Have you ever thought you knew someone inside and out, only to be shocked by an unexpected revelation? Just when you think you’ve got everything figured out, life throws a curveball that makes you question the very foundation of trust. Welcome to Angela’s world—a realm where a seemingly harmless discovery has thrown her marriage into turmoil.
Angela’s marriage to her husband started with some red flags.
Meet Angela, a 33-year-old wife and mom. Her story, which she shared with our editorial team, is both heart-wrenching and thought-provoking. Angela and Andrew have been married for five years but have known each other for a decade. Their relationship started with all the bells and whistles—until that one red flag.
Angela recalls, “When Andrew proposed, I expected a dazzling engagement ring, something to reflect his ability to spoil me as he had before. But he showed up with a cheap ring and said, ‘All material things are just things. You can’t take them to the grave, so you should be happy with my love, not with what I give you.’” Quite a philosophy, right?
Angela tried to brush off the sudden change in Andrew’s behavior. She wasn’t materialistic; she just felt awkward about the shift in his generosity. She thought, ‘Why sweat the small stuff when you’re happy overall?’ But hindsight is 20/20, and she now wishes she hadn’t ignored that initial warning sign.
The relationship between spouses was normal, until one day.
Fast forward a few happy years, and Andrew kept a semi-regular diary. Harmless, right? But one heated conversation led Angela to break the golden rule of privacy: she read Andrew’s diary. What she discovered was chilling.
“After reading this diary, I wish I had never even touched it. My beloved husband wrote several times that he hates me. At one point, he even hoped I would die when I was sick,” Angela revealed.
Though they had a rough patch recently, Angela thought they had pulled through with open and honest conversations. Andrew’s notes of hatred coincided with this period. The rest of the diary? Pretty mundane. Work, family, goals—nothing alarming. But those few entries? Devastating.
Angela can’t sleep well at night after revealing her husband’s real thoughts about her.
Those disturbing words didn’t just haunt Angela—they drove her to pack up and stay at a friend’s house, taking their daughter along. She took pictures of the diary entries, booked a session with her therapist, and even contacted a lawyer. All the while, Andrew sent warm messages, blissfully unaware of her discovery. He said he was glad she was taking space for herself and looked forward to her return.
Angela is now in turmoil. “I was sure our relationship was over the moment I read he hates me. Even the act of violating his privacy was a sign that our relationship wasn’t good anymore. His warm messages and the rest of the diary have me wavering a little.”
Angela doesn’t feel safe with her husband anymore.
Angela understands the need to blow off steam, and even sees the value in keeping a private diary. “But never in our darkest moments have I fantasized about my husband’s death. It just feels so sinister. I don’t know how I could ever feel safe around him again.”
“Maybe I’m overreacting,” she ponders. “But I can’t believe many people have such thoughts about their spouse. I keep wondering if this is a man I need to protect myself and my baby from.”
Adding fuel to the fire, Angela revealed that their rough patch was about Andrew’s feelings for another woman. Though he didn’t cheat, his friendship with her was uncomfortable for Angela. The part of the diary where he expressed hatred was written as a love letter to this woman. Andrew wrote about wanting to replace Angela and even fantasized about her death.
Well, folks, what would you do if you were in Angela’s shoes? Is this just a case of unhealthy venting, or is it something more sinister?
