Time To Confront Her
Taking his briefcase from the desk beside him with his cell phone still in hand, Josh saw red. His heart pounded furiously in his chest as he glanced at the screen one last time.
Why would his wife do such a thing to him? His mind was a jumble of confusion, but he knew he had to confront her at home. After being played for a fool, he would not let her off the hook.
Making Her Coffee Every Morning
It was supposed to be just another day. The day looked promising to Josh when he awoke at seven in the morning. For the love of his life, Mariah, he made his way downstairs sleepily to prepare coffee.
To show how much he cared for her, he always woke her with a cup of coffee. The day would end with his heart torn apart.
Off To Work
Following a kiss on his wife's cheek, he left the bedroom. The time had come to get to work. It was another late night at the office for Josh, but he didn't care.
The man was giving his wife and their young son, Noah, the life they deserved. Josh wasn't aware that his wife was betraying him in the worst way possible.
He Wanted To Give Her The World
Josh had devoted his heart and soul to his family. Mariah and Noah were the two most important things to him. His entire life was dedicated to them. A smile spread across his face as he drove to work.
A ten-minute drive to work was all it took. As soon as Josh got to the office, he jumped right into work, unaware of what would happen just hours later.
Hard Work Pays Off
As Josh sorted through weeks' worth of paperwork, the hours flew by. It didn't matter to Josh that he didn't enjoy his job. He was able to put food on the table, and his wife was able to stay at home with their son.
Josh worked overtime every day that week. Although, there was something Josh noticed about his wife in those few days.
He Thought She Missed Him
Every evening when he got home from work, Mariah was glowing. It was as if she missed him more because of the extra hours apart. In his opinion, at least.
She would always be in a great mood when he came home from work. Josh didn't know why she suddenly changed her demeanor. A sudden ping on his phone made everything make sense.
His World Came Crashing Down
By now, it was already 7 p.m., leaving Josh two more hours to go. When his wife's name appeared on the tiny screen of his cell phone, he smiled as he rubbed at his tired eyes.
It was a nice surprise to receive her text. While he was at work, she never texted him. His entire world came crashing down when he opened the message and saw a blurry photo.
Her Dream
Josh Hanson grew up in Sacramento, California, and was a hopeless romantic at heart. The moment he met Mariah at college, he knew she would be his wife someday.
At first, Mariah hesitated. Despite the fact that she thought Josh was handsome and kind, she had never really been the type to settle down until one evening when Josh promised to give her everything she wanted.
Treating His Wife
Mariah's dream was to live a life of luxury, and Josh knew it. Josh was willing to spoil her every day so she could be a stay-at-home wife. Making her happy would be his top priority.
Almost three years after they began dating, Josh put a ring on her finger, unaware of the way their relationship would end.
Baby Noah
With a woman like Mariah by his side, Josh felt like the luckiest man in the world. His wife was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and he knew how many men would kill for a wife like her.
They welcomed their first child just three years after getting married. He was a beloved child named Noah.
Stay-At-Home Mom
In the years that followed, Mariah became a stay-at-home mother while Josh worked endlessly to give her the life he’d always promised her. Josh’s job paid extremely well, which meant that he was able to give his wife anything and everything she wanted.
But little did Josh know that it wasn’t enough. He thought everything was fine. He thought their lives were perfect until one terrible day in June.
A Set Routine
Noah was four years old at this point, and over the years, the family of three had adapted to a set routine. Every morning, Josh would wake Mariah up with a steaming cup of coffee.
Then, he would leave for work. While he was away at work, Mariah would get their son ready for the day and take him to all kinds of activities. But one day, their perfect lives fell apart.
He Cared
That day started like any other. When Josh awoke at seven that morning, he went about his usual routine. He lovingly prepared the pot of coffee for his wife, knowing that she would appreciate it.
Just like every other morning, he woke her with a cup of coffee in hand, just to show how much he cared. But by the end of that day, his heart would be ripped to shreds.
Another Late Night
After placing a kiss on his wife’s cheek, he made his way out of the bedroom. It was time to get to work. Josh knew that it would be another late night at the office, but that didn’t dampen his mood.
He was doing what he had to do to give his wife and their young son the lives they deserved. But Josh had no idea that Mariah had been betraying him in the worst way possible.
Worth It
The hours flew by as Josh sat in his work cubicle, sorting through weeks' worth of paperwork. Josh never loved his job, but that didn’t matter.
It put food on the table and allowed his wife to be a stay-at-home mom. Just like every other day that week, Josh had to work overtime. But in those few days, Josh noticed something about his wife.
Doing Them Good
Mariah was glowing when he got home from work every evening. It was as if the extra hours apart only made her miss him more. At least, that’s what he thought. Every evening, when he returned home from work, she would be in a great mood.
