doing so much for us, I’ll just take care of the rent this month and surprise him.” So I go to the bank, tell the teller I need to pay the rent and give them the account number Paul had written down in his notepad for our landlord.

For illustrative purposes only.
The teller looks it up and says, “Yeah, this account gets the payments every month.” But then, MY STOMACH DROPS AND I GO PALE as she says, “This account belongs to Mrs. Helen Parker.”

“Helen Parker? Are you sure that’s what it says?” I exclaimed.
“This is the account that has been receiving money from your account. It’s actually been receiving money for years.”

Helen Parker was Paul’s mother.

“There must be some mistake, surely,” I said.

“I’m afraid not, ma’am,” she said. “This account has consistently received the monthly payments. Look, I can print it all out for you if you’d like to go through it yourself.”

I nodded. I then left the bank and drove home in a daze.

Once I came home, I went straight to Paul’s study and began rifling through his drawers. I needed answers.

It didn’t take long to find everything I needed. The ownership document for our house was signed and dated years ago, with Paul listed as the sole owner.

At that point, my best friend Jessica called me. “Are you okay? Why didn’t you come back to the office?”

Quickly, I caught her up on the drama.

“Did Paul take his laptop?” Jessica asked.

“No, actually, he didn’t,” I replied.

“Then go through it! Look for more information!”

I turned on his laptop and found messages exchanged between Paul and his mother.

The messages detailed the two’s plan, discussing how they would keep me in the dark and ensure I continued to pay rent, funneling my money straight to her.

For illustrative purposes only.
The full weight of the betrayal settled on me, but karma arrived with no delay.
That evening, a violent storm swept through our town, leaving floods behind. By the next morning, water started seeping through the ceiling, and within minutes, my whole house was flooded.

I took my belongings and went to a hotel. Jessica told me to come to her place. ut I refused.

“I don’t plan on staying in the house long, so I’ll be here for a while. When Paul returns home, I’ll go to the house and get the last of my things.”, I said.

On the day that Paul was scheduled to come home, I went over to the house and worked my way through the things that were not damaged by the flooding.

“Emma, are you okay?” he asked as he stepped into the house. “What happened here?”

I turned to him, my eyes cold.

“I’m fine. But the house isn’t. The ceiling doesn’t look too good in some places. But it’s a good thing that’s not our house, right? The landlord’s insurance can cover it.”

My husband isn’t stupid so he was able to pick up on my sarcasm easily.

Paul paled, realizing that he was trapped.
“Emma, I can explain,” he said.

“Don’t bother,” I interrupted. “I found the bank records, the ownership documents, and your messages to Helen. I know everything.”

Paul’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

“How could you do that to me?” I asked quietly. “Especially after knowing that I wanted to do things for myself. I wanted us to go on trips together and make memories. But all this time, I was just using my hard-earned money to take care of your mother?”

For illustrative purposes only.
“What do you want me to tell you? That she’s old and needs it?” Paul asked.

“We both know that’s not the case,” I retorted. “Your father left everything to her. She’s doing fine. And in any case, it’s not that I wouldn’t have wanted to help Helen if I knew. It’s the fact that you’ve been lying for years.”

“Just wait,” Paul said. “I’m sure that we can work through this.”

“No, we cannot,” I replied. “You’ve been using me for years and I’m finally done with all of this.”

I went back to the hotel where Jessica promised to come over and spend the evening with me.

The next morning, I consulted a lawyer and fought to reclaim the money that I had unknowingly handed over to Helen.

In the end, the court ruled in my favor, ordering Paul and his mother to repay every cent I had given them over the years.

I got myself a little apartment, someplace that I could easily lock up and leave when it was time for a getaway.

After the money was settled, I filed for a divorce, and left Paul in the past with his mother.