Vicky, honestly, nothing terrible has happened! Men do this sometimesthey get carried away, cant help themselves. Be the bigger person. Are you really going to let some girl take your husband? Shell think shes won! Fight for your family! pleaded her mother-in-law.
On Saturday morning, Vicky dropped her son off at her parents. Shed arranged for Daniel to stay with them for a while.
Back home, Victoria pulled cardboard boxes from the balcony and began packing. She started in the nursery, carefully folding clothes, wrapping toys, sealing boxes with tape, and labelling them. Soon, only the furniture remainedthings she didnt plan to take with her.
Around noon, her phone rang. Mother-in-law.
Hello, Margaret.
Good afternoon, Vicky. Jeremy told me everything. I know youre upset, but must you rush? Take a moment, cool down, think it over. Do you really want to tear the family apart?
Im not the one tearing it apartJeremy is, Vicky replied.
Im not excusing him! But couldnt you forgive him, just this once?
Once? Your sons been seeing his colleague for six months, lying to me. And you say forgive him? No.
Vicky, please, think again. Youre taking Daniels father away from him. Jeremy adores his son!
Margaret, Jeremy can see Daniel whenever he likes. I wont stop him. But I wont live with him anymore. Lets leave it at thatIve got packing to do.
She taped the last two boxes, then moved to the bedroom to fill her suitcases.
An hour later, Margaret turned up unannounced, convinced she could talk sense into her daughter-in-law.
The conversation went in circles.
Vicky, really, its not the end of the world! Men strayit happens. Be wise. Are you really going to let some girl steal your husband? Fight for your family!
Margaret, Jeremy isnt some trophy I need to fight over. Should I challenge Jane to a duel? A boxing match? Whats she got to do with this? If it wasnt her, itd be Ellie or Christina.
Let me tell you somethingJeremys father, Robert, did the same when he was younger. But I was wiser than you. I saved our marriage. Thirty-five years together nowour coral anniversarys coming up.
And how did you manage that? Vicky smirked.
I didnt make scenes. I was kinder, cooked his favourite meals, took an interest in his work. Changed my hair, lost weight, greeted him with a smile.
Sometimes I knew hed just come from her. I wanted to throw his shoes at himor better yet, whack him with a frying pan. But I bit my tongue. And lookI kept my husband. My son grew up with a father, and now my grandson has a grandfather.
Margaret, youre an extraordinary woman. I couldnt do that. My sense of disgust is too strong. What youre suggesting is like eating from a bin.
Margaret flushed, stood abruptly, and stormed out without a goodbye.
Vicky kept packing. She knew this wasnt the endJeremy and Margaret would hassle her again. Thats why she hurried to leave.
The next day, her dad arrived. They loaded the boxes into a van and drove off.
On the way, Vicky asked him to stop at Margarets to return the flat keys.
You wont believe it, Vicky told her friend Emily the next afternoon. Yesterday, Margaret spent an hour begging me to forgive Jeremys little slip and not file for divorce.
What was her argument? Emily asked.
The usual. Youre robbing Daniel of his father, all men cheat, women must be wiser. Then she shared how she won her husband back.
How?
I wont repeat itpure madness. You wouldnt believe it.
Have you filed?
Yes, last Friday.
Good riddance to that Casanova. It was painful watching that two-timing idiot.
Painful watching? You knew about Jane? Vicky froze.
Not for certain, but I suspected, Emily admitted guiltily.
And you didnt tell me? I thought we were friends. Vicky stood to leave.
Wait! Hear me out. First, I didnt know for sure. I saw what you sawjust drew different conclusions. Remember the office party?
Think about how Jane fawned over Jeremy. You saw it, right? How many times did she angle to go on trips with him?
Youre in HRyou handle the paperwork. Didnt it strike you as odd how Jane always swapped shifts last minute to travel with him? I suspected, but I wasnt sure enough to say anything.
You couldve hinted.
What if I was wrong? Youd have thought I was stirring trouble. Remember Sarah White?
She told a friend shed seen her husband with another womaneven showed her a photo of them hugging.
Cue the drama. They made up, but Sarah got blamed for trying to wreck a happy marriage out of jealousy. She quit the company soon after. So dont be mad. If Id had proof, Id have told you. Where will you live now?
The flats in Margarets name, so Daniel and I have moved in with Mum and Dad. But well fix up Grans old placetenants moved out last month. Just two bedrooms, but enough for us.
Need to sort nurserythe old ones too far, but Mums friend can help transfer him to the one near ours. Once were divorced, Ill file for child support.
Is Jeremy agreeing?
Says he doesnt want a divorce, that hes learned his lesson. But once was enough. He begged me not to file for supportpromised to pay voluntarily.
And?
No. I dont want to see him again. Let it be official. He threatened to take Daniel: My flats better, my salarys higher.
I didnt answer. Just counted how many work trips he took last yeareight.
What did he say?
Im saving that for court. If he tries for custody, Ill ask wholl care for Daniel when hes away. Ive got a job, a flat. He wont win.
Jeremy did file for custody, insisting Daniel stay with him:
My ex-wife cant provide the standard of living our son deserves.
Margaret claimed Vicky was hiding the boy:
She took him from nursery. We thought theyd stay with her parents, but they vanished after a week. Where is she keeping him? He should be in nursery, not some shady place!
Vicky had to explain: they lived in her two-bed flat, Daniel attended the local nursery, and Jeremys frequent travel made him an unfit primary carer.
In the end, neither Jeremy nor Margaret got their way.
Vicky, unwilling to cross paths with Jeremy, found a new jobher skills made it easy.
Soon after, Emily brought news:
Jane quit and left.
Why?
The office women made her life hell. She stuck it out a month, realised the game was up, and bolted for London. So your ex is alone now.
Doesnt bother me, Vicky said.
And she meant it. Because some wells, once poisoned, can never be drunk from again.
What would you have done? Was Vicky right? Share your thoughts below.
