I believed Damien when he said that a family trip would be too expensive, but then a $3,000 luxury spa bill showed up on our bank statement. I followed the trail because I wanted to find out the truth. What I found broke my trust and turned my life upside down.
I always thought that trust was like a garden that was well cared for. You take care of it, pull out the weeds, and water it a lot so it grows strong and full. That’s what I did for my marriage to Damien for twelve years. I had faith in him. I had faith in us.
I
And then there was Maribel, his “office wife.” I had met her a lot of times and thought she was nice. She was funny and full of life and always talked about her husband with love. We weren’t friends, but I was glad Damien had a coworker like her.
I would even mock him at supper about how good it was that someone kept him sane during those long, late nights.
He’d smile and brush it off with a vague comment about how she was too into spreadsheets.
I appreciated how well they worked together for years. I told myself that she was the yin to his professional yang. But now, things have started to fall apart.
It wasn’t simply the texting all the time or the late hours. It was the way he grinned at his phone that got me. I hadn’t seen that smile on him in months. Something didn’t make sense.
Then he told me we couldn’t afford the Christmas vacation I’d been planning for months.
“Are you sure?” I inquired as we were doing dishes together. “I thought everything was already full.”
Damien turned his head and shrugged. “It was, but we had those unexpected costs in October and November.” We can’t go on a trip after Christmas now. “I’m sorry, love.”
I let out a sigh. “It’s okay… Maybe next year.”
I was angry, but I trusted Damien. I had no reason to assume he was lying because our finances had been bad for the last few months.
Until I found the receipt that altered everything.
I saw a $3,000 payment to “Tranquility Luxe Spa” as I was putting together paperwork for our budget last week.
I assumed right away that it must be a mistake. There was a mistake with the bill. But the date, which is this Saturday, made my stomach turn. Something was off.
I looked at it and wondered why Damien would spend so much money on a spa when we purportedly couldn’t afford a family getaway. It wasn’t a surprise for me. If he wanted to surprise me, he could have just kept the holiday. What was it then?
I sat next to him on the couch that night. He was smiling at his phone like I wasn’t even there. I knew right then.
“So, what are your plans for Saturday?” I questioned him casually and pushed him.
“Saturday?” Oh, I have to get to work. Last-minute things for that important job. “Why?”
I said, “No reason,” without thinking. “I thought we could take the kids to the park.”
“Maybe next week,” he whispered as he typed.
My stomach tightened as fear morphed into rage. My spouse, the man who once set up a scavenger hunt for his proposal, was lying to me. And I was going to get him.
I said farewell to Damien on Saturday morning like everything was usual. As soon as he left, I sent a text to the babysitter. She came to pick up the kids and take them to the park, just like we had planned.
I gave her the bag of food and games I had brought for them and then went to find Damien in the act. My heart raced as I parked close to the spa. I told myself I would only peek, confirm my worries, and then leave.
It smelled like eucalyptus and money in the air. I looked around the lobby carefully, and suddenly I saw them.
Damien and Maribel were lying next to each other in soft white robes, like they were on their honeymoon.
I stopped moving. They were meant to be work friends. Only pals. But then she moved in closer and giggled at what he said.
And Damien… Damien kissed her and touched her face.
My knees almost gave out. I held on to the doorframe so I wouldn’t fall. My eyes were burning with tears, but I held them back. Not here. Not yet. I’d seen enough, but I wasn’t going to go without saying something.
The receptionist, a perky blonde who seemed like she had just graduated from college, grinned. “How can I help you?”
I made a weak smile. “Yes. I have a surprise planned for Damien and Maribel, a couple. “Can I add a free massage to their package?”
She typed hastily, “How sweet!” “I’ll tell them—”
I said, “No,” and kept my voice calm. “It has to stay a secret.”
“One surprise massage is coming up!” She winked and chirped.
Fine, Damien and Maribel could play nasty. I could play more dirty.
I waited in the lobby until I saw them being taken to the massage room. Then I crept down the corridor and saw which room they went into.
I waited until I knew they were far into their session. Then I took a big bucket of ice water from the staff area and walked straight to their room.
I went inside when the masseuse left.
They were resting on heated tables, face down, and groaning in pleasure. Seeing them together, relaxed, and happy made me angry.
I held my breath and tiptoed forward. Then I turned the bucket over them.
Maribel screamed and jumped up as towels flew all over the place. Damien jumped up, his face blanched with horror.
“What the hell?” He sputtered.
I let go of the bucket, and it made a noise. “Are you surprised? You shouldn’t be.
“Why are you here?” Damien stammered, his eyes flying back and forth between me and the wet covers.
I moved closer, my voice icy as ice. “Me? What are you doing here? We couldn’t afford a vacation with our kids the last time I checked. But it seems like three thousand dollars for your workplace wife’s spa day wasn’t a problem.
Maribel’s cheeks were red, and she ran for her robe. “This isn’t what it looks like—”
“Oh, save it,” I said angrily. “Don’t make excuses for your husband.” He’ll hear from me soon.
Damien opened his mouth, but I put my hand up. “Don’t. You told a lie. You let me down. You picked her over your family, which is the worst thing you could have done.
I took a deep breath and steadied my shaking hands.
“You should start thinking about where you’re going to live.” Because you can’t come back to my house.
By that time, the spa personnel had raced over since they heard Maribel’s screams. I walked straight by them and out the door.
I didn’t spend any time when I got home. Damien’s garments went right into trash bags.
The lawyer I had been too scared to call was suddenly my only hope. And what about Maribel’s husband? He picked up the phone on the first ring.
The fallout was terrible. Damien’s family is gone. Word got around at work, and their reputations went up in flames. Last I heard, Maribel asked to be moved to a different workplace.
Even “work wives” can’t stand the talk when it gets that bad.
And what about me? I still brought the kids on that trip. We booked a cabin by the beach, gathered seashells, and laughed until our stomachs hurt. I felt something I hadn’t felt in years: freedom. The waves were smashing outside at night.
I learned that trust is like a garden. To start over, you sometimes have to burn things down. And for the first time in twelve years, I was ready to grow something new just for me.
