![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ezzuye.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/481252216_1194373248748039_7574834767433542315_n.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I was simply cleaning one day.
\nI was dusting off shelves and cleaning out cabinets, nothing dramatic. But then, nestled beneath a stack of forgotten junk, I discovered a note attached to a picture of a woman I\u2019d never met:<\/p>\n
\u201cDear Matt\u2019s Future Girlfriend,<\/p>\n
I know it\u2019s you reading this because he\u2019d never clean back here. I\u2019m putting this here because I\u2019m leaving him soon and want to warn you about him:<\/p>\n
1) He will not clean.<\/p>\n
2) He will not listen.<\/p>\n
3) He will make everything feel like it\u2019s YOUR fault.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not your fault, he\u2019s just an incompetent man. I\u2019m leaving him, I suggest you do the same.<\/p>\n
Best wishes, Teresa.<\/p>\n
(PS: That\u2019s me in the picture & I\u2019m really happy now after breaking up with this unhygienic stinky bomb ;))\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ezzuye.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/istockphoto-174664866-612x612-1-300x200.webp\")
<\/p>\n
For illustrative purposes only.
\nSomething told me she wasn\u2019t lying because Matt was often putting off cleaning. We\u2019d been together for two years and lived together for eight months.<\/p>\n
Dishes sat in the sink until I finally washed them. The trash piled up. And laundry was unfolded.<\/p>\n
When Matt arrived home, I held up the note.
\n\u201cWhat the hell is this?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel, don\u2019t even start. She\u2019s crazy. You have no idea what I went through with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I crossed my arms. \u201cI mean, Matt\u2026 the cleaning thing? It\u2019s not nothing. I hadn\u2019t really put it together until now, but you\u2019ve been doing less and less. And you never cleaned back there. That\u2019s how I found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice rose, making me flinch. \u201cTwo years together, and you\u2019re going to let some bitter ex\u2019s note destroy everything we\u2019ve built?\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ezzuye.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/couple_fighting_about_finances_m-300x200.webp\")
<\/p>\n
For illustrative purposes only.
\n\u201cI pay half the rent, don\u2019t I? I buy groceries sometimes. What more do you want from me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want a partner! Not someone I have to mother!\u201d<\/p>\n
When I departed to stay at a friend\u2019s apartment that night, his last text read:<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry you felt like you had to leave. But seriously, Rachel? You\u2019re choosing a note over our relationship? Over me? Over our pets?\u201d<\/p>\n
The next morning, I returned and attempted to reason again.
\nI aimed to be fair and logical. I even kept a tally of all the times I had to remind him to clean up after himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re being ridiculous. This isn\u2019t you, Rachel. This isn\u2019t us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe this is exactly who I am,\u201d I whispered, my voice stronger than I felt. \u201cMaybe I\u2019m finally seeing clearly for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ezzuye.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/istockphoto-1388645996-612x612-1-300x200.webp\")
\nFor illustrative purposes only.
\nHis eyes sparkled with something unreadable, which I did not like. But after a long, anxious beat, he stepped back. That was the moment I realized I was over.<\/p>\n
I contacted my brother and asked him to meet me at the flat after Matt went to work. I needed help while I collected my belongings.<\/p>\n
While I was packing, I tucked in my own note just next to Teresa\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cDear Matt,<\/p>\n
Clean your dirty house.<\/p>\n
Best wishes,<\/p>\n
Rachel.\u201d<\/p>\n
That night, I lay awake in my friend\u2019s guest room with the ceiling fan whirring above me.
\nMy thoughts would not shut off. Who was Teresa? What was her actual relationship with Matt like?<\/p>\n
It took some searching, but I discovered her on social media.<\/p>\n
I hesitated before typing out a message.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi Teresa. You don\u2019t know me, but I think I just found your note at Matt\u2019s place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh wow. I was wondering if someone would ever find it. Do you want to meet up?\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t even hesitate. \u201cYes. Coffee tomorrow? At Black Coffee Beanz?\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ezzuye.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/istockphoto-1473292179-612x612-1-300x200.webp\")
\nFor illustrative purposes only.
\nMeeting Teresa was weird. I expected hatred and animosity. Instead, she was kind and compassionate.<\/p>\n
When I mentioned my pets in Matt\u2019s place, she became stiff.
\n\u201cRachel\u2026 he used to get destructive when he was angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
The landlord was sympathetic, especially after Teresa explained she was a lawyer and offered to accompany me. He agreed to allow me to break the lease, but I would have to pay for August.<\/p>\n
I stepped in at midday, and my stomach fell. Dishes lay shattered on the floor. He had ripped my clothing. And my pet rats\u2019 cage was open.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ezzuye.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot_1-24-201x300.webp\")
\nFor illustrative purposes only.
\nHowever, movement drew my attention. Two small noses peeked out of a shoebox. I was relieved. My beautiful pets were unharmed. I had to sit down since my breath was so unsteady.<\/p>\n
That night, I nestled into my new house, and my pets snuggled up next to me. Teresa and I celebrated our new beginnings with lemonade and takeout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I was simply cleaning one day. I was dusting off shelves and cleaning out cabinets, nothing dramatic. But then, nestled beneath a stack of forgotten junk, I… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n