Rachel treasures the heirloom jewelry her late mother left her, until one day she finds the box empty. With a confession from her husband, Rachel realizes that’s only half the truth. When she spots her mother’s earrings on another woman, all the puzzle pieces connect…
Now
I went to the store that morning for milk, chicken, and raspberries. An odd combination, but it was what I needed. The milk for coffee and cereal, the chicken for tonight’s dinner, and the raspberries for the raspberry and white chocolate muffins my husband loved.
A woman standing in the aisle of a grocery | Source: Midjourney
I went into the store hoping to get my groceries, but I left with a truth that I didn’t know needed to be revealed.
She was standing in the dairy aisle, our neighbor. Young, blonde, and recently divorced. She was looking at the various yogurt options, smiling like she didn’t have a care in the world. And if I’m being honest, she probably didn’t have any cares.
And hanging from her ears were my mother’s earrings.
A woman looking away at a grocery | Source: Midjourney
My breath caught in my throat. A sick feeling curled in my stomach. My hands clenched around the shopping basket so tightly that I was sure they were white.
No. No bloody way.
I forced my voice to stay light and breezy as I approached her.
“Mel, hi! Lovely earrings!”
A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
She beamed, touching them delicately as if they were the most priceless things in the world. They were.
“Oh, thank you, Rachel! They’re a gift from someone special, you know.”
A gift. From someone special. Someone married?
The world tilted slightly. I swallowed the burning rage rising in my throat. Mel looked at me for a moment, and I wondered if the guilt was eating at her. She didn’t act like it, but something had dimmed her shine in that moment.
“Oh, they’re simply beautiful,” I said, smiling through my gritted teeth. “But didn’t it come with a pendant and a bracelet? What a stunning set that would be…”
A pair of earrings in a box | Source: Midjourney
She blinked at me, confusion all over her face.
“I definitely would if I had those pieces. But I don’t. It’s just the earrings. But maybe my special someone can gift me the whole set.”
The ground steadied beneath me.
There it was.
Derek hadn’t just pawned my mother’s jewelry. He had gifted part of it to his mistress.
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
It was a selfish, well-thought-out plan.
Except he hadn’t planned on one thing.
Me.
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
Then
I had been vacuuming under the bed, lost in the monotony of housework and a nagging nursery rhyme that was stuck in my head, when I spotted the box.
Something made me pause. Maybe it was instinct. Or maybe grief had sharpened my senses.
I bent down, picked it up, and opened the lid.
Empty. The box with my most prized possessions was empty.
A woman vacuuming | Source: Midjourney
The air left my lungs. The annoying nursery rhyme flew out of my head. And just like that, the shock hit me across my face.
My hands trembled as I stood up, my knees weak. I scanned my bedroom like the earrings, pendant, and bracelet might miraculously reappear before my eyes.
But they didn’t. Of course, they didn’t. Wishful thinking didn’t work like that.
There was only one person who I had shown the box and the priceless things inside. But would Derek… Was he actually capable of taking my things? Maybe he had put them away, knowing the importance that they held.
Maybe he had put them into our safe deposit box at the bank. But even if he did, why on earth wouldn’t he tell me?
An empty wooden box | Source: Midjourney
“Derek!” I stormed into the living room, where he was lounging with his laptop.
He barely glanced up.
“What, Rachel? It’s too early for this noise.”
“My mother’s jewelry. Did you take it?”
His brow furrowed like he was truly thinking.
A man using his laptop | Source: Midjourney
“No, maybe the kids took it. You know they’re into dressing up now.”
My stomach twisted again. Why would my children take something from my room? They probably didn’t even know about the box. And I was planning on passing down the jewelry to the girls anyway.
But still, kids have keen eyes. Maybe one of them saw something.
I turned and marched straight to the playroom, where my three kids were sprawled on the floor, lost in their toys.
A cozy playroom | Source: Midjourney
“Nora, Eli, Ava,” I said, almost breathless. “Did any of you take the box from under my bed?”
Three pairs of wide, innocent eyes blinked up at me.
“No, Mommy.”
But Nora hesitated. My eight-year-old, my oldest baby. The most sensitive and honest of the three, and the one most likely to give you a snuggle when you needed it.
She would tell me what she knew.
A little girl | Source: Midjourney
“I saw Daddy with it,” she said. “He said it was a secret. And that he would buy me a new dollhouse if I didn’t say anything.”
A sharp rage sliced through me.
Someone had stolen from me.
And that someone was my husband.
A dollhouse on a table | Source: Midjourney
I spent a long time with the kids, trying to figure out my thoughts and feelings while they played. Eventually, I had no choice but to confront him.
