My friend convinced me to file for divorce, and when I found out why, I was shocked.
After getting bad news about her husband from a palm reader, the woman began to have questions about him. When she asked him about what was going on, her whole life changed. She quickly felt bad about the choices she had made, but it was too late.
Hi, my name is Rhona and I want to tell you this interesting story. Imagine that an unplanned betrayal by a friend breaks up your life, which used to be stable. If you told me this a year ago, I would have laughed. It would have rocked my world. I’m still here, though, picking up the pieces.
Bring me back to college. Mark, an architecture student, comes up to me while I’m reading a book. We don’t get along, but we get along. We looked for work for a while and then decided to go back to my city. Everything will be fine after we move into an apartment. We finally get married.
Anna, a high school friend, shows up at our wedding from New York City out of the blue. She’s living her dream by making outfits for cosplayers and the theater. She’s always the life of the party. At the desk, she offers to read Mark’s palm to make him laugh and shakes his hand. She makes fun of his loyalty while her eyes light up with mischief. At least everyone seems to be having a good time.
At that point, things start to go wrong, even though it looks like fun. Anna gives me a hint about faithfulness that makes me slowly but surely lose faith in her. As time goes on, someone I used to trust starts to break down everything I hold dear. This is the story of how my life goes from being stable to being full of chaos and doubt.
Let’s remember Labor Day from last year. Anna is a sight to behold when she comes back to town with her usual style and a bag full of stories about New York City. It’s always fun to have her here, even if she’s only here for a few days. We didn’t see this coming, but she has another surprise in store for us that will really shake things up.
In the evening, we’re all drinking drinks and talking about the good old days in our apartment. Anna suddenly shows up to do her job as a palm reader again. She takes Mark’s hand and uses her fingers to make lines that look like they belong in a play. She goes on, “Let’s see what your future holds,” with a hint of interest in her voice. While they wait to see what she comes up with next, everyone in the room goes quiet.
She talks about normal things like living a long time and being successful in her work. It sounds like she doesn’t care when her tone changes. “And this shows a… tangled web in matters of the heart,” she says as she points to a passage. Even though she laughs it off, what she says sticks with you. Mark laughs and squeezes my hand. Even though I try to smile, something inside me is twisted.
Things start to change after that. Mark seems to be pulling away from me, but maybe it’s just in my head. Does he really work that many late shifts? Why does his phone always go to voicemail when I call him at these times? The things Anna said keep going through my mind and feeding a disturbing suspicion that keeps growing.
I decide that one day I will sneak into his job. It’s getting late, so he should be wrapping up, but his desk is empty, and his coworkers are shrugging, not sure where he went. My heart beats fast, and my doubt turns into worry. Where could he be?
I find myself checking his phone while he’s in the shower more and more often, thinking why he’s putting in a passcode now. Little things I do that aren’t even bad feel like pieces of a puzzle I’m afraid to put together.
Finally, I talk to him. “Have you found a new partner?” When he gets home late again one night, I blurt it out.
Then he laughs and looks at me like he doesn’t understand. Why is that? Of course not at all!
That being said, I’m not convinced. Now, Anna’s silly reads sound like scary warnings. I get a chill when Mark laughs off my worries. Isn’t this exactly what Anna thought he would say? If someone ever asks, would you laugh it off?
At that point, I make a decision that changes everything. He should leave for a while so that we can have some alone time, please. But in the end, it’s me who grabs my keys and leaves, my mind racing with pain and doubt, to go to my parents’ house, which is the only place I feel safe anymore. I later asked Mark for a divorce.
As I get used to my old room at my parents’ house, I begin to understand how real what I did was. There are old medals and pictures of happier times all over the walls. This is both comforting and suffocating. I both feel like I’m stuck in the past and like I’m getting away from it. This is more than just a visit. I broke up with the guy I thought loved me because I started to doubt him.
A day feels like a week. After the initial shock wears off, the weight of my choice hits me hard. Mark and I start seeing each other more often at work so that I can catch him cheating. Every check-in or surprise visit doesn’t lead to anything. Either he’s really shocked to see me, or he’s being sneaky about it.
My family starts to notice my obsession. My mom tries to calm me down one afternoon over coffee. She is always the voice of reason. Are you sure you’re not thinking too much about this, honey? People say silly things all the time, especially at social events. It’s the phrase “tangled web in matters of the heart” that keeps coming back to me, though.
The tipping point is when I decide to do something extreme. A private eye and I work together. I might need solid proof to tell Mark the truth if he won’t admit anything, or I might just need to calm down.
Any new information from the detective is what keeps me going. Every call and report makes me hope for news, but nothing important ever comes up. There is a mix of happiness and irritation. Why can’t I just let this go? Why do I not trust Mark?
I have been turned down to join his family’s Thanksgiving meal. They say, “It would be awkward.” It’s almost Christmas, and I hate being by myself, taking calls from family, and seeing how sorry they act.