But Josh had no idea what the true reason was behind her sudden change in demeanor. It all started making sense when his phone suddenly pinged.
A Nice Surprise
It was already 7 p.m., and Josh still had two more hours to go. Rubbing at his tired eyes, he reached for his cell phone and smiled when he saw his wife’s name on the tiny screen. Her text was a nice surprise.
She never texted while he was at work. When he opened the message, he was surprised to see a blurry photo, but when he opened it, his entire world came crashing down around him.
A Blurry Photo
At first, Josh wasn’t sure what he was looking at. It was a blurry photo of their living room, and he assumed that Noah had taken it. Lately, the little boy had been fond of grabbing his mother’s phone and taking pictures.
But this photo was different. It was taken from their living room, and in the corner, he could see two people.
His Friend
He instantly recognized the man sitting beside his wife. It was one of their mutual friends, Chris. At first, he didn’t think anything of it. They were just sitting beside one another on the couch, probably talking.
But he was confused. Usually, Mariah told him when she was having friends over. Why on earth was he at their house at this hour?
Another Ping
Josh had a puzzled look on his face. He wondered if Chris was there with his girlfriend, Jenna. Jenna and Mariah had always gotten along pretty well.
Josh was wondering if the two of them had decided to pay Mariah a quick visit. He placed his phone down and decided to get back to work. He wasn’t worried, but then he heard another ping from his phone.
The Second Photo
He quickly grabbed his phone, only to find that Noah had sent him another photo. But, when he opened it, his blood ran cold. He squinted down at the screen, wondering if he was misinterpreting the scene before him. It didn’t make any sense.
In the second photo, Chris had his arm around Mariah’s shoulders, hugging her against his chest as her hand rested against his cheek. Surely, it had to be a misunderstanding, right? But then, there was a final ping.
Hesitant
Josh was hesitant to open the final image. He was taken aback by the second one, and he feared that the third would be even worse. He took a deep breath, holding his phone in his sweaty palm.
When he opened the final photo, it felt like a dagger had been pierced straight through his heart. Tears burned behind his eyes as he stared down at the photo.
His Dream
For all his life, he had dreamed of marrying someone as perfect as Mariah, and for the last seven years, he lived out that dream. But one simple photo transformed his dream into a living nightmare.
The third photo was the clearest photo of all. It clearly showed his wife kissing Chris passionately on their couch. Josh was speechless.
Unbelievable
The man sat motionless in his office chair for what felt like hours, hundreds of thoughts flooding his mind. He couldn’t believe that any of this was real and that it was happening.
Mariah was completely unaware that her little boy had captured images of her cheating on her husband. How could she kiss another man in front of their son? But then, his mind began wandering.
Wandering Thoughts
Had this been going on for a while? Was he visiting her every night while Josh was working late for her? Was that why she had been in such a great mood when he got home? Josh couldn’t believe that she would betray him in such a terrible way.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. She had shattered his heart into millions of pieces. She expected him to be home at 9 p.m. He had to confront while Chris was still there.
Seeing Red
Josh saw red as he grabbed his briefcase from the desk beside him, his cell phone still in his hand. He glanced down at the screen one last time, his heart furiously pounding in his chest.
How could his wife do something like this to him? His mind was a jumbled mess, but all he knew was that he had to get home and confront her. He had been played for a fool, and he wouldn’t let her get away with it.
Going Home
The drive home was a blur. Josh was an emotional mess as he sped through the streets, desperate to get home before Chris left. He had given her everything she ever wanted, and this was how she repaid him.
Before he knew it, he was pulling up to their driveway, his knuckles white from how hard he had been gripping the steering wheel.
Seething
Josh didn’t care to remove his things from the car. Instead, he slammed the door shut and stomped toward the front door. He was seething with anger.
He unlocked the door and shoved it open, wincing when it hit the wall harshly. But he didn’t stop. In a fit of rage, he stormed into the living room, where Mariah sat beside the man she had been cheating with.
Damage Control
The second Mariah saw her husband’s face, she knew that the truth had come out. “No, no, no,” She said as she rushed off the couch and tried to embrace her husband, but he wouldn’t let her. Tears were pouring down his cheeks, and she was in a state, too.
Chris left immediately. He was in a state of shock and didn’t say a single word as he left, realizing that he had ruined someone else’s marriage. “I’m done. We are done,” Josh said.
Moving On
He left their home with their son and refused to speak to Mariah about anything other than their divorce settlements. Luckily, he didn’t have to give her a dime.
One stupid mistake cost Mariah her luxurious lifestyle and a fantastic man who would stop at nothing to see her happy. Eventually, he moved on, but he would never forget the pain she had put him through.