My ex-husband said, \u201cIt\u2019s just a little fun.\u201d He portrayed our marriage-destroying affair that way. Harmless, he said. But when he arrived
\nMy ex-husband said, \u201cIt\u2019s just a little fun.\u201d He portrayed our marriage-destroying affair that way. Harmless, he said. After our divorce, he came back and began peeling wallpaper off the walls since he \u201cpaid for it,\u201d so Karma decided to have fun at his cost.<\/p>\n
I married Eli for eight years. I received a sunny, lovely home from my grandma and had two children. It was a house with tales, memories, and lavender-scented walls.<\/p>\n
I believed our life was excellent for years. Eli had a good profession, I freelanced from home, and we handled parenthood with grace\u2014until I discovered his affair.<\/p>\n
I forgiven him initially. I gave him another opportunity against my better judgment. Hoped he regretted it. That we might proceed. The second time? I didn\u2019t wait for Apologies. My divorce was filed that day.<\/p>\n
It ached terribly, but I retained my dignity.<\/p>\n
Smooth divorce was unexpected. I kept the house\u2014it was always mine\u2014and we shared our assets equally. As for custody? I took the kids full-time because Eli demanded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not good with routines,\u201d he muttered, scratching his neck. \u201cYou do that better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meaning: \u201cI don\u2019t want the responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fine. I yielded. Kids require stability, not disappointment.<\/p>\n
Eli vowed to leave the home by weekend. Our son Alex and daughter Mia stayed with my mom for a few days to give him space.<\/p>\n
I anticipated stillness when we returned. Closure. Maybe even some tranquility.<\/p>\n
Instead, I entered a house remodeling nightmare.<\/p>\n
After decades, my grandmother\u2019s hallway wallpaper\u2014delicate blue blooms on a pastel background\u2014was gone. Raw, uneven walls had drywall sections protruding like bones. I discovered Eli in the kitchen, yanking down the rest of it like a madman.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re doing what? Shocked, I asked.<\/p>\n
He was unfazed. He bluntly responded, \u201cI paid for this wallpaper,\u201d pulling another piece off the wall. It\u2019s mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice shook. \u201cYou\u2019re destroying the kids\u2019 home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shrugging. My money, my wallpaper.<\/p>\n
Alex and Mia silently peered around the corner behind me. I could sense their perplexity and terror hanging in the air.<\/p>\n
I looked at Eli again. \u201cDo whatever you want,\u201d I replied. Despite shaky hands, my voice was steady. \u201cWe\u2019ll stay away.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took the kids and fled. I knew\u2014deep down\u2014that life would give Eli every piece of that wallpaper, one way or another.<\/p>\n
Eli was gone when I returned. So was everything he purchased. The toaster, cutlery, and guest bathroom light bulbs were gone. Littlest prize? Toilet paper. He used every roll.<\/p>\n
Standing in my half-empty kitchen, I laughed.<\/p>\n
Six months. Rebuilding was my priority. New habits, furnishings, memories. Alex chose dinosaur wallpaper, while Mia chose unicorns with sparkly stars. I painted the home wall-by-wall. It was ours again.<\/p>\n
I received an unexpected call.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, Ava,\u201d Eli said, overly happy. \u201cI wanted you to know\u2014I\u2019m getting married next month!\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach flipped. \u201cTo who?\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019s awesome. Stunning. Smart. I\u2019m moving on, just wanted you to know. Some ladies desire me, believe it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations,\u201d I said, hanging up before he could respond.<\/p>\n
I saw Eli across the street at the farmers\u2019 market a few weeks later while enjoying a rare Saturday morning to myself. He held hands with a tall brunette in heels and fancy sunglasses.<\/p>\n
As they approached, my mouth dried. My old book club buddy Naomi stood beside him.<\/p>\n
The sight of me fired her up. \u201cAva! Wow, unexpected!\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi pulled Eli like a prize toward me. This is my fiance! His name is\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cEli,\u201d I replied calmly. \u201cYeah. I know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi blinks, her grin fading. \u201cDo you know each other?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli seems to want to vanish.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, we go way back,\u201d I remarked carelessly.<\/p>\n
Head tilted, Naomi. \u201cYou mean what?\u201d<\/p>\n
She faced Eli. Do you know her?<\/p>\n
He chuckled with effort. \u201cNot important\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cActually,\u201d I said, \u201che\u2019s my ex-husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi\u2019s eyes widened. She gently faced Eli. \u201cHold on. I heard your ex cheated and went to Europe with the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli clenched his jaw.<\/p>\n
Gasped Naomi. Hold on. Did you tell me about the man who removed wallpaper after a divorce at book club? Was that Ava?<\/p>\n
I said nothing. It wasn\u2019t necessary.<\/p>\n
Naomi looked at Eli again. \u201cMy God. That was YOU?!<\/p>\n
He stumbled. \u201cJust a misunderstanding\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
You removed wallpaper off your kids\u2019 walls because you paid for it? Seriously? Who does it?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t it\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you lied about everything else!\u201d Naomi was furious. \u201cYou said Ava cheated. You were abandoned. You were a victim! You\u2019re a mess.\u201d<\/p>\n
She faced me. Ava, I\u2019m sorry. I was unaware.\u201d<\/p>\n
She removed her engagement ring and pushed it into Eli\u2019s hand before I could answer. We finish. Have fun being yourself throughout your life.<\/p>\n
She ran down the sidewalk in heels like weapons, back straight and head high.<\/p>\n
Eli was frozen. The ring shook in his hand.<\/p>\n
It was a little grin and I looked away.<\/p>\n
No words. No vengeance. Just finished.<\/p>\n
Alex glanced up as he put the kids to bed that night.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you recall Dad removing the wallpaper?\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited, dubious of his recollection.<\/p>\n
But he smiled. \u201cI\u2019m glad he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d he answered, pointing to his wall. We have dinosaurs today. I chose them. Dad can keep the old stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vivid blue walls decorated with funny ancient animals made me smile as I gazed around. In Mia\u2019s chamber, purple, glittering stars and pink unicorns sparkle gently at night.<\/p>\n
They weren\u2019t simply walls. Declarations. Who we were. Who we\u2019d become. We rebuilt the family together.<\/p>\n
You know what, Alex? I hugged him. \u201cI think you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Naomi taught me something essential that day. Screaming wasn\u2019t necessary. I didn\u2019t need to reveal Eli or take revenge. No karma desire was needed.<\/p>\n
Karma already had him on speed dial.<\/p>\n
He lost his new engagement, dignity, and\u2014most importantly\u2014the potential to be anything other than the person who tore wallpaper off walls in petty retaliation.<\/p>\n
I got something better. Peace, love. Two youngsters who know how to fix things.<\/p>\n
Drywall and shattered hearts are sometimes life\u2019s gifts.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re fortunate and patient, you can see karma work.<\/p>\n
Trust me, when she arrives?<\/p>\n
Decorates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My ex-husband said, \u201cIt\u2019s just a little fun.\u201d He portrayed our marriage-destroying affair that way. Harmless, he said. But when he arrived My ex-husband said, \u201cIt\u2019s just a little fun.\u201d He portrayed our marriage-destroying affair that way. Harmless, he said. After our divorce, he came back and began peeling wallpaper off the walls since he […]<\/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-30340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30340","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=30340"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30341,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30340\/revisions\/30341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}