Iris’s husband left her and the kids with a meager $20 for three days while he attended a wedding alone.
Frustrated and desperate, she made a bold move to teach him a lesson.
When he returned, the sight before him made him fall to his knees and burst into tears.
Hey there! Iris here. My life isn’t all sunshine and roses, even though it might seem that way from the outside.
I’m a stay-at-home mom, juggling an eight-year-old firecracker named Ollie and a sassy six-year-old princess, Sophie…
My husband, Paul, works a stable job and brings home the bacon, or rather the chicken these days. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a fantastic dad, showers the kids with gifts, and makes sure we have everything we need.
But here’s the thing, after our second child, things shifted. Paul started focusing more on work and less on us.
Gone were the days of spontaneous movie nights or romantic dinners. Now, whenever I’d suggest something, it’d always be “work stress” or needing “me time.” I brushed it off initially, but lately, it’s been gnawing at me.
Last week, something happened that threw a wrench into our already strained relationship. Paul came home early, beaming, announcing a half-day off for his friend Alex’s wedding.
He said he would be gone for three days.
A spark of excitement ignited in me! Maybe this could be our little escape, a few days away from the constant demands of motherhood and household. But my balloon of hope quickly popped when I found out ONLY HE was invited.
“Why not me?” I pouted, disappointment clouding my voice.
Paul explained that Alex was a “bit strange” and wanted a close-knit gathering without partners.
Now, that struck me as odd.
“Are there any single women attending?” I probed, biting my nails, a nervous habit I just can’t seem to kick.
Paul furrowed his brows, his mood shifting from casual to irritated. “Iris, come on,” he mumbled, and sensing his annoyance, I backtracked with a playful, “Just kidding! Stay away from those single ladies, alright?!”
Big mistake.
He took it as a full-blown accusation, and before you know it, we were embroiled in a massive fight. Paul accused me of being suspicious, of dictating his every move. He even started lecturing me on the “secrets to a strong relationship,” making me feel like a paranoid control freak.
But hey, I wasn’t completely wrong, was I?
I snapped, reminding him how he constantly prioritized his “me time” with friends, leaving me home alone with the kids.
“I want to enjoy life too, Paul!” I yelled, tears welling up in my eyes. “What’s the point of all this money if you’re never here?”
That’s when things got scary. Paul was practically glaring daggers at me.
Then, in a move that left me speechless, he pulled out a measly $20 bill.
“Here,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “if you don’t need my money, run the house on this for three days while I’m gone!”
He shoved the cash into my hand and stormed out of the house before I could utter another word. My jaw hung slack, anger and disbelief swirling inside me. Did he seriously think I could run a household with three hungry members on a meager $20?
The audacity!
Tears threatening to spill, I raced to the fridge, clinging to a sliver of hope. Maybe, just maybe, there was enough food to last for three days.
But as I swung open the door, my heart sank. The fridge was practically bare, containing only a row of Ollie’s brightly colored juice boxes, a lone pickle, and less than a dozen eggs.
This wasn’t going to work. We needed groceries, and with only $20, I felt completely stranded.
Anger simmered within me. Paul knew our financial situation; I didn’t have any hidden stash of cash.
He was deliberately trying to make a point, and guess what? It backfired. Now, I was determined to get revenge, to make him understand the struggle I faced every single day.
But how?
My gaze darted around the room, landing on the glass cabinet where Paul kept his prized collection of antique coins. They were like trophies to him, each one with a story, some dating back to his great-grandfather’s era.
An evil glint flickered in my eyes. Maybe these could be the key to getting some groceries and teaching my husband a little lesson.
My heart raced as I reached for the glass cabinet.
Guilt gnawed at the edges of my determination, but the image of the empty fridge and Paul’s flippant challenge fueled me.
With trembling hands, I gathered the coins, their smooth surfaces cold against my skin. Each clink against the glass echoed in the room, a tiny betrayal chipping away at my conscience.
Ignoring the rising tide of guilt, I raced to the local antique shop, a place I’d only ever admired from afar. The owner, a wiry man with a silver goatee, squinted at the coins through a magnifying glass.
My breath hitched in my throat.
Would these even sell? But then, his voice, gruff but surprisingly cheerful, broke the tense silence. “Seven hundred dollars,” he announced, his eyes twinkling.
Relief washed over me so intense it felt like I could breathe again.
“Sold!” I blurted, practically shoving the coins into his surprised hands.
The guilt, however, resurfaced with a vengeance as I clutched the wad of cash. This wasn’t just revenge anymore; it was a betrayal of Paul’s trust. But the thought of my children’s hungry faces spurred me on.
With a spring in my step, I stormed to the grocery store, filling my cart with mountains of fresh produce, enough meat to last a week, and a mountain of treats for the kids.
A part of me reveled in the freedom of not having to check the price tags, but a larger part ached for the trust I’d shattered.
As I unpacked the groceries back home, humming along to a classic playing on the gramophone, a dark shadow of app
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