
I got home early, and Greg greeted me with an unusual smile and an offer to massage my feet—something he’d never done before. I wanted to believe it was kindness, but a faint click from the bathroom told me the truth: my husband was hiding a devastating secret.
It all started six years ago. I was 29, fresh out of a long-term relationship, and feeling like I’d never find someone again.

A sad young woman deep in thought | Source: Pexels
Then, one evening, Greg walked into my life. I was sitting at a bar, nursing a glass of wine after work, when he strolled over with that confident, easy smile of his.
“Mind if I sit here?” he asked, gesturing to the stool beside me.
He was tall, handsome, and had a twinkle in his eye. He was the kind of guy who seemed like he had the whole world figured out. I smiled shyly and nodded.

A man in a bar | Source: Pexels
He sat down and immediately started talking. “You look like you’ve had a long day. Let me guess—accountant?”
I laughed. “Close. Marketing.”
“Ah, I knew it. You’ve got that creative, problem-solving vibe,” he said, grinning.
From that moment, I was hooked. Greg had a way of making me feel seen, like I was the most interesting person in the room. We started dating, and within a year, we were married.

A woman leaning against a man who’s smiling while working on his laptop | Source: Pexels
At first, it was perfect. He was funny, charming, and affectionate. He made me feel like I could do anything. I thought he brought out the best in me.
But as time went on, little things started to bother me. Greg didn’t want kids. He said it wasn’t the right time, but I knew deep down he’d never change his mind. It broke my heart because I had always dreamed of a big family.

A sad woman with her back turned to a distraught man | Source: Pexels
And then there was his tendency to prioritize everyone else over me. His brother needed help moving? Greg was there. His friends wanted to hang out? He’d cancel our plans without a second thought. I told myself it was just who he was, but it hurt.
Over the years, our marriage settled into something… quiet. Too quiet. The spark that had once been there was gone. We were more like roommates than a couple.

A woman talking to her husband in the corridor | Source: Pexels
That evening, I got home early from work for the first time in weeks. I was exhausted after back-to-back meetings and just wanted to kick off my heels and relax.
When I walked in, Greg was waiting for me by the door. He had this huge grin on his face, the kind that made his dimples show.
“Long day?” he asked, leaning in to kiss my cheek.
“Yeah,” I said, dropping my bag on the console table. “Exhausting.”

A tired woman | Source: Pexels
“Perfect,” he said, clapping his hands together. “Why don’t you sit down? I’ll give you a foot massage.”
I blinked. Greg? Offering a foot massage? He usually groaned when I asked him to hand me the remote.
“Are you serious?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course,” he said, guiding me to the couch. “You deserve to be pampered.”

A couple kissing at home | Source: Pexels
Too tired to argue, I let him slip off my shoes. His hands were surprisingly gentle as they worked on my aching feet.
“This is… nice,” I said hesitantly.
He laughed, a little too loudly. “Can’t a guy spoil his wife without it being suspicious?”
I forced a smile but couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. This wasn’t Greg. At least, not the Greg I’d been living with for the past few years.

A serious woman sitting in her living room | Source: Midjourney
Then, I heard a faint click coming from down the hall.
I sat up straight. “Did you hear that? Like the bathroom door…”
Greg laughed nervously. “Must be the pipes. You know how this old house is.”
My stomach tightened. “Greg, what’s going on?”
“Nothing!” he said, his voice pitching higher than usual. “You’re just tired. Sit down, relax…”

A nervous man in his living room | Source: Midjourney
Ignoring him, I got up and walked toward the bathroom.
“Wait!” he called after me, panic creeping into his voice. “Where are you going?”
The hallway felt longer than usual as I made my way toward the bathroom. My pulse pounded in my ears, each step making my unease grow.

A woman walking along a corridor | Source: Midjourney
When I flung the bathroom door open, the air hit me first. It was warm and humid, like someone had just stepped out of the shower. The mirror was slightly fogged.
My heart pounded as I scanned the room. That’s when I saw it: a tube of crimson lipstick lying on the counter.
I picked it up, holding it in front of him as he approached hesitantly. “Whose is this?”
Greg’s face turned pale. “Uh… it’s yours?”

An angry woman holding her lipstick | Source: Midjourney
“Don’t insult me,” I snapped. “You know I don’t wear this color.”
Before he could respond, a muffled sneeze came from the bedroom.
My breath caught. I looked at Greg, who was visibly sweating now.
“Care to explain that?” I asked, my voice icy.