After that, Christmas at my parents’ house turns into an unexpected rescue mission. As everyone meets in the living room, my dad speaks up out of the blue. He has always been more of a quiet supporter. We think this makes Rona less like herself. What will happen if they can’t find anything? What if Anna was just acting silly and crazy like she always does?” My mom looks into my worried eyes and nods her head to show that she agrees.
I’m sticking to the decisions I’ve made, but doubt starts to creep in. Deep down, I think they might be right. Mark has always been loyal and caring. Have I made up a deception because I have doubts about someone?
Following the holiday season, I return to the city and meet Mark for coffee. It will be our first face-to-face meeting in months. It’s strange and tense. I tell him about the detective. He doesn’t lose his cool very often, which surprises me. Instead, he seems down. “I’ve always loved you, Rhona.” I thought you already knew that. What he said really hit home for me. What I’ve been telling myself about him is completely different from what he said.
As I leave the coffee shop, I get a chill down my spine. What if I made a big mistake? What if my false charge was the only thing that broke up our marriage?
Even though I had a heart-to-heart with Mark, my worries still follow me into the new year. The fact that the private detective hasn’t found anything doesn’t make me feel better, so I take more precautions. We might not be seeing something. It’s possible that we’re not looking hard enough. Now, every time the detective calls, I feel scared.
The detective calls on a cold January afternoon and sounds strange. “I think I might have something,” he says. “Last night, your husband was seen having dinner with a woman at a small restaurant in downtown.” My heart stops. This is it, the real deal, the proof I’ve been hoping for and dreading.
With the name of the restaurant in mind, I set out to catch him in the act. As I walk through the doors, I see them. Mark by himself and… Anna. They are sitting across from each other and having a long conversation. I really don’t believe what I’m seeing. Anna? Why her? What’s going on?
My feelings are out of control, so I charge over. “Mark!” “What is this?” I demand with a louder voice than I meant to. A few more people look around. Anna looks up, her face pale and shocked. Mark is shocked, but not guilty. He is confused and may have been hurt.
“Rhona, please let me explain—” he starts. I’m not here to listen to him, though.
Anna speaks up, but her voice is shaking. “Rhona, I brought him here to talk to you because I wanted to help you two get along again.”
But it doesn’t make sense. Why do it alone? Why her? I turn to leave with a broken heart. Mark grabs my arm, though, and is strong but kind. “Hold on, Rhona.” First, pay attention to this. It was recorded ten minutes ago, but he pulls out his phone and plays it.
Ana’s voice fills the room. “Mark, I love you.” You’ve always made me feel things. I thought that you might come to me if I could make Rhona not trust you and push you away. What I learned hits me like a big brick.
It gets quiet in the space. Anna’s face changes as she realizes what she wants to do. Mark says, “This is not what I want at all.” Rhona, I wanted to tell you in person and show you proof so you would believe me.
As I stand there, frozen, a wave of realization hits me. Anna, not Mark, was the one who lied. Our marriage fell apart because she lied about how much she loved him.
When I look at Mark, I see someone who is going through the same thing I am: a plan. Not the cheating husband I thought he was. At that point, the walls I had built around my heart began to fall down. “I… I don’t know what to say,” I try to say but fail.
Mark puts out a warm hand to grab mine. So let’s start by having a real talk. We could also find a way to get back together. Anna quickly says sorry and leaves with a sudden movement of her body.
Now it’s just Mark and me, and we have a long way to go before we can settle down. Even if they aren’t strong, there is a chance to build on truth, and for the first time in months, there is hope.
Slowly but surely, the stress of the past few months starts to lift as Mark and I enjoy the peace that comes after Anna’s exit. We talk for hours in that tiny cafe, working through the complicated web of misunderstandings and lies. It’s rough and nasty, but it’s necessary. We talk about everything, from how Anna’s tricks made me feel more and more scared and anxious to how he felt lonely when I didn’t believe him.
As we leave the restaurant hand in hand, the air between us is still cold, like the first thin layer of ice on a pond in the winter. We know more than ever that it will take time and work to rebuild trust. But most people know that what we had is worth fighting for, and they are determined to do so.
Mark and I are going to couple’s treatment for the next few weeks. We go to mental depths that none of us want to go; it’s hard. We improve the way we talk to each other and make sure that doubt doesn’t have a chance to grow. Over time, the pieces start to fit back together. The treatment gives us tools to fix our link and make it better for when the storms happen again.
The lease on our apartment ends soon after that. As bad things as they have been, it looks like a new beginning with the man I love. My parents honor me with a small goodbye meal because they saw how much pain I was in and were there for me when I was having doubts. We are both excited about our new beginning and sad to leave behind the things we love.
Mark and I take one last look at the empty apartment that was our first place to live together when we moved in together. It’s full of memories, both good and bad. We leave the house in the sunshine, ready to start over. We turn off the lights and close the door behind us.