“Derek, I know you took it. Where is it?” I asked.
He let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples like I was the problem here.
“Fine, Rachel. I took them.”
I blinked slowly.
A man sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
“Why?” I asked simply.
His voice took on that tone of his that I absolutely hated. The slow, condescending tone that had always made my skin crawl.
“You were so sad after your mom died. I thought that a vacation would cheer you up, Rachel.” He picked up his beer can and took a long gulp. “So, I pawned them and bought us a trip.”
My fists curled. My vision blurred. I was… beyond shocked.
“You pawned my mother’s jewelry?! My dead mother’s things!”
The interior of a pawn shop | Source: Midjourney
“Rachel, we’re struggling! How can you not see it? Or do you choose to ignore it? The mortgage, the bills… I wanted to do something nice for you and the kids.”
White-hot rage filled me. I was ready to burst.
“Where. Are. They?” I spat out. “You had no right to do that without asking me, Derek! Return them. Now!”
He sighed dramatically.
An angry woman | Source: Midjourney
“Okay, I’ll return the tickets. I’ll fix it if you want everyone to be as miserable as you are. Seriously, Rachel, the kids see it. It sucks.”
I turned away before I did something I’d regret.
Miserable? Of course, I was miserable. I was in pain. I was hurting. My heart felt shattered and stamped upon, and my mind was a cemetery of memories.
My mother had died. And with that, my best friend, my biggest supporter, and the person who had loved me most in this world.
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
It had only been two months without her. And this man was putting a timeline to my grief?
What the hell? Who had I married?
I missed her so much. Which was why Derek’s actions had hurt me so deeply. My mother’s jewelry was like a lifeline she had left behind for me. It was something physical, something that I could hold or put on when I needed her touch…
I remembered how she didn’t want me to become a stay-at-home mom.
A tombstone with flowers | Source: Midjourney
“Darling,” she had said, buttering a slice of homemade bread. “You have so much potential. As rewarding as being a stay-at-home mom is, are you sure it’s for you?”
“I don’t know, Mom,” I confessed. “But Derek said that we can’t afford a nanny, so it was either I become the nanny or I pay for one.”
“Promise me one thing, Rachel,” she said. “Keep writing your poetry, darling. Keep that side of you alive.”
A woman writing in a notebook | Source: Midjourney
My heart ached thinking about her.
But do you know what?
The next day, while shopping, I found out that the truth was even worse.
Now
I smiled at Mel in the grocery store, pretending to listen to her rave about Greek yogurt and chia seeds for breakfast.
A bowl of yoghurt and chia seeds | Source: Midjourney
“It really is the best breakfast, Rachel. It cleans out the gut and gives you more protein than eggs. Add some honey or chocolate chips, girl. Trust me,” she spoke fast, as if trying not to think or say anything that would give her away.
I smiled like I wasn’t seconds away from ripping those earrings off her ears.
She had no idea. She had absolutely no clue she had been part of my husband’s betrayal. Or did she? From the way she acted, I didn’t think she knew the value of it. In her eyes, she was standing in front of her boyfriend’s wife and using the expensive gift he had bought her.
So, I made a decision.
A woman in a grocery store | Source: Midjourney
I was going to take back what was mine.
And I was going to make Derek pay.
Big time.
The next morning, I played the part of the forgiving wife.
I was quiet, reciting Shakespearean sonnets in my head. I made pancakes for the kids. I made French toast for Derek. But I couldn’t get my encounter with Mel out of my head.
He was relieved, smug even. I’m sure he thought that I had slept on it and had finally let it go.
“It’s good to see you so chipper, Rach,” he said. “You know I love that smile.”
I wanted to slap him.
Pancakes and strawberries on a plate | Source: Midjourney
Focus on Shakespeare, Rach, I thought to myself.
“Derek, can I see the pawnshop receipt?” I asked, pretending that I just wanted to make sure everything could be bought back.
He rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically but eventually handed it over.
“Nora,” I called, watching her pick at her pancakes. “Do you want to come with Mommy today? We’re going to look for Grandma’s jewelry.”
A smiling little girl | Source: Midjourney
“Yes!” she said excitedly.
I wasn’t sure about taking my child to a pawnshop, but if I’m being honest, that little girl was the only thing that would keep me calm.
We got ourselves dressed and found ourselves standing outside the pawnshop.
“We’re buying the jewelry, Mom?” Nora asked.
“Indeed we are, baby girl,” I said.
The exterior of a pawn shop | Source: Midjourney
And just like that, I went in and tracked down my mother’s jewelry. It wasn’t difficult, but I had to convince the owner that it was mine.
