I am a 38 year old mother of two wonderful children (ages seven and five) and have been married to my husband Luke for almost ten years.
We have had our challenges, like any couple, but what happened on our last trip to Mexico shook me up more than anything else we have experienced. Picture this: We’re in Mexico, surrounded by gorgeous beaches and beautiful weather. I couldn’t wait for this trip. I planned everything meticulously because, let’s be honest, as a mother, I rarely get a break.
This was supposed to be our time to reconnect, relax, and just enjoy each other’s company. But from the very beginning, Lukasz was acting strange. Every time I asked him to take a picture together, he refused. “I don’t feel like it,” he’d say, or “We can do it later?” At first, I didn’t pay much attention to it.
Maybe he was just tired from the trip, right? But then it happened again. We were at a beautiful beach and I was wearing a new dress that I bought especially for this trip. I felt good, which is rare these days after two kids and everything. I asked my husband, “Can you take a picture of me in front of the sunset?,” he sighed and muttered, “Not now, Hanka.” I frowned and felt a little disappointed. When I asked him why not, he just snapped no and that was it.
That hurt. I mean, we're on vacation and he can't take a minute to take a picture? I felt awkward and confused. Throughout the trip, I noticed he was very protective of his phone. He hid the screen every time I walked by and even took it with him to the bathroom.
My gut told me something was wrong, but I tried to ignore it. One afternoon, while Lukasz was taking a shower, I noticed his phone on the bed. My heart skipped a beat as I picked it up. I know it's wrong to invade someone's privacy, but I had to find out the truth. I quickly unlocked his phone and opened his recent messages. There it was, a group chat with his friends.
What I read made my blood run cold. He wrote, “Imagine, with her weight she still wants me to take pictures of her! How will she even fit in the frame?” Tears welled up in my eyes and I felt like I couldn't breathe. This was the man I loved, the father of my children, speaking so cruelly about me behind my back. I thought we were partners, that he loved me for who I was, but he ridiculed me in front of his friends.
I put his phone down and sat in shock. How could he? I felt devastated and betrayed. Our marriage was far from perfect, but I never thought he thought so little of me. I cried quietly so I wouldn't wake the kids. After a while, my tears dried and I felt something else: anger. I wasn't going to let him get away with this so easily. I had to do something to show him that his words had consequences.
And so an idea came to me. I pulled out my phone and started going through the photos I had taken during my trip. I picked the best ones and posted them. The next day I was still reeling from Lukasz’s betrayal, unable to get the things he had written about me out of my head. But then something happened that added another layer to the already complicated situation. The night before our trip, I found out that my uncle, whom I had never met, had died and left me a large inheritance.
I had planned to tell Lukasz the news during our vacation, hoping it would be a nice surprise, but after finding out what he really thought of me, I decided to keep it to myself. This morning the news somehow reached Lukasz through his mother, who found out about the inheritance.
I was just about to pack our bags and end our trip early when Lukasz walked in with a bouquet of flowers. He had that shy look on his face I had seen a few times when he knew he had messed up.
He started apologizing, calling himself an idiot, and pointed out that now, with my uncle's money, I could hire the best fitness specialists and dieticians to lose weight. I couldn't believe my ears. Did he really think that an apology and an offer to use my inheritance to change me for him would be enough? I was overwhelmed with anger and replied, “Maybe I will, Łukasz. But not so that you can finally look at me.”
The look on his face was priceless. He expected me to just forgive him and move on. But I was ready for change. I had achieved my goal. “Łukasz, I'm filing for divorce,” I said in a firm voice, despite the storm inside me. His eyes widened and he was momentarily speechless. Then, to my surprise, he began to cry. “Please, Hanna, don’t leave me alone,” he begged.
“I’d already told my friends I was planning on buying a new SUV to go off-roading with them, and now without your money, all my plans are ruined.” I was stunned. It became clear to me how little he valued me.
He didn’t care about our relationship or our family; he cared about what my money could buy him. I looked at him with pity and determination. “Looks like you love my money more than me. You can find another way to buy an SUV. Goodbye, Lukasz.”
Don't miss: Real life. “My friend is jealous of my husband and kid”: All because I can't go clubbing with her anymore
Take a look: Real life. “Daughter, she better go back where she came from because you can't live with her”: Daughter-in-law heard from her mother