I planned to surprise my husband at work, but he was already on leave.

I was going to bring my husband lunch at work as a surprise, but I found out he was on leave.
I followed him the next day because I was confused and suspicious. At my sister’s house, I found out a shocking truth. I now have doubts about everything I thought I knew about my family and marriage.

Last Tuesday, I planned to surprise Ben at work with lunch. I made his favorite dish, lasagna, all morning. My kids were at school, so I had some time to myself. I thought it would be nice to do something nice for them. Oh, come on, what husband wouldn’t love a surprise visit from his wife with home-cooked food?

The person who worked at his office gave me a confused look when I walked in. When she saw the lasagna in my hands, she asked, “Are you here for Ben?” “Yes, I just meant to bring him lunch.” “Is he in?” She wasn’t sure. “They’ve been away for two weeks,” Ben said. As I stood there, shocked, I tried to figure out what she had said. Time off? He told me all week that he worked late.

I felt a cold sweat start to form on my forehead, and my stomach turned. I told her thanks and left. I tried to make sense of it when I got home. Maybe they didn’t understand each other. But what kind of mistake does it take two weeks to clear up? I had a strong feeling that something was wrong. So, like any suspicious wife would, I chose to follow him the next day.

I called my mom the next morning and asked her to watch the kids for the day. I told her I had items to get. She was happy to help, but she had no idea that my thoughts were going crazy. Then I went after Ben to see what was going on. Without getting too close, I watched as he left the house and got into his car.

He drove all the way across town and stopped at my sister Kate’s house. As I watched him get out of the car, my mouth dried up. Kate smiled at him as she came out and hugged him before leading him inside. I lost my mind. Was Ben seeing my sister instead of me? I didn’t believe it, but what else could make sense? I felt tears coming to my eyes because of how much abuse I had been through.

I had to be sure. One house down from Kate’s, I parked my car and called my lawyer, Carla. She had helped us with some law issues in the past, so I trusted her judgment. I told her everything, and my voice was shaking from hurt and anger. “Julia,” Carla told her in a cool and professional voice, “before you jump to conclusions, get some solid proof.” Before going to court, it’s important to be sure. I was sure she was right.

So, I went back to Kate’s house and skulked around like a spy. I felt stupid, but I had to find out the truth. I looked through a window. I went inside and saw Ben and Kate eating lunch together at the kitchen table, along with a stack of papers. Every once in a while, they looked around as if they were afraid of being caught. What did they plan to do?

I was more and more sure that something was wrong as I watched. They weren’t just having an affair; they had something planned. My hands were shaking as I took a few pictures with my phone. I needed proof, something real, to give Ben when I talked to him. There were a lot of bad ideas going through my head. What did they do?

From my car, I called James. The first ring caught his attention. My brother-in-law James had always been the smart one in the family. He had been married to Kate for almost ten years and was the calm, sensible partner to her more spontaneous personality. They got along well and often became close because they both liked sports and cooking. My faith was in James, and I knew he could help me figure this out.

“James, this is Julia.” I need to talk to you about Kate and Ben. There was a pause. “Calm down, Julie.” “What’s going on?” I shook my head and said, “I think they’re having an affair.” James sighed. “Julia, you need to come here.” Right now.” Running back to Kate’s house quickly, my mind was filled with fear and betrayal. James’ car was already parked outside when I got there.

I sneaked up on the house and looked through the window again. James was there at the kitchen table with Ben and Kate. I could hear parts of their talk because the window was only half open. “Julia called me,” James said, his voice tense. “She’s very worried and thinks you two are getting together.” Ben said yes. “That means she doesn’t know anything.” “That’s great!” Kate answered, and her voice was full of joy.

Couple having problems in their relationship

It looks like our plan is working, Ben said. It broke my heart. I had heard enough. I walked into the house yelling because I was so mad. “You rebels who lie and cheat! “How could you hurt me like this?” Kate and Ben were shocked when they saw me. James got up and tried to make me feel better. “Julia, please let us explain.” “Explain what?” that my husband is leaving me for my sister?” There were tears running down my face as I screamed.

Ben tried to calm me down by saying, “Julia, it’s not what you think.” “I took some time off to plan a surprise for you.” I laughed very hard. “What a surprise? It’s a surprise that we meet at Kate’s house every day? Ben said with a steady voice, “Yes.” “I had a plan to make your dream come true.” You’ve always said you want to open a coffee shop, right?” I blinked because I didn’t get it.

“What?” Kate moved forward with a stack of papers in her hand. “Ben bought a coffee shop for you with the money he got from his inheritance.” This is where we’ve been working on the business plan and all the formal stuff. My anger started to fade, and I felt confused and hopeful at the same time. “A coffee shop?” For me?” Ben said “yes,” took out a folder, and gave it to me.

“Look, these are the papers.” Things like the lease and the plans for the renovations. I didn’t want to tell you until it was right. James and Kate are co-investors, so I wanted to make sure they were on board with everything. As I looked at the papers, my tears made the words hard to read. Everything was there. The coffee shop I had always dreamed of was proof of his love and friendship. Ben caught me before I fell because my knees gave out.

“Oh my goodness, Ben…” I’m really sorry. I believed… I believed you were… He gave me a tight hug and said, “I know.” “I knew I should have told you, but I made it a secret.” When I gave you the keys, I wanted to see your face. I sobbed into his chest, “I’m such a fool.” “I’m really sorry.” “Don’t worry, it’s okay.” I can see why you felt that way. Julie, I love you, though. I would never turn my back on you.

As I nodded, I felt the weight of my mistake. “Thank you, Ben.” “Thank you for everything.” We went to sign the last forms the next day. We owned the coffee shop. It was so unbelievable to me. It made me feel so happy when I walked into the cute little room and smelled the fresh baked goods. Ben gave me a squeeze. “This is all for you, honey.” “I have faith in you.”

I laughed, and tears of joy ran down my face. “Love, I love you. Thanks for having faith in me. The coffee shop became magical because of all of our work together. It turned into a place where dreams came true and love and trust were the main ingredients in every recipe. I learned how important trust and talking to each other are in a relationship when I look back. Sometimes people don’t understand each other, but how we deal with them is what really counts.

As I stood in my coffee shop, smelling the fresh baked goods, I was thankful for Ben’s love and support that never wavered. We got through the storm stronger as a group. If you think your relationship is in trouble, remember that sometimes all it takes is a little trust and a lot of love to see what’s really going on. And sometimes, those hidden things can lead to the most beautiful shocks.

This work is based on real people and events, but it has been made up for artistic reasons. To protect privacy and make the story better, names, characters, and circumstances have been changed. Any similarity to real people, living or dead, or real events is completely accidental and not on purpose by the author.

About the story: Amomama