A couple arguing in their home | Source: Pexels
He stammered, “It’s nothing. Really. I swear…”
I didn’t wait to hear the rest. With my heart racing, I headed for the bedroom.
Greg scrambled behind me, his voice rang out, desperate. “Wait, don’t!”
Ignoring him, I flung the closet door open.

An angry woman opening her closet | Source: Midjourney
A woman crouched there, clutching a pair of high heels to her chest. She looked startled, like a deer caught in headlights. Her hair was mussed, and she was wearing a silk robe that I instantly recognized as mine.
I stared at her, my mind reeling. “Who are you?” I demanded, my voice sharper than I’d ever heard it.

An angry woman shouting at her husband’s mistress | Source: Midjourney
She stood up slowly, her face flushing red. “This isn’t what it looks like,” she said, brushing at the robe like that would somehow make everything better.
Greg stepped into the room, his hands raised like he was trying to calm a wild animal. “Honey, please, let me explain.”

An apologetic man holding his hands up | Source: Freepik
I turned on him, the fury rising in my chest. “Explain? Explain what, Greg? That there’s a strange woman hiding in our bedroom? Wearing my robe?” I gestured to the woman, who was now fidgeting awkwardly.
“Listen, I didn’t mean for you to find out like this,” the woman said weakly.

A shocked woman sitting in bed | Source: Midjourney
“Find out what?” I snapped, my voice shaking. “That my husband is a lying cheat? That he brings his little girlfriend here when I’m at work? Don’t try to defend him!”
“Babe, please, don’t do this,” Greg begged, stepping closer to me.
“Don’t you dare call me ‘babe,'” I hissed, stepping back. “You think you can sweet-talk your way out of this? Pack your things and go. Now. Both of you.”

An angry woman in her bedroom | Source: Midjourney
The woman looked at Greg, wide-eyed. “I thought you said she wouldn’t be home.”
My stomach churned at her words, but I refused to let the tears fall. I turned back to Greg. “Get her out of my house. And don’t bother coming back.”
Greg held his hands up in surrender. “Just give me a chance to explain—”
“Leave!” I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls.

A woman shouting in her bedroom | Source: Midjourney
The woman grabbed her shoes and scurried out of the room. Greg hesitated for a moment, his mouth opening as if to argue. But when he saw the look on my face, he seemed to think better of it.
He left without another word, following her out the front door.
I stood in the middle of the bedroom, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on me. For a moment, I felt numb. But then something shifted.

A sad woman in the middle of her living room | Source: Midjourney
This was my house. My life. And I wasn’t going to let Greg taint it any longer.
I grabbed a box from the garage and started packing his things. His clothes, his toiletries, even the stupid coffee mug he loved went into the box. I worked quickly, methodically, not letting myself dwell on the memories tied to each item.
As I was finishing up, I called my brother. “Can you come over?” I asked, my voice steady but tired.

A tired woman looking at her phone | Source: Pexels
“Of course,” he said without hesitation. “What’s going on?”
“Greg’s gone,” I said simply.
My brother arrived half an hour later, his presence a welcome relief. He didn’t ask many questions, just hugged me and helped me carry Greg’s belongings to the front door.
By the time Greg returned the next night, I was ready.

A nervous man standing on a porch | Source: Midjourney
He walked in, looking sheepish and hopeful. “Can we talk?” he asked softly.
I pointed to the pile of his belongings by the door. “No, Greg. We’re done.”
“Please, just hear me out—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” I said firmly. “Take your things and go.”

An angry woman standing in her doorway | Source: Midjourney
He stood there for a moment, as if he thought I might change my mind. When I didn’t, he sighed, grabbed his things, and walked out the door for the last time.
The next day, I filed for divorce. It felt strange, almost surreal, but also like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Divorce papers on the table | Source: Pexels
Over the next few months, I started to reclaim my life. I redecorated the house, filling it with things that made me happy. I spent time with friends and family, people who reminded me of who I was before Greg came along.
It wasn’t easy. There were moments when I felt angry, hurt, and lonely. But each day, I felt a little lighter. A little freer.

A woman looking out of her window | Source: Pexels
One evening, as I sat in my newly redecorated living room, I looked around and realized something: I was happy. Truly happy.
Greg’s betrayal had been painful, but it had also been a wake-up call. I had spent so much time trying to make our marriage work that I’d forgotten my own worth. Now, I was finally putting myself first.