“It would make a good anniversary present for my wife,” he said. “But you look like you’re going to cry your little heart out.”
“It’s my mom’s, sir,” I said. “Please.”
I think he was more floored by being called sir that he just gave it over, not even trying to exploit me with the price.
A man in a pawn shop | Source: Midjourney
I kept the receipt. For later.
There was only one piece left.
The earrings.
The ones that Derek’s mistress had been flaunting.
Earrings in a box | Source: Midjourney
I knocked on her door, and when she opened it, I held up my mother’s will, specifically reading out that the jewelry was mine. I also had a picture of her wearing the set at her wedding.
Then, I showed her the necklace and bracelet I had reclaimed.
“These are part of a set,” I said. “They’re family heirlooms, and I need the earrings back. They were not Derek’s to give.”
Her face paled, and her jaw dropped.
A woman standing in a doorway | Source: Midjourney
“Rachel… I had no idea,” she stammered. “I thought it was a gift from Derek. I didn’t know that it was yours! I had no idea that it was your… mother’s.”
She looked down, something shifting in her expression. Disappointment. Then realization.
“I should have known,” she muttered. “I thought he was being sweet and romantic… but,” she trailed off, shaking her head.
Then, without another word, she ran into her house, returned with the earrings, and placed them in my outstretched hand.
Earrings in a woman’s hand | Source: Midjourney
“Here,” she said. “These don’t belong to me. And honestly, neither does Derek. But he doesn’t belong to you either. Rachel, if it was this easy for him to get with me…”
I knew what she was saying. I understood it loud and clear.
“Hell hath no fury…” I said. “I know. I’ll deal with him.”
“Rachel, I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. It was just that Derek gave me the attention that I craved. This divorce… it took a part of me when it ended. I don’t know who I am without my husband. Ex-husband, I mean. Derek swept me off my feet and made me feel normal again. I’m so sorry.”
I looked at her and smiled. I knew what it felt like to have a part of me missing, but mine was due to death and grief, not cheating.
“Thank you for saying that, Mel,” I said, turning away.
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
Later
I waited until he was back at work and the paperwork was finalized.
And then I took the divorce papers to his office and handed them to him in front of his boss and coworkers.
“You shouldn’t have given away my things, Derek. I mean, really. You gave my mother’s earrings to your mistress?” My voice was louder than I expected. “You stole from me. You betrayed me. And that’s your final mistake in our marriage. This cannot be fixed. I don’t want you.”
A man sitting at his desk | Source: Midjourney
Then, I turned and walked away.
He begged, of course.
But I was done.
He had taken the last piece of my mother I had left. He had lied. He had brushed off my pain. And he had betrayed our family.
And now? That man has nothing. Between alimony and child support, he had little to nothing left to his name.
A woman walking down a hallway | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
When Dorothy reads her daughter’s innocent letter to Santa, she’s blindsided by a request for the same heart-shaped earrings her husband apparently gave their nanny. Suspicion spirals into doubt, leading Dorothy to uncover a heartbreaking truth tied to a long-kept secret…
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.
Peguei meu marido com sua amante em nosso quarto, mas em vez de expô-los publicamente, pensei em um plano brilhante
Eu pensei que meu marido era um parceiro amoroso quando ele reservou um lugar para mim em um resort. Apenas para descobrir que ele fez isso para permitir que ele fosse livre para fazer o que quisesse. A montanha-russa da minha história me machucou profundamente por causa das mentiras e da traição do meu marido. No entanto, no final das contas, termina em divórcio.
Uma mulher excitada e chateada | Fonte: Getty Images
Nunca pensei que estaria nessa situação aos 32, vendo meu mundo desmoronar no caos silencioso do nosso quarto. Deixe-me voltar um pouco. Meu marido, Jason, 34, e eu estávamos casados há quatro anos, tecendo sonhos e construindo uma vida juntos.
Um dos nossos objetivos na vida era nos tornarmos pais, e estávamos tentando ter um bebê, infelizmente sem sorte. Duas semanas atrás, ela me surpreendeu dizendo: “Querida, reservei quatro dias para você em um spa!”
Ele me explicou que era para que eu pudesse “aliviar o estresse”.
Uma mulher feliz abraçando um homem | Fonte: Getty Images
“O quê? Sério, baby?”, perguntei enquanto assentia e me jogava em seus braços para um abraço caloroso e grato. “Pode ajudar com seus problemas de fertilidade ter um tempo de folga.”
Nos primeiros dias, fiquei emocionada e em paz! Aproveitei todos os benefícios que o resort tinha a oferecer. Meu homem não poupou despesas para me dar o tratamento completo. Mas, muito em breve, comecei a sentir muita falta dele e pensei:
“Por que não voltar para casa mais cedo e surpreendê-lo para variar?”
