Do you believe in karma? I used to think it was just something people said to make themselves feel better. You know, that whole \u201cDon\u2019t worry, karma will get them\u201d thing. But after what happened with my ex-husband, Dan, I know for a fact that karma is real. And trust me, she has a wicked sense of humor.<\/p>\n
Dan and I were married for eight years. Eight years of what I thought was a solid marriage\u2014we had two beautiful kids, a home we worked hard on, and a life that, while not perfect, felt like ours. But as it turned out, I was the only one who believed in \u201cours.\u201d<\/p>\n
I should\u2019ve seen the red flags. But the night I discovered Dan\u2019s betrayal is burned into my memory forever.<\/p>\n
Our daughter, Emma, was sick with a fever, and I was searching through Dan\u2019s drawer for the children\u2019s medicine. That\u2019s when I saw it\u2014his phone, lighting up with a message notification. I wasn\u2019t trying to snoop, but something about it caught my eye. A heart emoji followed by \u201cI love you!\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped. I picked up the phone, my hands trembling, and what I found shattered me. Dozens of messages. Intimate words. And all from a woman named Jessica.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could you?\u201d I confronted him that night, my voice barely a whisper.<\/p>\n
Dan didn\u2019t even flinch. \u201cIt just happened,\u201d he shrugged, like we were discussing a minor mistake, not the destruction of our marriage. \u201cThese things happen in marriages. It was just harmless fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarmless fun? Dan, you made a choice. Over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to believe it was a one-time mistake. That we could fix it. But the second time? That broke every last illusion I had.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we could work through this,\u201d I told him, holding up the evidence\u2014red lipstick on his collar. I never wore red lipstick. \u201cI thought you meant it when you said \u2018never again.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Dan sighed. \u201cWhat do you want me to say? That I\u2019m sorry? Would that make you feel better?\u201d<\/p>\n
Something inside me snapped. \u201cNo. I want you to pack your bags.\u201d<\/p>\n
I filed for divorce the next day. And let me tell you, the divorce was brutal. Dan fought for every last penny, every piece of furniture, everything he could. But the house? That was mine. Passed down from my grandmother long before Dan ever came along.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is ridiculous!\u201d he fumed during one of our mediation sessions. \u201cI\u2019ve lived in that house for eight years! I put money into it!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it\u2019s still my grandmother\u2019s house,\u201d I replied, calm and unwavering. \u201cThe deed is in my name. It always has been.\u201d<\/p>\n
Legally, there was no argument. But Dan wasn\u2019t done with his pettiness. When we discussed custody, he delivered the final blow.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can have full custody,\u201d he told our lawyer without hesitation. \u201cI don\u2019t want the responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt like I\u2019d been punched in the gut. \u201cThey\u2019re your children, Dan! How can you just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re better off with you anyway. You\u2019ve always been good at the nurturing stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t believe it. But for the sake of Emma and Jack, I held my head high. I took them to my mom\u2019s house for a week to give Dan time to pack and leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy, why can\u2019t Daddy come with us to Grandma\u2019s?\u201d Emma asked, hugging her stuffed rabbit.<\/p>\n
I swallowed the lump in my throat. \u201cSometimes, sweetheart, grown-ups need time apart to figure things out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack, my eight-year-old, stood in the doorway. \u201cWill he miss us?\u201d<\/p>\n
I forced a smile. \u201cOf course he will.\u201d But deep down, I knew better.<\/p>\n
A week later, I returned home with the kids, ready to start our new life. But what I walked into was nothing short of a nightmare.<\/p>\n
The wallpaper\u2014our beautiful floral wallpaper\u2014was gone.<\/p>\n
The walls were stripped bare, jagged patches of drywall showing like open wounds. My heart pounded as I followed the destruction into the kitchen.<\/p>\n
And there he was. Dan. Ripping off another strip of wallpaper, a deranged look in his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell are you doing?\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n
He turned, completely unfazed. \u201cI bought this wallpaper. It\u2019s mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack\u2019s voice trembled. \u201cDaddy, why are you tearing the walls? I loved the flowers!\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma started crying. \u201cDaddy, stop!\u201d<\/p>\n
I knelt beside them. \u201cHey, it\u2019s okay. We\u2019ll pick out new wallpaper together. Something even prettier. Would you like that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut why is he taking it?\u201d Emma hiccupped.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t have an answer that wouldn\u2019t break their little hearts even more. Instead, I shot Dan a look sharp enough to cut steel.<\/p>\n
He shrugged. \u201cI paid for it. I have every right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fine. Let him have his petty victory. I took the kids and left. When I returned later that evening, it was even worse. He had stripped the kitchen of utensils, taken the toaster, the coffee maker\u2014hell, even the toilet paper.<\/p>\n
A month later, I joined a book club. One night, after a couple of glasses of wine, I spilled the whole wallpaper story.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait, he took the toilet paper too?\u201d Cassie, one of the women, choked out between laughs.<\/p>\n
\u201cYep! Like a full-blown toddler having a tantrum.\u201d<\/p>\n
The whole table erupted in laughter. And for the first time, I laughed too.<\/p>\n
Six months later, karma finally made her move.<\/p>\n
Dan called me out of nowhere. \u201cI\u2019m getting married next month. Some women actually want to be with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations,\u201d I said, then hung up.<\/p>\n
A few weeks later, I saw him downtown, holding hands with a woman.<\/p>\n
Cassie.<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped. She beamed when she saw me. \u201cOh my gosh, hey! I have so much to tell you! I\u2019m engaged! This is my fianc\u00e9, his name is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
I forced a tight smile. \u201cYeah. Dan. I know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face fell. \u201cWait\u2026 how do you know each other?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dan looked like he wanted to disappear.<\/p>\n
I smirked. \u201cOh, we go way back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cassie\u2019s eyes darted between us. \u201cWait a second. That story you told at book club\u2026 the one about the wallpaper? About that guy? Is that\u2026 him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dan stammered. \u201cCassie, it\u2019s not\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God. That was YOU?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cassie turned to me. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry. I had no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she turned back to Dan. \u201cYou\u2019re a walking red flag. I can\u2019t believe I almost married you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She ripped off her engagement ring and flung it at him before storming off.<\/p>\n
I walked away smiling. Karma had delivered.<\/p>\n
That night, as I tucked the kids into bed, Jack smiled. \u201cI like our new wallpaper better. The dinosaurs are way cooler. Daddy can keep his old one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma giggled. \u201cAnd my butterflies are the prettiest ever!\u201d<\/p>\n
I hugged them both. \u201cI think so too.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s how I learned: you don\u2019t have to chase revenge. Just sit back and let karma do her thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Do you believe in karma? I used to think it was just something people said to make themselves feel better. You know, that whole \u201cDon\u2019t worry, karma will get them\u201d thing. But after what happened with my ex-husband, Dan, I know for a fact that karma is real. And trust me, she has a wicked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27357"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27358,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27357\/revisions\/27358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}