After a fight with her husband, Charles, Jess gives him time to cool down at his best friend’s house, with the promise that he’ll return home the next day for them to talk. But when Jess scrolls through social media, she finds that Linda, Charles’ mother, has announced their divorce. Is there truth to the story or did Jess miss something?
My husband and I had a huge fight one evening. It was rare but not unheard of for us. We were both hot-headed individuals, and sometimes our emotions got in the way of reasoning.
But long story short, Charles stormed out of the house and spent the night at his best friend’s place. I could still see his location, and he called me to let me know that he’d be home the next day.
“I just need some time to cool off,” Charles said. “But I’ll be home tomorrow, and we can sit down and talk. Okay?”
And just like that, I knew that we’d be okay.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said.
With nothing but my thoughts to occupy me, I decided to take a bubble bath and have an early night.
“May as well just take a personal night,” I muttered to myself as the bathtub filled.
The next day, I cooked up a storm. I knew that irrespective of how upset Charles had been the day before, he would look forward to dinner together once he got home.
While waiting for him to come home, I lounged on the couch, scrolling through my socials when a post from my mother-in-law made my jaw drop.
It featured a very unflattering picture of me with the caption:
Cheers to new beginnings! I’m happy to announce that my son is no longer associated with this psychotic gold digger. Charles is back on the market! Ladies under 25, please message me so that I can set up a date…
My heart raced as nausea took over my body. I read the words over and over, Linda’s voice ringing in my head.
“This has to be a joke,” I said, dialing my mother-in-law’s number, barely able to keep my hands from shaking.
“Hello?” she answered, her voice sugary sweet.
“Linda, what the hell is this?” I nearly shouted, my voice trembling with anger as I fought to hold back my tears.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, either completely oblivious or just acting very well.
“Your Facebook post!” I exploded.
“Oh, that,” she replied. “Charles hasn’t told you yet? We both decided it would be better if you two parted ways. I mean, let’s face it, Jess, you’re not the perfect person for my son. He deserves someone who truly appreciates him.”
What was she going on about?
“He deserves someone who appreciates him? You mean like me? His wife? The actual woman he married?” I shouted.
I was pacing through my living room, trying to process what she was saying.
“And why on earth would you post something like this on Facebook? This is humiliating! What will everyone think about this?”
“Well, Jess,” she said slowly. “He called me last night and told me all about your fight.”
She paused, as if trying to choose her words carefully.
“He said some pretty harsh things, and I just thought it was time to take action. Clearly, my son is fed up with the situation. You should just let him go. Be graceful about this, Jess. Let him meet someone new.”
“Linda, you are just unbelievable,” I snapped, ending the call before she could respond.
I sat on the couch, my mind racing. My husband and I had our problems, but we always worked through them.
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