0:00
i thought I had it all a marriage built
0:02
on years of shared dreams on a
0:04
foundation I believed was
0:06
unshakable but then one night everything
0:09
crumbled in its place pure devastation
0:14
the overwhelming emotions that hit you
0:15
when you realize your once solid and
0:17
reliable marriage is now just a story
0:19
it's something I'd read about but never
0:22
truly understood until it consumed me
0:25
when that emotional storm finally
0:27
settled my marriage was
0:30
unrecognizable every cornerstone had
0:32
vanished the trust we built the respect
0:35
we shared the admiration I felt the
0:37
concern we had for each other even the
0:39
love it had all disappeared all that
0:42
remained was annoying devastation
0:44
pushing me to my absolute breaking point
0:47
it screamed at me to give up to walk
0:49
away to end my marriage there was
0:52
nothing left worth saving
0:54
my wife Sarah had turned our life into a
0:57
pile of garbage it started innocently
0:59
enough as these things often do a bad
1:02
fight about remodeling our living room
1:04
sarah thought the furniture was old
1:07
redecorate i tried to explain that it
1:09
was only 2 years old still expensive and
1:12
honestly not worth replacing but she
1:15
insisted on something new perhaps I made
1:17
a mistake then I suggested she was tired
1:20
of me she snapped back a sarcastic bite
1:23
in her voice saying she might just go to
1:25
bed with someone else in that moment
1:27
anger flared i shouted back telling her
1:30
she should decide what she wanted but
1:32
not to expect me to wait around for her
1:34
that's when she mentioned him
1:36
"Mark i should have married Mark instead
1:38
of you." She said "My main rival the
1:41
golden boy in our community he'd always
1:44
had his eye on Sarah years ago she chose
1:47
me then but the sting of his influence
1:49
lingered we'd had a short separation
1:52
once early in our relationship and he'd
1:54
almost succeeded in winning her over
1:56
mark's seemingly effortless prosperity
1:58
always made me jealous despite my own
2:01
success my upbringing emphasized values
2:04
of honesty reliability and diligence i
2:07
was taught never to harbor jealousy
2:10
success but a certain sensitivity always
2:13
lingered within me especially concerning
2:15
Sarah the memory of their first meeting
2:19
the casual way he'd touched her arm it
2:21
was etched in my mind hearing his name
2:24
from her lips again I got furious i
2:27
yelled that I never wanted to hear his
2:28
name again and I refused to buy any new
2:30
furniture the argument ended or at least
2:33
I walked away from it i left for the
2:35
club desperate to cool down around 9:00
2:38
in the evening my home phone rang on my
2:40
mobile i decided to let it go to
2:42
voicemail the stress combined with a few
2:45
too many beers fueled my decision i
2:47
feared uttering unpleasant words that I
2:49
might later regret upon listening to the
2:52
voicemail the message conveyed an
2:54
apology for our earlier exchange the
2:56
caller one of Sarah's friends urged me
2:58
to contact Sarah since I wouldn't be
3:00
returning home soon the message hinted
3:02
at Sarah going out alone concluding with
3:04
a cryptic remark it wasn't enough as I
3:08
began to recover from our earlier
3:10
dispute anger resurfaced i poured
3:13
another beer consuming it hastily before
3:15
setting out to find her checking all the
3:16
town's bar parking lots proved feudal
3:19
her car was nowhere in sight suspecting
3:22
she might be with someone familiar I
3:24
headed to Lisa's Sarah's best friend's
3:26
house to my dismay Sarah's car was
3:28
parked there david Lisa's husband
3:31
greeted me at the door mentioning the
3:33
night out and their decision to go bar
3:35
hopping when I inquired about Lisa's car
3:38
he confirmed their presence at a
3:39
bachelor party determined to locate them
3:42
I visited the bachelor's place
3:44
discovering Lisa's car in the parking
3:45
lot I contemplated a direct
3:47
confrontation with Sarah but decided
3:49
against it instead I opted to sober up
3:52
in the car before taking any action
3:55
around 11:00 they emerged from the
3:57