Uma mulher recebendo um tratamento de spa | Fonte: Shutterstock
Aquela decisão acabou sendo a pior que já tomei! Minha vida desmoronou naquele dia quando cheguei em casa mais cedo. Assim que entrei em casa, meu coração pulou uma batida! Fui recebido não por seu abraço amoroso, mas por algo que nunca serei capaz de apagar da minha memória.
Encontrei nossa sala de estar em ruínas. Restos de jantares românticos e roupas femininas por todo lugar! Os sons inconfundíveis de traição vindos do nosso quarto confirmaram o pior cenário possível.
Uma mulher chocada olhando para roupas espalhadas por toda parte em uma sala de estar | Fonte: Freepik
Enquanto eu estava congelado, meu coração martelava no peito. Então ouvi risadas abafadas e sussurros filtrando pela porta. Meu primeiro instinto foi entrar e confrontá-los. Em vez disso, pressionei meu ouvido contra a porta.
“Tem certeza de que ele não vai voltar hoje?”, sua voz flutuou, arejada e desconhecida.
Jason respondeu com uma risada. “Ele está fora até sexta-feira, temos todo o tempo do mundo, querida!”
Uma mulher espionando | Fonte: Pixabay
Fiquei arrasada. Mas não havia como eu perder a paciência e dar a Jason e seu amante a satisfação de me ver desmoronar. A raiva surgiu em mim, mas eu me segurei em um resquício de calma.
Não, eu precisava de um plano de vingança real, não de um show. Então, silenciosamente, fiquei na ponta dos pés e peguei suas roupas espalhadas pela sala de estar. Juntei suas camisas familiares emaranhadas com seus vestidos florais.
Sua bolsa chamou minha atenção, cheia de chaves, uma carteira e documentos pessoais. Eu a peguei e meu plano começou a tomar forma.
Ao sair de casa, sussurrei para mim mesmo: “A vingança será minha, mas nos meus termos”.
Uma mulher segurando uma pilha de roupas | Fonte: Freepik
Joguei as roupas dela em uma caçamba do outro lado da cidade. Examinei a bolsa dela mais de perto em um café, um sorriso irônico cruzou meu rosto quando vi sua identidade. “Você não vai precisar delas tão cedo.” Então desliguei o telefone e liguei para uma amiga. Pedi para passar a noite com ela, prometendo explicar tudo quando chegasse lá.
“Oh, Milly, sinto muito!” Jenny simpatizou comigo enquanto me abraçava enquanto tomávamos café. “Eu achava que Jason era um dos caras legais, principalmente depois que ele te inscreveu no resort.”
Uma mulher conforta sua amiga triste | Fonte: Pexels
Tudo isso me deixou triste e com o coração partido, mas eu estava determinada a manter a cabeça fria. “Obrigada, Jen, com você ao meu lado eu vou ficar bem.” Eu também contei a ela sobre a vingança que eu tinha tomado contra mim, e minha parceira estava orgulhosa de quão corajosa eu era.
No dia seguinte, o caos se desenrolou exatamente como eu esperava! Quando liguei meu telefone, havia muitas mensagens de Jason. Primeiro, ele me disse que a casa havia sido arrombada.
Ela finalmente juntou as peças quando tentou ligar para o resort e descobriu que eu tinha ido embora no dia anterior.
Um homem frustrado e chateado com um telefone na mão | Fonte: Getty Images
Em suas próximas mensagens ele me pedia explicações enquanto atacava os outros como se ele fosse a vítima da situação. Quando tirei as roupas da amante, percebi que ela era mais alta e larga do que eu.
Mais tarde, descobri por amigos em comum que minhas roupas de tamanho menor não serviam bem e ela não podia usá-las. Desesperada, ela ligou para uma amiga para trazer suas chaves reservas para sua casa. O que ela não sabia era que seu marido, suspeitando de infidelidade, tinha seguido sua amiga até minha casa.
Duas mulheres entrando juntas em uma casa | Fonte: Pexels
O marido a viu sair usando as roupas que a amiga havia trazido para ela. Do outro lado da rua e atrás de uma árvore, ele a viu dar um beijo de despedida em Jason antes de se abraçarem. O cônjuge foi inteligente o suficiente para tirar fotos e gravar um vídeo como prova de sua infidelidade.
O confronto dele com ela mais tarde chegou aos meus ouvidos também. “Você estava mentindo o tempo todo!”, ele a acusou, a dor palpável em sua voz. Ela tentou negar tudo até que ele lhe apresentou evidências inegáveis.
