My husband and his lover swapped the locks while I was at work, but they had no idea what was coming for them
I stand in front of my own front door in Zaragoza, holding a key that wont turn in the new lock, and my heart feels like its shattering. The marriage I fought so hard to keep has collapsed in an instant. Yet my cheating spouse and his lover have no clue about the lesson Im about to teach thema lesson theyll remember forever.
Jaime, its almost ten, my voice trembles as I called him the night before. You promised to be home by seven.
He drops the keys on the nightstand without looking at me.
Work, Lucía. What am I supposed to tell the boss? That I have to go home to my wife? his tone oozes irritation, as if I were a nuisance.
I swallow hard, staring at the table I set for a modest birthday dinner. Two candles flicker beside the cake I bought during my lunch break.
Yes, Jaime. Thats exactly what you could dofor once, I cross my arms, holding back tears. Today is my birthday.
At last he glances at the table. His face tightens when he realizes.
Damn it, Lucía, I forgot he mutters, running a hand through his hair.
Obviously, I reply coldly, feeling the pain choke me from inside.
Dont start, he protests. I work for us, you know that.
I smile a bitter grin.
For us? I retort. Youre barely home, Jaime. When was the last time we had dinner together? Watched a movie? Talked like a married couple?
Thats unfair, he frowns. Im building a career so we have a future.
What future? We live like strangers under the same roof! my voice cracks. I earn more than you, so dont hide behind providing for the family.
His expression hardens.
Sure, you were going to take that from me, he says sarcastically. How am I supposed to keep up with my successful wife?
I wasnt talking about that
Enough, Lucía. Im going to sleep, he cuts the conversation short and leaves, abandoning me with a cold cake and spent candles.
I blow them out, whispering to myself that everything will get better. Hes my husband. I love him. Marriages have their ups and downs, isnt that what everyone says?
How did I get it so wrong to forgive him so easily?
Wed been married three years, but the last year was a slow, painful disintegration. We have no childrenlooking back, Im grateful for that. My job as marketing director supplied most of our income, while Jaime, a sales executive, constantly complained about stress, long hours, traffic everything except the truth I discovered far too late.
Three weeks after my ruined birthday, I return home earlier than usualan excruciating headache pounding my temples. All I want is a pill and to collapse into bed. As I pull up to our house on the outskirts of Zaragoza, something feels off. The brass knob and lock are now polished silver and brandnew.
What? I murmur, inserting the key. It wont turn.
I try again; the key just wont spin. Puzzled, I doublecheck the address. Its unmistakably my home.
Then I spot a note stuck to the door. Jaimes familiar handwriting slams into me: This is no longer your home. Find somewhere else.
The world seems to tilt. I feel my blood freeze in my veins.
What the hell? I exclaim, losing my composure.
I pound on the door, shouting his name. Finally it swings open. Jaime stands there, and behind him a woman wearing my cashmere robea gift from my mother.
Seriously? My voice trembles with rage and hurt.
Lucía, listen, he says, arms crossed, a smug smile playing on his lips. Im moving on. Ana and I are together. We need this flat. You can go find someone else.
Ana. The same just a coworker hed mentioned for months. She steps forward, hands on her hips, and declares:
Your stuff is boxed up in the garage. Take it and get out.
I stare at them, bewildered. Then I turn and head for the car, feeling a fierce resolve building inside me. They think they can dump me like trash and get away with it. Im not about to surrender. I need a plana solid, calculated one.
I knew exactly who to call.
Lucía? My God, whats happening? my sister Carla opens her apartment door, sees my tearstreaked face, and pulls me inside. Whats going on?
I collapse onto her couch, the story spilling out between sobs.
Goddamn it! Carla hisses when I finish. And that Ana is wearing your robe?
The one Mom gave me, I sniffle, wiping my eyes. The cashmere one from last birthday.
Carla disappears into the kitchen and returns with two glasses of wine.
Drink, she orders. Then well figure out how to make them pay.
What can I do? I sip, trying to steady myself. The lease is in Jaimes name. The mortgage was under his credit because mine was still being processed after my masters.
Carla narrows her eyes.
And who paid for everything else? she asks.
We both did, but I pause, realizing. I bought everythingfurniture, appliances, the bathroom remodel last year. All of it is under my name.
Exactly! she says with a cunning smile. What does Jaime have besides an empty flat?
I open my banking app and scan the transactions.
I have all the receipts. Ive always kept the accounts.
Sure thing, Miss Accountant, she jokes. Queen of order!
For the first time that dreadful day, I feel a grip on control returning.
They think theyve won, dont they? I whisper.
Carla clinks her glass against mine.
They have no idea who theyre messing with.
The next morning I call my lawyer friend, Marina.
What he did is illegal, she says after a sip of coffee. He cant change the lock and evict you even if the flat is in his name. You have the right to stay.
I dont want to go back, I reply firmly. But I do want whats mine.
Marina smiles.
Then lets make a list.
We spend the morning cataloguing everything I purchased for the apartment: sofa, TV, fridge, even the rugs. By noon I have a detailed inventory with receipts, dates, and amounts.
Impressive, she nods. With this evidence, no one can deny its yours.
So I can take it all? I ask.
Legally, yes. Id recommend going with a police officer to avoid any trespassing accusations.
I recall Jaimes smug grin, Ana in my robe, his certainty that everything was under control.
No, I say slowly. I have a better idea.
That same day I reach out to a moving company. The owner, Sergio, listens to my story and nods sympathetically.
Weve dealt with a case like this before, he says. The next day, while Jaime and Ana step out for coffee, the movers will use my old key to enter, grab everything I ownfrom the last fork I bought with my salary to the smallest trinketand empty the flat until even the echoes disappear from the walls.