bachelor's place and departed in Lisa's
3:59
car i followed at a discreet distance
4:02
they made their way to a downhill bar
4:04
just as David had suggested observing
4:07
from the parking lot I anticipated their
4:09
move to the next location at precisely
4:12
11:30 p.m they arrived at what seemed to
4:15
be their final stop a pub and a hotel
4:18
concerned about Sarah's intentions I
4:20
realized I needed to find out more
4:22
attempting a makeshift disguise with a
4:23
baseball cap and a plain t-shirt from
4:25
the trunk I sneaked into the pub despite
4:28
not being completely sober and my failed
4:30
attempt at anonymity thanks to my name
4:32
emlazed on the t-shirt I figured it was
4:35
better than no disguise at all inside I
4:38
spotted Sarah with Mark seated at the
4:40
back of the bar engrossed in
4:42
conversation seeking a discrete vantage
4:44
point I noticed an empty booth behind
4:46
Sarah silently moving there I overheard
4:49
their entire conversation except for a
4:51
few whispered moments I couldn't quite
4:53
catch sarah thanked Mark for coming and
4:55
he reciprocated the sentiment mark
4:57
reminisced about their time together 7
4:59
years ago and then a chilling detail
5:02
twice since my marriage to Sarah their
5:04
reunion tonight it seemed was driven by
5:06
a desire for revenge after our earlier
5:09
fight as I listened the painful truth
5:12
unfolded sarah had betrayed me twice
5:14
before and she planned to do so again
5:17
tonight despite her professed love her
5:20
actions revealed a selfish and
5:21
indifferent nature her motive wasn't
5:26
it shattered my perception of our
5:28
relationship the conversation left me
5:30
devastated and I realized I no longer
5:32
loved her it was a profound loss and I
5:35
nearly succumbed to tears accepting that
5:37
it was over I waited contemplating how
5:40
much time would elapse before they
5:42
proceeded to the room the words
5:44
exchanged between them hinted at Sarah's
5:46
readiness and I could almost envision
5:48
the smile on her face aware of her
5:50
presence based on their conversation my
5:53
anger simmered beneath the surface as
5:55
they stood up and made their way to the
5:57
elevators suppressing the urge to lash
5:59
out physically I trailed them to the
6:01
lobby uncertain of their exact floor I
6:04
approached the receptionist and
6:06
requested a call to Mark's room he
6:08
angrily answered correcting my
6:10
misconception that it was room 422 not
6:13
312 threatening police involvement he
6:16
forcefully hung up the phone taking the
6:18
elevator to the fourth floor I
6:20
approached room 422 eavesdropping until
6:22
their actions became apparent i knocked
6:25
assertively savoring the anticipation of
6:28
disrupting their illicit
6:29
rendevu stepping back from the door I
6:32
forcefully slammed it causing the safety
6:34
chain to break the shocking scene
6:37
revealed Mark with nothing on Sarah on
6:40
the bed her face turning pale as she
6:42
screamed mark protested exclaiming "Oh
6:45
my god no." As he recovered he demanded
6:48
my departure threatening to summon
6:50
security despite Sarah's please I
6:52
sternly informed her not to return home
6:54
surprisingly calm I sat in the car for a
6:57
while to calm down further i waited to
7:00
see if the police would show up or if
7:02
Sarah would leave with Mark about 15
7:05
minutes later Mark left the hotel and
7:07
Sarah got into her car they didn't stay
7:09
in the hotel room after I left but the
7:11
damage had been done adding insult to
7:14
injury or as they say pouring gasoline
7:17
on the fire gave me an idea i went home
7:20
and went to bed i'm not sure when the
7:23
phone rang but it was Lisa calling she
7:25
explained that Sarah was staying with
7:26
David and her so I shouldn't worry i
7:29
told Lisa that I wouldn't worry about
7:30
Sarah anymore i didn't care lisa woke me
7:33
up unnecessarily i asked about the time
7:36
and she said it was 3 on a.m claiming I
7:39
couldn't say I didn't care knowing I
7:41
loved Sarah and she loved me lisa shared
7:44
that Sarah was at their place crying
7:47
about her mistakes tonight wanting
7:48
forgiveness and asking to come back home
