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She Lied. I Found Out the Truth. | My Story of Betrayal, Divorce & Starting Over | Wistaloom
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May 30, 2025
#redditrelationship #aita #redditstories She Lied. I Found Out the Truth. | My Story of Betrayal, Divorce & Starting Over | Wistaloom Life doesn’t always go as planned. After 20 years of marriage, two kids, and a life we built together from high school sweethearts, I never imagined it would end like this. This is my story — of betrayal, gut instincts, heartbreak, and finding the courage to rebuild from the ashes. In this video, I open up about: The signs I missed How I uncovered the truth What my kids noticed before I did The legal battles and emotional fallout And how I started healing — with a new love, a dream car, and a trip to Thailand. 💬 If you’ve ever been betrayed, cheated on, or felt like your world was crumbling — I hope this story helps you feel less alone.
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0:00
hey Wistloom family James here Life has
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a way of hitting you with moments that
0:05
test everything you thought you knew
0:06
about trust love and
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yourself Today I'm opening up about one
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of the hardest chapters of my life A
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story of betrayal heartbreak and the
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strength it took to rebuild If you've
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ever faced a moment where your world
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felt like it was crumbling or you're
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wondering how to pick up the pieces this
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video is for you Grab a drink get
0:26
comfortable and let's walk through this
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journey together Sarah and I were high
0:30
school sweethearts just 17 when we fell
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in love We were kids with big dreams
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building a life together through
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marriage raising two teenagers and
0:39
navigating over 20 years of shared
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memories Now in our 40s we'd settled
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into a rhythm I worked grueling night
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shifts to keep the bills paid while
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Sarah took a new job as a diesel engine
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repair mechanic a field she'd only
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recently entered Her workplace was
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mostly male colleagues with a few women
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in support roles like office staff or
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the parts department At first I didn't
1:00
think much of it We'd always trusted
1:02
each other and her new job seemed like a
1:04
fresh start for her But as time passed I
1:07
noticed changes that planted a seed of
1:08
doubt Sarah started spending more time
1:10
with her female colleagues after work
1:13
These weren't quick catch-ups over
1:14
coffee They were long evenings sometimes
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stretching to 7 or 8:00 p.m A couple of
1:20
times she didn't come home at all
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staying over at their places after
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drinking That was a red flag Sarah was
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always the responsible one not the type
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to drink publicly or lose track of time
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I tried to brush it off as her adjusting
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to new friendships but a quiet unease
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settled in my chest Was this just a
1:39
phase or was something deeper going on i
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wanted to trust her but my gut was
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whispering otherwise One night I was
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home not working and went to bed around
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3:00 a.m my usual time after a night
1:50
shift Sarah's phone screen lit up the
1:52
room pulling me out of a light sleep I
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couldn't tell if she was texting or
1:56
browsing but she didn't hide it so I let
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it slide Still it noded at me Then she
2:03
got up and started getting ready hours
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before her 8:00 a.m shift She wasn't
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dressed like a mechanic heading to work
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Her outfit was polished almost dlike
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with a sharpness that didn't match her
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usual greasy coveralls When I asked what
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was up she said she was going for a walk
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with colleagues A walk at 4:00 a.m in
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Arizona where it was drizzling and
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45° Raincoats aren't exactly a thing
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here The story felt flimsy like a puzzle
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piece that didn't fit I tried to stay
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calm but my mind started racing At 5:00
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a.m I texted her about borrowing her
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truck for a dump run No reply
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15 minutes later I called She said they
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were still walking in the rain for over
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an hour My brain kicked into overdrive I
2:48
overanalyze things It's how I'm wired I
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sometimes miss social cues which makes
2:53
me second guess myself Was I being
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paranoid or was this a real warning sign
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i decided to trust my instincts and
3:00
confront her when she got home When
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Sarah walked in I asked to see her phone
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She flipped the script demanding mine
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first like we were in a standoff I
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handed mine over without hesitation I
3:10
had nothing to hide My life was work
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kids and sleep No room for secrets But
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when I checked her phone the active
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messages looked too clean A conversation
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I'd noticed earlier one with a guy named
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Mark a colleague she'd mentioned
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casually was gone vanished My heart sank
3:30
I called Mark's number right there
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handed her the phone and asked to see
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their texts
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She acted confused innocent like I was
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making it all up But I pressed harder
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pointing out she'd messaged him before
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leaving home and after trips she claimed
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were to Vegas Her response vague
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deflections no real answers She went
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upstairs shut down and refused to talk
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That silence spoke louder than any
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excuse That night I felt the sting of
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betrayal I packed a bag and left telling
4:01
Sarah I needed space My world was
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unraveling but I wasn't ready to give up
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Not on the truth and not on our kids I
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reached out to a friend who's a police
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investigator hoping for clarity He gave
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me a master class in confronting
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deception James he said don't expect a
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full confession Guilty people rarely
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admit everything even if they own up to
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something small Treat it like a poker
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game Don't show your hand he advised
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suggesting I knew more than I did
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encouraging her to talk without
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revealing my limits He also warned that
4:34
evidence like texts or call logs is
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often hidden or deleted My job was to
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look for gaps Times when communication
4:41
with Mark stopped suggesting they were
4:43
together in person Armed with this
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advice I went back to Sarah I asked
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again about her phone She barely glanced
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at mine but her eyes were locked on what
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I was doing with hers The investigator
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was right Classic guilt I opened her
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phone app entered Mark's number and
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checked for texts Nothing I showed her
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the empty log and said "You exchanged
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900 messages with him last month Where
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are they?" She froze then admitted she
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deleted them Why she mumbled something
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about wanting a divorce but not being
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ready to tell me That hit like a
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sledgehammer Divorce after 20 years I
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didn't push too hard I didn't want to
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tip her off about how much I knew
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Knowing the exact number of texts was my
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trump card It showed I wasn't bluffing
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Sarah's stories started falling apart
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She claimed she'd been at a tattoo
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parlor but had no sketches no photos
