When Heather arrives home from taking care of her mother, all she wants to do is plan a romantic dinner for her husband, Hayden. But fate has something else in mind, placing her in a shared taxi with his mistress. As the pieces of an ugly puzzle fall into place, Heather cannot believe the man she married.

When I got back in town after visiting my mom, I thought I’d be cute and clever and surprise my husband, Hayden. It had been a long week away, and I had missed him.

A woman in an airport | Source: Midjourney

So, I wanted to get home, shower, and then plan a big dinner for us. After all, spontaneous reunions were meant to be romantic, right? I couldn’t wait to see his reaction. But first, I had to get home from the airport.

“I just landed, Mom,” I said on the phone. “I’m going to head home to surprise Hayden now!”

“Have fun, darling. And thank you for spending two weeks with me,” my mother sighed, grateful.

A smiling older woman | Source: Midjourney

Finding a taxi was next to impossible. Just when I was about to give up, a driver offered to let me share a ride with another passenger.

“It’s the best I can do, ma’am,” the driver said.

At that point, I was too excited to care. I just wanted to get home.

Yellow taxi cabs on the road | Source: Midjourney

“Sure, why not?” I replied.

Normally, I would have declined and tried to wait for another taxi, but it was broad daylight, and I felt safe since it was another woman.

As the taxi driver opened the door, I saw the woman already inside. She had her handbag on her lap and a tube of lipstick in her hand.

A smiling woman sitting in a car | Source: Midjourney

“Hi,” she said, smiling at me.

The woman looked friendly enough, so I slid into the back seat next to her and gave her a quick smile.

“I’m Kristen,” she said, extending her hand.

A smiling woman in a car | Source: Midjourney

“I’m Heather,” I replied, shaking it. “It’s nice to meet you.”

We chatted easily, swapping stories about our travels and life in the city. Kristen was charming and she had a way of making me laugh. If we had met at a different time, I was sure we would have hit it off and been friends.

“You’re such a breath of fresh air,” Kristen said.

A close-up of a smiling woman | Source: Midjourney

By the time we exchanged social media handles, I was genuinely glad I had met her. It felt like one of those serendipitous moments where you make a friend in the most unexpected way.

“I’m just dying to have a good home-cooked meal,” Kristen told me. “And that’s what my boyfriend promised me. I’m heading to his place now.”

A man in the kitchen | Source: Midjourney

“That’s exactly what I have planned for my husband,” I said. “He knows that I’m going to be home this week, but he doesn’t know that today is the day. I want to do a whole romantic dinner for him.”

“That sounds lovely!” she exclaimed.

And before I knew it, we were exchanging recipes for roast chicken and other dishes.

Roast chicken and potatoes | Source: Midjourney

But then, something strange happened. The taxi turned onto my street. I brushed it off at first, thinking that maybe Kristen was going somewhere close to my home. There were apartments at the end of the road so she could have been going there.

What were the odds?

“Stop at this house,” Kristen said suddenly, as we were almost at my house.

An apartment block | Source: Midjourney

For some reason, my heart sank completely. There was no indication that she was going to my house. But my gut told me otherwise.

She turned to me with a smile as the taxi pulled into the spot just outside my house.

“It was nice meeting you, but I’ve got to go. My man is waiting for me inside,” she said excitedly.

A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney

I managed a weak smile as she got out, my mind racing.

Was it possible? Was Kristen actually meeting Hayden? In our home?

I asked the driver to take me around the corner and drop me off.

A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney

“I cannot believe this,” I said to myself.

I fumbled with my luggage, trying to find my phone in my handbag.

“Hey, honey,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady as Hayden answered.

A woman holding a phone | Source: Midjourney

“Hi!” he said, but his attention was elsewhere.

I could hear it clearly in his voice.

“What are you up to?” I asked him casually.

“Just working,” he said. “I’m at the office today, Heather. But I’ll be home later and I’ll call you back, okay? Is everything okay with your mom?”

A man holding a phone | Source: Midjourney

“Yes, I was just checking in with you, honey. I’ll speak to you later,” I said, trying to keep my tone light.

I hung up, my stomach in knots.

Walking back to the house, my luggage announced my arrival as the wheels smacked against the pavement.

A woman with her luggage at her feet | Source: Midjourney

Quietly, I slipped inside. The living room was empty, but I heard voices coming from upstairs. I crept up the stairs, the sounds growing clearer.

“You told me that you were single when we met at the bar!” Kristen’s voice was sharp and angry. “And now I’m listening to you talk to your wife?”

I peeked into the bedroom, and there they were. My husband and the woman from the taxi. Hayden and Kristen.

A couple sitting on a bed | Source: Midjourney

How did we get to this?

“What is this?” I asked.

Hayden gasped and Kristen sprang up from the bed.

“Heather?” Hayden stammered.

A shocked man | Source: Midjourney

Kristen turned to me, her face pale.

“He told me he was single, I swear! I had no idea! I told you in the taxi, this is a new relationship. Was a new relationship.”

My eyes scanned the room. All traces of me were gone. No photos, no clothes, no shoes.

A clean bedroom | Source: Midjourney

Hayden had hidden it all.

“I believe you,” I said to Kristen.

And I did because when we spoke in the taxi, there was an excitement to her tone that only came with a new relationship. To her, they were still in the honeymoon phase with nothing bad yet.

A close-up of a woman | Source: Midjourney

Hayden was a successful and charming man to Kristen. He was unattached and ready to meet someone new.

“But I think you need to leave now,” I told her.

She nodded, grabbing her things. And just before leaving, she turned around and slapped my husband hard across the face before she left.

A woman walking away | Source: Midjourney

“You’re a liar,” she spat at him before running out and down the stairs.

Hayden tried to reach for me, his eyes pleading.

“Heather, please, just let me explain this to you,” he said.

An upset man | Source: Midjourney

“I don’t want to hear it,” I said, cutting him off. “I don’t want anything to do with you. I went away to look after my mother after her surgery, and you decide to take on a mistress? That’s rich.”

“So what are you saying?” he asked.

“I want a divorce,” I said.

“Heather, don’t do this,” he said, his face falling. “I love you.”

I laughed bitterly, aware that I sounded unhinged.

A woman laughing | Source: Midjourney

“You love me? You’ve been lying to me. And hiding our life from your mistress. Where’s all my clothing? Where’s the frame of our wedding photo from above the bed? And did you think that I’d forget about the prenup?”

His face drained of color.

In his haste to cheat, Hayden had forgotten all about our marriage contract, stating that the one who cheated would get absolutely nothing in the face of a divorce.

People signing paperwork | Source: Unsplash

And since I earned more than Hayden and arranged everything in the house, he would be left with next to nothing. He would walk away with only his clothes and books.

“Heather, please,” he begged. “I made a mistake. Don’t do this!”

But it was truly too late. I had made up my mind.

I had gone from wanting to surprise my husband with a romantic evening in, to wanting to divorce him completely.

An upset woman | Source: Midjourney

This wasn’t how I had imagined my return, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise. There was no need to try harder with Hayden because everything had changed when I looked at him now.

I was disgusted.

I had no idea how many other women he had been with, too.

“So, now what?” he asked.

“Now you pack your things up, and you leave. Go anywhere. Go to your parents or a hotel. But just remember that once the divorce is finalized, you’ll have no money from me. I’m going to take a walk now. When I return, please, don’t be here.”

As I closed the door behind me, I took a deep breath.

It was time to move on now.

A woman looking down | Source: Midjourney

What would you have done?

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 dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.