7:51
i informed Lisa that Sarah couldn't
7:53
return home and asked about her previous
7:55
involvement with Mark lisa expressed
7:57
relief for not having a serious hangover
7:59
and being up since 8:0 a.m by 1000 a.m I
8:03
was ready to face Sarah i called Lisa
8:05
and told her Sarah could come back home
8:07
if she wanted i stood at the entrance
8:09
when Sarah arrived accompanied by David
8:11
and Lisa probably to ensure no physical
8:14
damage seeing a pile in the front yard
8:16
Sarah asked what it was i explained it's
8:19
everything reminding us of each other
8:20
including gifts photos and old furniture
8:23
i set our wedding photo on fire as a
8:25
symbolic act signaling the end of our
8:27
marriage flames quickly engulfed
8:29
everything leaving only ashes and
8:31
charred furniture frames i told Sarah
8:34
she won and hoped it was worth it our
8:36
marriage is over and she can take
8:38
everything i don't want anything and
8:40
hope not to remind her of me she'll get
8:42
details from my lawyer shortly soon
8:44
after sirens approached police arrived
8:47
and firefighters extinguished the
8:49
remaining embers i apologized for the
8:51
trouble clarifying I burned the remnants
8:54
of the marriage i was taken into custody
8:57
as they led me away I saw Sarah crying i
9:01
spent a couple of days in jail and a
9:03
psychiatrist was called to assess my
9:04
mental state they discovered that I was
9:07
distressed and devastated but still
9:09
mentally sound surprisingly they might
9:11
have released me earlier but they wanted
9:13
to observe me for a few days just to be
9:15
certain i paid the bail and retrieved my
9:18
car from the office parking lot where I
9:20
had stored the things I wanted to keep
9:22
mainly clothes and personal items then
9:24
my trial began and I admitted guilt to
9:27
all charges receiving a $5,000 fine plus
9:30
court costs it was a small cost to end
9:33
my shattered marriage sarah contested
9:36
the divorce persistently leaving
9:38
voicemails on my mobile pleading for
9:39
forgiveness and reconciliation despite
9:42
the $5,000 cost I never heard from her
9:45
after leaving a message on her home
9:46
phone expressing that while she claimed
9:48
it meant nothing to her it meant
9:50
everything to me the divorce was
9:52
finalized and I gave her everything she
9:54
desired just to put it behind me mark's
9:56
wife discovered the situation divorced
9:58
him leaving him in a difficult
10:01
situation sarah wasn't the only wife he
10:03
had comforted during marital
10:05
troubles a couple of weeks after finding
10:07
him with his wife in a hotel room I
10:09
encountered Mark in a bar
10:11
i suggested he might face a serious
10:13
accident when his divorce was finalized
10:16
and he started selling off his remaining
10:18
possessions soon he left town and not
10:21
many people seemed to miss him
10:23
occasionally I bump into Sarah on the
10:25
streets and she apologizes asking if
10:27
I'll call her to talk i just nod and
10:30
walk away to this day I haven't called
10:33
her though she continues to ask maybe
10:36
someday I'll decide to call her my wife
10:38
Emily and I have been together for two
10:41
decades we first met during our freshman
10:43
year of high school and have been
10:45
inseparable ever since we shared many
10:48
milestones from losing our purity to
10:50
each other to attending prom and even
10:53
going to the same college after
10:55
graduation after finishing college we
10:57
got married and settled down to build
10:59
our life together starting a family was
11:02
always part of our plan and when we
11:04
secured good jobs we decided to make
11:06
that dream a reality fast forward 11
11:09
years and we now have two kids own our
11:12
home and are on a path to early
11:13
retirement for travel and other
11:15
experiences we've longed for everything
11:17
seemed like a dream then tragedy struck
11:21
my sister-in-law was diagnosed with lung
11:23
cancer she was not just family but also
11:26
my wife's best friend emily supported
11:28
her throughout her fight against the
11:30
disease but sadly she eventually passed
11:33
away it was a devastating blow to our
