It started as a flicker of doubt on a quiet Tuesday night—the kind that creeps in when the house is too silent and your thoughts get loud. Her husband had fallen asleep on the couch, phone buzzing softly beside his hand. A message preview lit up the screen, just long enough for her to see a name that made her chest tighten.
“The tender one.”
Her fingers trembled as she picked up the phone. She hated herself for it, but curiosity—and fear—won.
She opened the contacts.
There were more.
“The amazing one.”
“Lady of my dreams.”
Her stomach dropped.
Every dramatic story she’d ever read rushed into her head at once. Late nights. Secret smiles. A double life hidden behind ordinary routines. She felt foolish for trusting so easily, for believing love could really be simple.
With shaking hands, she dialed the first number.
A warm, familiar voice answered.
“Hello, sweetheart?”
It was his mother.
Her knees nearly gave out. Embarrassment flushed through her as she stammered an excuse and hung up.
Heart still racing, she dialed the second contact.
Her sister-in-law answered, laughing about a burnt dinner and asking how her day had been.
Shame followed relief like a wave. She stared at the phone, tears already forming. How could she have doubted him? How could she let insecurity poison something so good?
Only one name remained.
“Lady of my dreams.”
Her vision blurred as she pressed call, already preparing to apologize to the universe for her lack of faith.
Her own phone rang.
The sound felt unreal. Distant. Cruel.
She answered slowly, breath caught in her throat.
Her husband’s voice came through—soft, amused.
“Hey… where are you calling from?”
The room spun.
She ended the call without a word and collapsed onto the floor, sobbing until her eyes burned and her head ached. When he woke and found her like that, she confessed everything—every doubt, every fear, every tear.
He didn’t yell. He didn’t accuse.
He just sighed, pulled her into his arms, and said, “I wish you’d trusted me.”
The guilt crushed her.
The next morning, still swollen-eyed and desperate to make things right, she handed him her entire month’s salary.
“Please,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. Use it for something nice. For us.”
He kissed her forehead and thanked her.
That afternoon, he went out.
And used the money to buy a gift for his girlfriend—whose name in his phone was saved as:
“Uncle Mike the mechanic.”
Note: This story is a work of fiction inspired by real events. Names, characters, and details have been altered. Any resemblance is coincidental. The author and publisher disclaim accuracy, liability, and responsibility for interpretations or reliance. All images are for illustration purposes only.