She is posted up on her spot on their overstuffed couch. The kids are in bed, the dishes are done, the laundry basket with the mountain of clean clothes sits at her feet. But instead of folding them, just yet, she takes a few minutes to scroll on her phone and relax.
A few minutes turned into an hour. It was worth it. She needed the quiet time to herself.
Her husband wasn’t home. But she knew where he was. He was with the secret he thought he hid so well. But the signs, subtle at first, were glaringly obvious now.
“Late meetings” at work didn’t jive when his co-worker beat her to the neighborhood gathering. The “weekend errands” that took hours but only resulted in him picking up a gallon of milk didn’t jive with the receipt that showed the purchase was made 22 minutes before he came home. The new cologne he wore. The gym memberships. The canceled date nights because he was too busy and stressed with work.
His new lock screen photo on his phone that replaced their wedding photo.
She knew. He was cheating.
The hours grew later, her husband still not home while the laundry still not folded and she escaped a little longer with funny videos. But every video she came across was the same theme echoing in her life:
Wife Guy: the definition of devoted husband whose personality is his marriage.
But he cheated.
The double life of “Wife Guys”
Shocking: news of an affair!
Adam Levine, musician, cheated on his pregnant wife.
Wants to name his son after the model he had an affair with.
The musician’s messages with the model expose their relationship.
Model tells all.
Musician admits to “inappropriate behavior.”
Model wife and model mistress.
Caught in the act at a concert: cheating.
Ned Fulmer, Youtube Star, cheating.
Family-man Youtube brand: exposed.
Devoted husband and father has an affair.
Cheating with his employee.
What does it mean for his family?
What does it mean for his business?
Is Try Guys over?
The same content continued to flood over her no matter how much she tried to escape it. The illusion of the entire world speaking to her about her husband’s own double life. Finally, she gave up on seeking peace and distraction from her phone and turned it off. Only for the memories to flash in sequences one after the other:
They’re at a friends wedding. He is chatting across the way. Big smile, drink in hand, the only married man in that circle of friends. She can’t hear his words clearly, but his tone is proud and happy. The phrase “my wife” rings out to her from a distance. It is said with love.
They’re sitting on this very couch, flipping through the photo options for their holiday card. His chin rests on her shoulder as they look at the screen. He points. “That one,” and she asks why? He kisses her cheek and simply says, “because you can see how in love we are.” They mailed the photo out to family and friends that very week.
She arrives the event a few minutes late. They came separately from work. His back is to her. As she approaches she can her him clearly, “My Wife should be here any minute” “You’ll love her” “she is fantastic.” She also heard his nearly retired coworker gruff, “Something must be wrong with you to be so obsessed with your wife.” Just before she wrapped her arms around her husband from behind, she could hear the smile in his voice when he answered, “No, we are just happy.”
She stopped the playback of memories to a halt, wondering when and what changed. But then she thought, the telltale signs of his affair and her memories of his commitment and love dovetailed together perfectly into one time-line.
Somehow, confusingly, her husband presented as loving, devoted, and committed while maintaining his affair. A wail from the baby monitor finally jolted her form the internal spiral in her head and heart.
While she walked to the nursery, both uncertain and resigned as only a human can be, she knew her “Wife Guy” husband is about to loose his Wife.