11:35
entire family my wife
11:37
especially my sister-in-law was a beacon
11:39
of light in our lives emily took it the
11:42
hardest because they were incredibly
11:44
close sharing everything from shopping
11:46
trips to personal secrets i stood by my
11:49
wife during her grief helping her
11:50
navigate through the toughest period of
11:52
her life after about 6 months she
11:54
started to recover during her morning
11:56
she read through her sister's journals
11:58
and notebooks trying to understand the
12:00
emotions and provide support what hit my
12:03
wife deeply was the feeling that her
12:04
sister hadn't accomplished enough in her
12:06
life taken too soon reading the journal
12:09
entries made my wife realize her
12:10
sister's unfulfilled aspirations
12:13
motivated by her sister's untimely
12:14
departure my wife expressed a newfound
12:17
determination to live life fully she
12:19
wanted to travel experience skydiving
12:22
and savor every moment i wholeheartedly
12:25
supported this mindset aligning with the
12:27
reason I had been working 60 hours a
12:29
week since college to retire early in
12:32
the coming weeks my wife embraced this
12:34
philosophy taking pottery classes
12:36
teaching herself rock climbing and even
12:38
planning a bungee jumping adventure for
12:39
her and our son it seemed like she was
12:42
fully embracing this new adventurous
12:44
lifestyle i didn't pay much attention to
12:46
it i felt happy for her as she was
12:49
recovering from the loss of her sister
12:50
however one evening after she returned
12:53
from the climbing gym her behavior
12:54
seemed different before that she had
12:57
been enthusiastic and positive about
12:59
embracing a new chapter in her life
13:01
after dinner when the kids were in their
13:03
rooms she took me out to the patio we
13:06
shared a couple of glasses of wine and
13:07
gazed at the stars towards the end of
13:10
our conversation she brought up the idea
13:12
of both of us having a hall pass
13:16
for those unfamiliar a hall pass in a
13:18
committed monogous relationship is a
13:20
one-time opportunity for both partners
13:23
to have intimacy with someone outside
13:24
the relationship i was completely
13:26
takenback by her suggestion it seemed to
13:29
come out of nowhere so I asked her why
13:31
she was bringing it up she reassured me
13:34
that she loved me but felt like she
13:36
might be missing out on a part of life
13:38
because she had only ever been with me
13:40
she tried to phrase it in a way that
13:42
wouldn't hurt me but it was impossible
13:44
not to feel terrible when she said that
13:47
i expressed my lack of support for the
13:50
idea we had been married for 20 years
13:53
and I couldn't understand why it
13:54
suddenly became an issue i had no desire
13:57
to be with anyone else and I wasn't
13:59
comfortable with her being with someone
14:00
else either we were about to go back
14:02
inside but I paused and asked her if
14:04
there was someone she was interested in
14:07
she hesitated to tell me the truth but
14:09
after a few moments she admitted that
14:10
there was someone at the climbing gym
14:12
she found attractive she mentioned he
14:14
had been flirty and he recently invited
14:16
her out for drinks although she assured
14:18
me that she declined and made it clear
14:19
she was married i went to bed that night
14:23
uneasy it took a few days for me to come
14:26
to terms with what she had suggested i
14:28
was deeply hurt but eventually I forgave
14:31
her and we pretended the conversation
14:33
never happened about a week later she
14:35
told me about an outdoor climbing class
14:37
offered by the gym and she wanted to
14:39
sign up for it one Saturday she left
14:42
early in the morning for the class or at
14:44
least that's what I thought since our
14:47
daughter had started lying about her
14:48
whereabouts we asked her to leave her
14:50
location on Snapchat Maps for
14:53
verification that afternoon when our
14:55
daughter claimed she was going to a
14:56
friend's house I checked the maps
14:59
everything seemed fine on our daughter's
15:01
end but I noticed my wife's avatar was
15:03
