“Babe, can you pick me up from work?” Sophie called her husband, hoping to avoid the exhausting forty-minute bus ride after a gruelling day.
“Babe, could you come get me?” she asked again, her voice weary.
“Bit busy,” Tom replied flatly. In the background, the telly blaredclear proof he was home and free.
Sophie felt a deep pang of sadness. Their marriage was falling apart, and just six months ago, Tom had promised to love her endlessly. What had changed so fast? She didnt understand.
She took care of herself, spending hours at the gym. Cooked like a dreamno surprise, since she worked at a buzzing bistro. Never asked for money, never kicked up a fuss, always ready to jump at Toms every whim
“Youll wear him out like this,” her mum would sigh whenever Sophie complained. “You cant spoil a man rotten.”
“I just love him,” shed reply with a weak smile. “And he loves me”
*****
Turns out, he *had* grown tired. Sophie clenched her jaw as she scrolled through his browser history. Tom spent all his free time on dating sites, chatting up multiple women. *Why not just talk to me? Id have let him go. Why make us both miserable?*
Fine. Divorce it was. She was strongshed get through it. But she wasnt letting him off without a little payback
That same night, Sophie signed up on the same site, found Toms profile, and started messaging him. She grabbed a random photo online, tweaked it slightly, and knew hed take the bait. He did.
The flirting was relentless. Tom claimed he was single, ready for commitment, even kids. Bragged about his “amazing” personalitywhich only made Sophie laugh till her sides hurt. She knew exactly how difficult he really was.
“Fancy meeting up?” she typed, grinning as she waited.
“Perfect,” he replied instantly. “But my sisters crashing at mine revising for her uni exams. Lets grab a drink first, then head to a hotel?”
*Seriously?* Sophie whispered to herself. *You really think a stranger would jump straight into bed with you?* But this worked in her favour.
“How about mine? Ive got a cottage outside town. Nice and private” Would he bite?
“Brilliant!” Tom clearly liked the ideaprobably saving himself a few quid. “Send the address. Be there faster than Cupids arrow.”
“25 Willow Lane, 10 p.m. Sound good?”
“Done. See you then.”
At 9 p.m., Tom made up some urgent work errand. He couldnt find his car keys and reluctantly asked Sophie if shed seen them.
“They were on the table,” she said innocently, tightening her grip on them in her pocket. “Maybe the cat nicked them?”
But Sophie had no plans to wait. She packed her thingsthankfully, she had her nans old flat to move into. The only thing she left behind? Divorce papers, right on the dining table.
Tom stumbled home the next morning, fuming. The drive had taken *hours*, and this mystery woman, “Emily,” was nowhere to be found.
The address was real. The house too. But instead of the model-like beauty from her photo, the door swung open to reveal a woman twice his size, barely wrapped in a sheer robe. Tom wouldve paid *anything* to scrub that image from his mind.
It took ages to shake her off! Had to call a cab, froze his backside off waiting in the cold, and the driver took some bizarre detour. What a night.
Only when he got home, saw the divorce papers, and the bright red lipstick scrawled beside them*Sweet revenge, love*did he finally realise who was behind it all.
