Micaela never thought she’d be spending Christmas like this. As someone who worked remotely, she didn’t get to experience the office Christmas parties where the alcohol flowed freely, and colleagues finally revealed their hidden thoughts about each other. But her husband, Travis, was going to that very party. So, before he left, she decided to have a little fun and left him a note.
Travis was a lightweight when it came to drinking, so Micaela figured a little playful warning couldn’t hurt. As he got dressed, she grabbed a marker and scribbled a message on his chest: “This is my husband — touch him, and you’ll pay. – M.”
“Don’t worry, Micaela,” Travis said with a grin as he headed out the door. “I’m just going for a few drinks. I’ll be home early.”
After he left, Micaela busied herself with decorating the house for Christmas. She put up the tree, hung the stockings, and rearranged the living room. But when Travis stumbled in later that night, she could tell he had been drinking. She guided him to their bedroom, prepared to help him change into something more comfortable for bed. But as she helped him undress, she noticed something strange.
Someone had written on the message she had left earlier.
“Keep the change.”
At first, Micaela laughed, brushing it off as just another silly prank from one of his coworkers. She spent the rest of the night relaxing, watching Christmas movies, but the words kept replaying in her mind.
The next morning, she asked Travis how the party had gone. He explained they started at the office, moved to a bar for karaoke, and ended up at a club. But when she asked him about the message on his chest, he seemed confused.
“Someone must’ve written it. There was a lot to drink last night. You know how the guys get,” he explained.
Still, Micaela couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. She turned to her mom for advice, sharing her uneasy thoughts about the message and the new discomfort she was feeling in her marriage.
Micaela’s mom, always practical, suggested something drastic: a GPS tracker on Travis’ car. Though Micaela wasn’t the type to snoop, she felt the growing need to silence the nagging feeling in her chest. So, reluctantly, she agreed to track his movements.
For a week, Micaela kept an eye on him, watching his daily commutes. But then one evening, Travis called to say he was staying late at work to finish up some tasks before the holidays. Micaela believed him, but as she checked the tracker, she saw something unsettling: his car was heading in the opposite direction of home.
Heart racing, she followed him, and soon, she found herself parked across the street from a large, beautiful house in an affluent neighborhood. Her stomach tightened as she saw Travis get out of the car, his arm linked with a woman’s. He smiled and leaned in for a kiss.
Micaela’s heart shattered as the truth hit her. She snapped a few photos, the weight of the moment sinking in as she realized that this was it—the end of her marriage.
With a surge of adrenaline, Micaela walked up to the house. When Travis saw her, his face went pale. He stood frozen in shock.
“So, you’re the woman who left a message on my husband?” Micaela asked.
The woman, far from looking guilty, met Micaela’s gaze and said something that shocked her even more: “Husbands like this deserve to be treated like spare change.”
Travis, his face flushed with anger and humiliation, tried to protest, but Micaela wasn’t interested in hearing him. She turned and walked away, leaving him standing on the doorstep. As she reached her car, her phone buzzed. It was a message from her mom, with the number for a divorce lawyer.
This Christmas wasn’t the celebration Micaela had imagined. Instead, she found herself facing a painful but necessary new beginning. As she drove away, she realized that life is unpredictable, especially when you’re five years into a marriage you thought you understood.
Looking back, Micaela couldn’t help but wonder: What would you have done?