in the heart of the city i was a bit
15:06
perplexed because I had been informed
15:07
that she was heading to a park about 30
15:09
minutes outside of the city checking the
15:12
location I discovered she was at a bar i
15:15
tried to make sense of it thinking she
15:17
might be hanging out with people from
15:18
the climbing gym after their climb
15:20
however a sinking feeling in my gut
15:22
couldn't be ignored recalling what she
15:24
had mentioned about a guy from her
15:25
climbing gym inviting her for drinks
15:27
wondering if she was there with him
15:29
wasn't too much of a stretch i was home
15:31
alone and the bar happened to be about a
15:33
15-minute walk from the house so I took
15:35
the dog for a walk keeping an eye on the
15:37
map upon reaching the bar I peered
15:41
through the windows and saw my wife
15:43
sitting at a table with a man leaning
15:45
close and smiling as they chatted for 2
15:48
minutes the man reached across the table
15:50
holding my wife's hand and she allowed
15:52
it while handholding isn't necessarily
15:54
cheating it hinted at something more i
15:58
went home before my wife spotted me
15:59
there and waited for her return
16:01
throughout the wait I was undecided on
16:03
whether to confront her or investigate
16:04
on my own when she came home and before
16:07
saying anything to me went straight to
16:09
the shower i tried to initiate a
16:12
conversation but she dismissed me citing
16:14
postclimbing sweat this confirmed in my
16:17
mind that something had happened while
16:19
she was with that man she had left her
16:21
gym bag near our bed and I noticed her
16:23
phone was still inside i pulled it out
16:26
and searched for information about the
16:28
man checking her text messages I found a
16:31
chat with an unsaved number starting
16:32
about a week before she asked me about
16:34
the hall pass scanning through the
16:36
messages for keywords indicating an
16:38
affair I found a few exchanged pictures
16:40
and explicit messages then I saw plans
16:43
for them to meet at the bar even coming
16:45
up with a lie to tell me and his partner
16:47
i had no idea who the guy was but I
16:49
discovered him by checking the climbing
16:51
gym social media where he was clearly
16:53
featured in some pictures he was tagged
16:55
in everything and through some digging I
16:58
learned he was married with a newborn
16:59
baby i was disgusted by what I
17:02
discovered hurt doesn't even begin to
17:04
describe the pain I felt i had been with
17:07
my wife for 20 years and she was willing
17:09
to throw all of that away because she
17:11
wanted to be with another man i was
17:13
furious and utterly disgusted by the
17:15
reprehensible actions of both of them at
17:18
the end of their message chain there was
17:20
the name of a restaurant along with a
17:22
date and time a week had passed since I
17:24
found out my wife was cheating on me and
17:26
I devised a plan to catch her in the act
17:29
while contemplating it I realized that
17:31
the wife of her affair partner deserved
17:33
to know as well on the day of the
17:36
planned meeting I sent a dozen roses to
17:38
the partner's wife including details
17:40
about the restaurant on the card i hoped
17:43
it would make her believe he had a
17:44
surprise for her waiting outside the
17:45
restaurant I observed her heading in i
17:49
followed her inside and we both noticed
17:51
our partners holding hands
17:52
simultaneously she hurried over started
17:55
yelling at him in front of everyone my
17:57
wife was surprised to see me but she
17:59
quickly got up insisting it wasn't what
18:01
it seemed i asked her to explain the
18:04
text messages and she fell silent i
18:06
informed her that I was ending our
18:08
relationship and that she could expect
18:09
to see me in court we spent the next 8
18:11
months in a divorce battle mainly over
18:14
custody both of us wanted primary
18:16
custody but we ended up with joint
18:18
custody i kept the house and she
18:21
received no spousal payments her affair
18:24
partner also divorced had to pay child
18:26
support and alimony to his ex my ex-wife
18:29
and I recently finalized the divorce
