For three years, I believed my husband, Jake, was working hard to “build our future.” I took on everything—raising our two kids, managing the house, even working part-time to help stretch our budget. Despite late bills and constant struggles, I trusted his promise that he was “so close” to a breakthrough. He spent his days locked in his bare “office,” claiming he was in “important meetings” or “crunching numbers,” and I adjusted our entire lives to support him—keeping the kids quiet and timing chores to avoid disturbing him.

But yesterday…

The kids were restless since school was out, and I was cleaning the kitchen as quietly as possible. Jake had locked himself in, saying he had a “big meeting” and couldn’t be disturbed. I tiptoed around, but when Tyler ran through chasing the dog, I accidentally dropped a frying pan.

Jake stormed out, face red. “Can you not keep it down for one single minute?!” he shouted. “Do you know how embarrassing this is during a work meeting?”

I opened my mouth to apologize, but then I heard it – a woman’s voice.

I turned toward the office door. “Jake,” I said slowly, “who’s in there?”

His face turned from anger to panic in an instant. “It’s just a client,” he stammered, blocking the doorway. “Stay out of it.”

But I wasn’t buying it! I pushed past him and stepped into the room.

The computer screen displayed a bright, cartoonish online game. In the corner of the screen was a video call window, and inside it was a bubbly, animated avatar labeled “SUZYLOVELY88.” The avatar giggled as if this were the funniest thing in the world.

“What is this?”.

“It’s my hobby,” Jake said. “You’re always so boring! I need an escape! Suzy gets me. She’s fun to talk to, unlike you.”

I felt like I’d been slapped!

“Your hobby?” I repeated. “You’ve been locking yourself in here, pretending to work, while I’ve been breaking my back to keep this family afloat? And for what? To talk to some stranger online?!”

“She’s not just some stranger!” Jake snapped. “She actually listens to me, which is more than I can say for you.”

Our kids peeked around the corner, their curious eyes darting between us. I gestured for them to go to their rooms.

Turning back to Jake, I felt my anger boil over. “Do you hear yourself?” I said.

“I’ve sacrificed everything for you—for us! And you’ve been sitting here, wasting time on this… this nonsense?”

Jake scoffed, “Maybe if you weren’t so naggy and exhausted all the time, I wouldn’t need this.”

“You know what? I’m done! I’m going to Suzy! She actually makes me happy!”

He grabbed a duffel bag from the bedroom closet, and started stuffing in clothes without looking at me. I followed him, trying to talk some sense into him, but he wouldn’t listen. And just like that, he was gone of the office.

The next day I vacillated between anger, heartbreak, and an odd sense of relief. The house felt quieter. The kids kept asking when Daddy was coming home, and I gave them the same answer each time: “I don’t know, sweetheart.”

On the second day, Jake’s mother called.

“Sweetie,” she began, “I know you’re upset, but I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?” I asked, bracing myself.

Her voice quivered as she explained. “Jake drove hours to meet Suzy. But… she wasn’t who he thought she was.”

“What do you mean?”, I asked.

“Suzy,” she continued, “isn’t a woman. He’s a middle-aged man with a beard. He’s been catfishing Jake for months and even convinced him to send money for ‘plane tickets.’ My son’s devastated!”

“So, all along he really wasn’t working?” I asked curiously.

“No, sweetie, he played video games for some money but wasn’t making much. Whatever little he got, some of it he sent to this Suzy person. Please,” his mom pleaded. “He’s humiliated. He wants to come home.”

“No,” I said firmly. “Jake made his choices. I’ve spent too long putting myself last. I’m not doing it anymore.”

Jake tried calling to ask to come back, but I told him I wanted a divorce and that I was taking everything. I offered to let him keep his laptop. “Maybe you’ll find a better ‘Suzy’ next time.”

Not having much to his name and having cheated online, my husband couldn’t fight me much, and I got everything, including the kids.

In the weeks that followed, I began rebuilding my life. I found a full-time job and enrolled the kids in daycare. It was scary, but every step I took felt like a step toward freedom. The weight of carrying Jake’s burdens was gone, and I felt lighter than I had in years!

One night, as I tucked my son Tyler into bed, he looked up at me with big, curious eyes. “Mommy,” he whispered, “are we gonna be okay?”

I smiled, brushing his hair back gently. “Yes, sweetheart,” I said with a confidence I hadn’t felt in years. “We’re going to be more than okay.”

And for the first time, I truly believed it.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or d-ead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.