Um homem e uma mulher tendo uma conversa acalorada | Fonte: Getty Images
A traição fez com que seu acordo pré-nupcial fosse anulado, o que lhe custou muito dinheiro! De acordo com minhas fontes, foi bem sério! E ela não poderia estar mais feliz com a forma como o carma se desenrolou em sua vida.
O divórcio entre a amante de Jason e seu marido também lhe custou muito dinheiro.
Uma mulher animada olhando para uma aliança de casamento | Fonte: Getty Images
Quanto a Jason, quando ele finalmente me confrontou, seu rosto era uma máscara de confusão e traição. “Onde você foi? Por que você pegou as coisas dele?”
Com uma calma que não sentia, respondi: “Você quebrou nossos votos, Jason. Você não tem permissão para fazer perguntas.”
Seus apelos não fizeram nada para me convencer. “Foi um erro. Não podemos simplesmente esquecer e seguir em frente?”
“Não, não podemos,” eu disse firmemente. “Erros não são planejados para que você possa ficar sozinho com seu amante.”
Um homem implorando a uma mulher implacável | Fonte: Getty Images
Pedi o divórcio com evidências de sua traição. Ele tinha tomado remédios secretamente para me impedir de engravidar. Doeu-me profundamente que ele me fizesse sentir como se eu fosse o problema de não engravidarmos. Mas o tempo todo, a infertilidade não tinha nada a ver comigo.
Ele não só mentiu sobre sua traição, mas também mentiu sobre querer que tivéssemos um filho. Isso partiu meu coração ainda mais porque era algo que ele sabia que eu era apaixonada.
O marido da amante também entrou em contato comigo e compartilhou todas as imagens que tinha para fortalecer meu caso.
Uma mulher e um homem discutindo sobre algo | Fonte: Pexels
Agora morando no meu próprio apartamento, o silêncio antes assombrado pela traição agora zumbe com promessas. As tentativas de reconciliação de Jason foram negadas.
“Jason, essa é a consequência das suas decisões”, eu disse a ele pelo telefone, com um tom de finalidade na voz.
Quanto ao amante dela, as consequências do caso dele foram um espetáculo que ele teve que encarar de frente. No final, eu desmascarei seu engano não apenas com um confronto, mas com silêncios e movimentos estratégicos. Minhas ações desmascararam seu verdadeiro eu, permitindo-me recuperar minha vida.
Uma mulher feliz falando com alguém no telefone | Fonte: Pexels
Infelizmente, Milly não é a única mulher que teve que lidar com um cônjuge infiel. Maya acreditava que seu casamento era sólido até que fez uma descoberta de partir o coração. A verdade a deixou buscando vingança, assim como Milly.
Meu marido me traiu, então eu fiz ele e sua amante sofrerem com minha vingança
Sou Maya, uma mulher de 54 anos que pensava estar feliz no casamento até que uma descoberta chocante mudou tudo. Um dia, peguei o que pensei ser meu telefone e li uma mensagem de uma jovem chamada Stella para meu marido Steven, insinuando um caso.
Uma mulher lendo uma mensagem em seu telefone | Fonte: Pexels
De coração partido e traída, decidi não confrontar Steven imediatamente, mas reunir evidências. Por meio de um processo doloroso e calculado, reuni provas inegáveis de seu romance no local de trabalho e trocas inapropriadas.
Armado com essa evidência, agi decisivamente e apresentei ao departamento de RH de Steven, resultando na demissão dele e de Stella. Quando reflito sobre as consequências, tenho sentimentos mistos sobre minhas ações.
Duas mulheres conversando em uma sala de reuniões enquanto outras aparecem ao fundo | Fonte: Pexels
Eu fui longe demais ou foi uma medida necessária para manter minha dignidade e possivelmente proteger os outros? Compartilhei minha história, buscando perspectivas sobre se minha resposta foi justificada ou se ela me transformou em alguém que eu nunca pretendi ser.
Um homem descontente | Fonte: Pexels
Este trabalho é inspirado em pessoas e eventos reais, mas foi ficcionalizado para fins criativos. Nomes, personagens e detalhes foram alterados para proteger a privacidade e aprimorar a narrativa. Qualquer semelhança com pessoas reais, vivas ou mortas, ou eventos reais é mera coincidência e não intencional do autor.
O autor e a editora não garantem a precisão dos eventos ou a representação dos personagens, e não são responsáveis por nenhuma interpretação errônea. Esta história é fornecida “como está”, e as opiniões expressas são as dos personagens e não refletem as visões do autor ou da editora.
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