18:31
proceedings and we are finally done with
18:33
each other i honestly don't know how to
18:35
move forward having only been with one
18:37
woman and feeling betrayed i'm unsure
18:40
about the next steps my girlfriend Khloe
18:43
and I were together for 3 years before
18:45
everything fell apart i believed she was
18:47
the one and planned to marry her but she
18:50
cheated on me with my cousin Ben it all
18:53
began when we met at a nightclub 3 years
18:54
ago she was the hottest woman there and
18:58
I didn't think I had a chance but I
19:00
tried anyway surprisingly she was
19:03
interested and we've been together since
19:07
she moved into my apartment a year and a
19:08
half into our relationship and I didn't
19:11
question it because I was deeply in love
19:12
then my cousin Ben who used to live down
19:15
south got a job in New York i helped him
19:17
get an apartment in my building excited
19:19
to have family close by we were good
19:22
friends often playing games online i
19:25
thought it would be nice having family
19:26
nearby once he settled in and we hung
19:28
out quite often he never hid that he
19:31
found my girlfriend attractive but I
19:33
never thought he'd act on his feelings i
19:35
never noticed anything going on between
19:37
them while I was around they respected
19:40
each other's space a few months after he
19:42
moved in I was grabbing coffee with a
19:44
friend and my cousin showed up with his
19:46
new girlfriend who happened to be my
19:47
girlfriend's work friend we tried to set
19:50
them up at a party but it didn't seem to
19:51
be going well they were keeping things
19:54
lowprofile not wanting to pressure their
19:56
relationship finding it amusing I wanted
19:58
to surprise my girlfriend with the news
20:01
i texted her to come to the cafe for a
20:03
surprise but she replied that she
20:04
couldn't because she was hanging out
20:06
with her friend ironically the friend
20:09
she claimed to be with was sitting
20:10
across from me at the cafe she lied
20:13
about her whereabouts and I in turn lied
20:15
to my friends about her having a
20:16
migraine when I got home she was nowhere
20:19
to be seen however I noticed makeup on
20:22
the bed and she had clearly tried on a
20:24
couple of outfits i felt really nervous
20:27
thinking something was going on that I
20:28
didn't know about and I needed to talk
20:30
to someone i walked down the hall to
20:33
chat with my cousin despite loud music
20:35
playing in the background I knocked on
20:37
the door persistently until he heard me
20:39
after some shuffling he opened the door
20:42
trying to dismiss it by saying he had
20:43
company and would come over later
20:46
once again I had no reason to believe my
20:48
girlfriend was cheating on me with my
20:49
cousin so I didn't assume it was her in
20:52
there it only dawned on me when I saw a
20:55
shirt I bought her for her birthday on
20:56
the arm of the couch behind my cousin i
20:58
played it cool nodded my head and
21:00
returned to my apartment immediately
21:02
once there I searched for any other
21:04
signs of cheating eventually I went into
21:06
her laptop checking her Facebook
21:08
messages with my cousin doing that
21:10
completely shattered my heart in the
21:12
messages my cousin asked her what she
21:14
liked about me she mentioned finding me
21:17
funny with a good personality but he
21:19
insisted I wasn't her type claiming he
21:21
was my girlfriend didn't disagree they
21:25
were extremely flirty and at one point
21:27
she messaged him the classic "Just got
21:30
message after that they exchanged
21:32
suggestive pictures with very explicit
21:34
messages earlier that day my cousin had
21:37
messaged her expressing his inability to
21:39
stop thinking about her and his need to
21:41
be with her he instructed her to come up
21:44
with an excuse to visit his apartment
21:46
and she did realizing it was over
21:48
between my girlfriend and me I decided
21:50
to cut my cousin off entirely from my
21:52
life leaving no trace for everyone I
21:55
knew i captured screenshots of
21:57
everything I saw sending them to myself
22:00
just in case my girlfriend attempted to