A tired woman in her office | Source: Pexels
As I closed the chapter on my marriage, I felt hopeful for the future. Whatever came next, I knew I was strong enough to face it.
Can You Solve This Tricky Viral Math Problem
We all love a good brain teaser, especially when it involves math—whether we admit it or not. A tricky math problem recently went viral, leaving the internet divided and proving once again that even simple-looking equations can be deceptive.
My Math Struggles & A Challenge
Here’s a quick personal anecdote: I recently started preparing for the GRE and realized that I hadn’t taken a formal math class in nearly nine years. Confidence? Gone. My quantitative reasoning skills? Rusty at best. So, I decided to brush up by taking online high school math courses, starting from the absolute basics.
When I came across this viral math puzzle that was stumping the internet, I thought, “This is my moment! Let’s see if I still have my 9th-grade math chops!” Spoiler: I did not.

The Viral Math Puzzle Taking the Internet by Storm
The problem originally surfaced in Japan, where researchers found that only 60% of people in their 20s managed to solve it correctly. It quickly spread online, turning into yet another viral challenge because, apparently, we love testing our brains with tricky equations (or we just enjoy arguing over the answers).
At first glance, the problem looks simple. But the devil is in the details. My gut told me there was some sort of trick involved—it seemed too easy. However, instead of embarrassing myself by attempting it publicly, I turned to the internet for guidance. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that someone, somewhere, has already tackled your problem and made an instructional video about it. So, I spent my morning watching people do math on YouTube. Exciting stuff.
The Math Problem:
6 ÷ 2(1 + 2) = ?
Go ahead, solve it. I’ll wait.
Video : Viral problem from Japan
Common Wrong Answers
If you got 1 or 9, you’re not alone. Many people arrived at these answers because of a little acronym called PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction).
You may remember PEMDAS from school—or perhaps the mnemonic “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.” The rule dictates that you must solve problems in this specific order:
- Parentheses
- Exponents
- Multiplication & Division (from left to right)
- Addition & Subtraction (from left to right)
So, following PEMDAS, some people calculated it as:
- Solve inside the parentheses: (1 + 2) = 3
- Rewrite the problem: 6 ÷ 2(3)
- Some then treated 2(3) as a single term and multiplied first: 6 ÷ 6 = 1
However, others applied division before multiplication:
- 6 ÷ 2 = 3
- Then, 3 × 3 = 9
Both groups were confident in their logic, but only one approach was correct.
The Correct Answer
The correct answer is 9. Here’s why:
Step 1: Solve the Parentheses First
(1 + 2) = 3
Now the equation is rewritten as:
6 ÷ 2(3)
Step 2: Follow the Order of Operations
According to PEMDAS, division and multiplication are performed from left to right (since they share the same level of priority in the hierarchy).
- 6 ÷ 2 = 3
- 3 × 3 = 9
Wait… Isn’t the Answer 1?
Some people argue that implicit multiplication (like 2(3)) takes precedence over division. However, modern mathematical notation treats multiplication and division equally. Since they appear side by side in the equation, we solve left to right.
If the equation had been written as:
6 ÷ (2 × 3)
Then, you would multiply first and get:
6 ÷ 6 = 1
But because the given equation lacks parentheses around 2(3), the correct answer remains 9.
Why People Get It Wrong
The confusion stems from different ways of interpreting notation and how we were taught order of operations. In some older textbooks, implicit multiplication (like 2(3)) was given higher priority than division, leading to the alternative answer of 1. However, under modern mathematical conventions, division and multiplication hold equal weight and should be solved left to right.
Video : 13 Riddles That Are Trickier Than They Seem
Math Rules Are Not Always Universal
Believe it or not, different countries and academic institutions teach math slightly differently. Some older math textbooks might suggest treating multiplication next to parentheses as having higher priority, while others follow the standard left-to-right rule. This is why debates like this never really die down—people were simply taught different methods!
How to Avoid Future Math Confusion
- Always follow the standard order of operations – PEMDAS (or BODMAS, if you learned it that way).
- If in doubt, add brackets – Parentheses make everything clearer and help prevent confusion.
- Be consistent – If you’re solving problems with others, use the same approach so that everyone gets the same answer.
- Check multiple sources – Sometimes, even textbooks disagree. Looking at different explanations can help clarify tricky concepts.
Final Thoughts
This viral math problem is a perfect example of how simple-looking equations can spark endless debate. The way you approach it depends on how you learned math, but if you apply PEMDAS correctly, the answer is 9—at least according to current conventions.
So, did you get it right, or are you questioning everything you thought you knew about math? Either way, at least we can all agree that math is a lot trickier than it looks!
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