“Darling, could you give me a lift home?” After a gruelling day at work, Jenny was desperate to avoid the forty-minute bus ride.
“Love, can you pick me up from work?” Emily called her husband, hoping she wouldnt have to rattle around on the bus after a long shift.
“Bit busy,” came the blunt reply. In the background, the unmistakable sound of the telly blaredso, Thomas was clearly at home.
It stung enough to bring tears to her eyes. Their marriage was hanging by a thread, yet just six months ago, Thomas wouldve carried her on his back if shed asked. What had changed so quickly? Emily couldnt make sense of it.
She took care of herself, spending hours at the gym. She was a brilliant cookno surprise, given she worked at a popular restaurant. Never asked for money, never threw tantrums, always ready to indulge his every whim
“Youll bore him soon enough,” her mother sighed, listening to Emilys complaints. “You cant spend your life bending over backwards for a man.”
“I just love him,” Emily replied with a helpless smile. “And he loves me”
*****
“Turns out, I *did* bore him,” Emily muttered, chewing her lip as she scrolled through the browser history. Turns out, Thomas had spent all his free time on dating sites, chatting up multiple women at once. “Why couldnt he just *talk* to me? Id have understood. Id have let him go. Why torture himselfand mestaying with someone he doesnt love?”
So, divorce it was. Fine. She was strong; shed survive. But she wasnt letting him off *that* easily. A little revenge was in order
That same evening, Emily signed up to the same site Thomas was using, found his profile, and messaged him. She grabbed a photo from the internet, touched it up a bit, and was certain hed take the bait. And oh, he *bit*.
What followed was a whirlwind of messages. Thomas claimed he wasnt married, was ready for commitment, even kids. He waxed lyrical about his *wonderful* personalitywhich nearly made her laugh herself sick. As if she didnt *know* how insufferable he could be.
“Lets meet,” Emily typed, holding her breath as she waited for a reply.
“Absolutely,” came the response seconds later. “But my sisters crashing at mine while she preps for uni exams. Lets meet somewhere neutral, then carry on at a hotel?”
“*Seriously?*” she snorted. “What makes you think a woman would just agree to that? Most would slap you for even suggesting it!” Then again this worked in her favour.
“How about my place instead? I live out in the country, nice and private. No distractions” She wondered if hed fall for it.
“Brilliant!” Thomas was *thrilled*probably because it meant not spending a penny. “Send the address and time. Ill be there in a flash.”
“25 Willow Lane, 10 PM. Suit you?”
“Perfect! See you then.”
At 9 PM, Thomas suddenly claimed hed been called into work. Frantically searching for his car keys, he grudgingly asked his wife if shed seen them.
“They were on the sideboard,” Emily said, all wide-eyed innocencewhile quietly squeezing the keys in her pocket. “Maybe the cat took them?”
She didnt bother waiting up. Why would she? She spent the time *productively*packing her things. Thankfully, she had her own flat, inherited from her gran. The only thing she left behind? Divorce papers, placed right where he couldnt miss them.
Thomas didnt stagger home until morning, fuming. Not only had the trip taken over an hour *each way*, but *Angela* from the website wasnt even there.
The address was real. The house was real. But the glamorous model from the photos? Nowhere in sight. Instead, the door was opened by a woman three times his size, wearing what could charitably be called a nightie. Hed have paid *all* his savings to unsee it.
Frankly, he was lucky to escape alive! Had to call a taxi in a panic, then wait *forever* in the cold in his stupidly thin jacket. The cabbie was dodgy too, taking him on a detour to god-knows-where. What a *hilarious* night.
And then he walked in, saw the divorce papers on the table, and *finally* clicked. Because next to them, written in lipstick, was: “Sweet revenge, love.”