22:03
fortunately my name was on the lease and
22:05
hers wasn't since she moved into my
22:07
apartment this meant I could at least
22:09
kick her out when she came home a few
22:12
hours later I immediately told her to
22:14
leave confused she asked why and I
22:17
revealed that I had discovered her
22:18
involvement with my cousin i insisted
22:21
she vacate the apartment or face legal
22:23
action i left for the night giving her a
22:26
48-hour notice to leave during my
22:29
absence both she and my cousin called me
22:31
numerous times but I ignored every call
22:33
meanwhile I gathered all my relatives in
22:36
a group chat and disclosed everything
22:37
about the situation everyone including
22:40
my cousin's parents expressed deep
22:42
disappointment and offered apologies
22:44
though they weren't directly involved I
22:46
received several messages from my cousin
22:48
calling me a coward and claiming family
22:50
members labeled him a pig i didn't care
22:53
he was indeed a pig since my girlfriend
22:57
and I shared many friends I created a
22:59
group chat and informed them of the
23:01
incident they were shocked and firmly
23:03
sided with me some girls in the chat
23:05
revealed that my girlfriend had tried to
23:07
call them seeking a place to stay
23:09
despite feeling bad they declined as
23:12
they didn't believe her actions were
23:13
justified returning 2 days later I found
23:16
my girlfriend had left the apartment
23:17
unsure of her whereabouts i discovered
23:20
that she stayed with my cousin however
23:23
their personalities clashed and he
23:25
kicked her out after a week after that I
23:28
lost track of where she went i guess I
23:30
learned that you really can't put your
23:32
trust in just anyone not even family i'm
23:35
Mark i had a 5-year relationship with my
23:37
ex-girlfriend Sophia we met at a unisex
23:40
salon where she worked as a hairdresser
23:42
and we hit it off from the start
23:45
although I liked her initially I never
23:47
expected our connection to grow into a
23:49
deep love after several visits to the
23:51
salon I gathered the courage to ask for
23:54
her number and she agreed since we were
23:56
already familiar with each other the
23:58
typical story unfolded we went out got
24:01
to know each other and eventually fell
24:02
in love our decision to not rush into
24:05
settling down early stemmed from my past
24:07
heartbreak with an ex-girlfriend i
24:09
wanted to take things slow with Sophia
24:11
after 5 years of dating I felt it was
24:13
time to make our commitment official
24:16
2 months before the wedding Sophia
24:18
surprised me with the news that she was
24:20
pregnant while it wasn't part of our
24:22
original plan I welcomed it as a
24:25
blessing initially Sophia and I had
24:27
agreed to wait 3 to 4 years after
24:29
marriage to have a child she had
24:32
experienced two miscarriages in the past
24:34
and I wanted to avoid that for her
24:36
despite the unexpected joy of impending
24:38
parenthood planning a wedding and
24:40
expecting a child simultaneously wasn't
24:42
easy sophia insisted on the grand
24:44
wedding she had always dreamed of with
24:46
an expensive venue gown and other costly
24:48
elements while she had saved money for
24:50
the wedding I thought it made more sense
24:52
to allocate our budget towards securing
24:54
a home for our growing family and
24:56
addressing other essential needs however
24:59
she believed in making our wedding a
25:00
once-in-a-lifetime event arguing that we
25:02
had many years ahead to focus on our
25:04
child after considering her perspective
25:07
we proceeded with the wedding she
25:08
envisioned we booked the venue paid for
25:11
the cake she desired and she covered
25:13
expenses like her gown hairdo and other
25:15
necessities with her
25:17
bridesmaids despite my internal
25:19
reservations I was genuinely excited
25:21
about the upcoming events i was about to
25:24
marry the woman I loved and I was
25:26
thrilled that in our 5 years of dating
25:28
she had never betrayed my trust i
25:31
thought she was a faithful partner who
25:33
would stay true to me as we aged
25:35