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just vague mentions of design ideas from
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the internet She said she went to Home
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Depot for lifting belt rings Came back
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empty-handed Her excuses about late
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nights or traffic were thin lacking
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specifics like a car accident or a
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friend's name An innocent person shares
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details freely Where they were who they
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talked to what they laughed about Sarah
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she dodged deflected and got defensive
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It wasn't just me she was lying to Our
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youngest Alex who's autistic and
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hyperfocused on details started catching
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her
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inconsistencies He'd check bar hours
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online and call her out for claiming she
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was drinking at 4:00 a.m when bars were
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closed Seeing our kids tangled in her
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lies broke my heart I consulted a lawyer
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to understand my options He laid it out
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With shared custody I'd owe just $142 a
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month in alimony for 5 years The house I
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could sell it even if Sarah fought it I
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had more savings but he showed me how to
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protect them by using the house as
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leverage If I covered half the payments
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until our kids were grown I could secure
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my investments and company shares which
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hadn't fully matured It felt like a
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chess game Strategic calculated but
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necessary to protect my future and my
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kids In the middle of the storm I needed
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to feel alive again On a whim I
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downloaded Tinder not for hookups just
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to feel seen I swiped left on most
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profiles but one woman Emily caught my
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eye We matched and her first message
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"Hello handsome," was like a warm hug
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after a cold night We met for drinks and
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it was effortless She'd been through
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infidelity too divorced for years and
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was ready to date again We talked for
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hours shared a kiss Sarah had already
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filed for divorce so I was free to
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explore this That night I slept better
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than I had in months Emily didn't fix
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everything but she reminded me I was
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worth something I pushed forward with
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the divorce signed papers found a rental
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near our current home so the kids Alex
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and Mia could visit easily I switched to
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day shifts for better pickup and drop
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off schedules The lawyer used our email
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agreement as a template Sarah waved
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claims to my company shares a huge
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relief With her solid job I owed no
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spousal support just the $142 alimony
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for the kids We negotiated that half
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would go to their college savings a
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compromise that felt right The house was
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the last hurdle Sarah didn't want to
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sell but she couldn't afford the
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mortgage alone My lawyer assured me that
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if I pushed it'd be sold and I'd get my
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share Life started to shift I indulged a
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dream I'd put off for years a 1979 Fiat
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Spider convertible It wasn't just a car
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It was a symbol of freedom a reward for
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surviving Sarah meanwhile faced
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consequences She lost her job at the
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shop where she met Mark My sister told
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me Mark had a history Four failed
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marriages a pattern of charming women
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draining their finances and vanishing He
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convinced Sarah to sell the house took
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the money and left her struggling She
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was also diagnosed with breast cancer
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adding to her challenges Our kid said
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she was in an emotional tail spin I
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didn't wish her pain but I couldn't find
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sympathy She chose this path As for me
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I'm
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rebuilding Emily and I are taking things
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slow but she's a bright spot I took a
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trip to Thailand for self-discovery
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embracing new experiences like street
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markets and quiet beaches The 14-our
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time difference kept me up not the
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heartbreak
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I respond to Sarah's texts on my terms
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sometimes days later prioritizing my
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well-being The divorce is finalized and
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I've secured a travel position at work
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adding 15 hours of overtime weekly
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without affecting alimony I updated my
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insurance cutting Sarah out and
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redirected funds to our kids' medical
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needs especially for Alex's autism
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support Looking back I see my
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mistakes Early on I begged Sarah to stay
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lost my composure even took leave from
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work It was humbling but I learned I
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should have trusted my instincts sooner
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asked harder questions like why Mia
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clashed with Sarah over her lies An
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innocent person doesn't dodge They
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explain openly because they've got
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nothing to hide Sarah's lies were laced
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with halftruths like the tattoo parlor
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visit that didn't add up Guilty people
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craft plausible stories but they crumble
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under scrutiny To everyone watching
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here's what I've learned First trust
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your gut If something feels off it
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probably is Second don't expect a
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cheater to confess fully They'll hide
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delete deflect Get evidence Call logs
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text records gaps that show they were
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together Third don't beg or lose
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yourself trying to save what's broken
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Consult a lawyer Know your rights
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Protect your
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assets Using the house's leverage saved
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my savings And finally don't let
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betrayal define you There's life after
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heartbreak I found hope in Emily in my
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kid's laughter in the open road of a
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Fiat spider With Staloom family this
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journey was brutal but it taught me
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resilience As Walt Disney said we keep
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moving forward opening new doors because
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we're curious I'm curious about what's
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next A new home new adventures maybe new
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love If you've been through betrayal or
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a tough breakup share your story in the
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comments How did you rebuild your words
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could lift someone else up If this
11:00
resonated give it a thumbs up subscribe
11:03
to Wistloom and hit the bell for more
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stories of strength Thanks for being
11:07
here and I'll see you in the next
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