together unfortunately I was mistaken
25:38
i delved too deeply into the future
25:40
while my present was already a mess
25:42
unbeknownst to me as I smoothly planned
25:44
our wedding investing my savings to
25:46
create her dream ceremony Sophia was
25:49
cheating on me with someone close i
25:51
wouldn't have discovered this if her
25:52
jealous lover hadn't confessed the night
25:54
before our wedding that evening as I
25:56
returned home early to prepare for my
25:58
bachelor party my best man Alex called
26:01
requesting a meeting to share something
26:03
important we agreed to meet at a nearby
26:05
coffee shop when we sat down he looked
26:08
uneasy apologized in advance and said he
26:11
needed to get something off his chest i
26:13
feared he might cancel on me the night
26:15
before my wedding but what he revealed
26:17
was worse he disclosed his history with
26:20
Sophia claiming he loved her too much to
26:22
witness our marriage at first I thought
26:25
it was a prank searching for hidden
26:26
cameras or friends recording us however
26:29
he showed me a sensual picture of him
26:31
and Sophia and my heart sank he also
26:34
shared a text from Sophia about sneaking
26:36
into her hotel room later that night for
26:38
our wedding seeing that message
26:40
dispelled all my doubts and I tried to
26:42
contain my hurt as a man but tears
26:45
welled up the revelations continued he
26:48
admitted to being responsible for
26:49
Sophia's pregnancy they planned for her
26:51
to tell me it was mine avoiding
26:53
suspicion and preventing a breakup at
26:56
that moment my world seemed to come to a
27:00
countless thoughts raced through my mind
27:02
making it tough to accept that the woman
27:04
I loved and held high expectations for
27:06
in our relationship was carrying my best
27:08
man's child i was furious imagining if
27:11
my anger were visible Alex would have
27:13
seen smoke when I'd heard enough I
27:16
exploded in anger throwing the chair I
27:18
sat on and storming out trying to
27:21
control my rage I punched him when he
27:23
followed and grabbed my arm then I drove
27:25
off in my car i called the wedding venue
27:28
to cancel managing to get home without
27:30
crossing any limits once there I cried
27:32
intensely devastated by Sophia's
27:35
treacherous betrayal while still
27:36
mourning she called about cancing the
27:38
venue and from my voice she sensed my
27:41
distress i didn't sugarcoat it i told
27:44
her I knew everything officially calling
27:48
it took her a moment to grasp and as she
27:50
realized I was aware she cried and
27:52
begged over the phone all night despite
27:54
my insistence that I wanted nothing to
27:56
do with her she kept calling i avoided
27:59
sleeping at home expecting her attempts
28:01
to beg in person she even suggested we
28:04
still get married and sort things out
28:06
afterward fearing the shame of a
28:08
lastminute cancellation especially after
28:10
boasting to her friends "Our wedding
28:12
never happened and I can't forgive her
28:14
for what she did all my efforts and
28:16
sacrifices of 5 years vanished i yearn
28:19
for legal recourse for heartbreaks and
28:21
infidelity wishing to drag her to court
28:23
to make her pay for the wasted years and
28:25
pain she caused we haven't seen each
28:27
other and she lacked the courage to face
28:29
me after I called off the wedding i
28:32
moved into the house I rented for us as
28:33
a surprise healing and moving forward
28:36
daily surprisingly my former close
28:39
friend and best man tried to apologize
28:41
and explain their affair but I wasn't
28:43
interested i told him we could no longer
28:45
be friends and he had no place in my
28:47
life since then we haven't made contact
28:50
and I'll never speak to him again
28:52
considering it childish but I don't care
28:55
sophia didn't keep his child she aborted
28:57
it as payback and they are no longer
28:59
together i've learned my lesson and
29:01
won't love deeply again at times I wish
29:04
I had invested my resources and
29:05
sacrifices in my life a far better use
29:08
than wasting them on a promiscuous woman
29:11
but as they say where there is life