The Photo
David was ecstatic when Sara got a new job, but it wasn't long before things stopped making sense. She was returning home with bags of shopping, all of which exceeded her budget. That was when he grew suspicious of Sarah, was she lying to him?
David couldn't believe his eyes when Sarah sent him the picture. His stomach twisted into a tight knot and he was shocked. But soon, this shock turned into anger.
Perfect Life
David was living the life he had always dreamed of living. He lived in a beautiful home in an amazing neighborhood in LA. It was right next to the beach, where he would go for his morning jog. He was married to the love of his life and he couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for them. He knew how fortunate he was.
But soon, life would take an unexpected turn and break his plans for the future at the seams.
Meeting Sara
David was a carpenter and he loved his job. He was always being exposed to new, cool places and meeting interesting people along the way, all thanks to his job. That was how he met Sara. Three years prior, he was working on renovating a famous photography studio in LA. The studio was constantly full of models, and Sara was one of them.
Things moved fast for the couple, and one year after they had started dating, David and Sara were engaged. Everything seemed perfect, but things are never what they seem.
Not So Perfect
David wasn't blind to the fact that Sara could sometimes be a bit shallow and selfish. When he would confront her about it, she would blame it on her troubled childhood and her parents divorce. David loved her and he was willing to dismiss her behavior.
Soon, the happy couple were married and living in David's condo. Things were perfect at first, but that didn't last. David grew suspicious.
Not Happy
David wasn't comfortable with Sara's line of work. She used to do photoshoots in classy and elegant dressed, but that wasn't the case anymore
But now her clothing was becoming a lot more revealing and the photoshoots were a lot more risky. He was not happy with this.
Teaching
David was surprised when Sara agreed that she needed to find a different job. That was when she informed him that she had been considering going into teaching.
He loved her ambition and wanted to support her as best he could. He knew she would have to go back to college, but he didn't mind. He knew that this was best for her future. But he never could have expected her to betray him.
Rough Patch
Sara was no longer working, and her college fees cost them a lot of money. For the first time in their marriage, they were experiencing financial trouble. Things might've seemed perfect from the outside, but they definitely were not. They were under a lot of pressure and soon, this pressure would boil over.
As time passed, David noticed a strange change in Sara.
Jealousy
David's friends were jealous of him for marrying such a beautiful woman. But his friend, Josh, did not share this jealousy. He thought that Sara was the most self-centered and attention-seeking woman that he had ever come across.
But David didn't see this and he never could have guessed what would happen, despite all of the warning signs.
Hopeless
The couple weren't spending much time together anymore. She was never home, and when she was, she would constantly be working on her degree. David grew hopeless when she informed him that she would be looking fir a job to help pay off their bills. This meant that they would spend even less time together.
He didn't think that things could get any worse, but they were about to.
Got The Job
Sara had trouble finding a job, she only had experience in modeling. David made sure to support her every step of the way, until she finally got a job.
She informed him that she would be working as a hotel receptionist in the city, but there was a catch.
Excessive Money
It wasn’t long before things didn’t quite add up. Sara would come home with bags of shopping every other day. David knew the designer items she had picked up were way out of her budget. That’s when he started to speculate that Sara was lying to him.
He quickly thought of a plan to catch her in the act, and desperately hoped she’d prove him wrong.
Detective Work
David called the hotel Sara was working at first. When he asked to speak to her, his request was met with confusion. “No one named Sara works here”, the receptionist said.
David’s stomach dropped. He opened his messages to text his wife. “I’m missing you today”, he typed. “Can you send me a photo of you to get me through the day?”. Her reply confirmed his worst nightmares.
No Wedding Ring
“Of course, babe”, she replied. “Give me a second to leave my desk”. Another moment later she sent in two photos. The first looked staged and the second, broke David’s heart in two.
David’s heart stopped as he looked at her ring finger. She wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. There was only one possible explanation for this and it left David desperate for revenge.
Heartbreak
David felt his heart crumble into a million pieces. This was the woman he wanted to marry and grow old with. But he kept his cool. He didn’t lose his temper.
The bizarreness of Sara’s behavior made David start to suspect that she might not be remaining faithful. After all, she had the perfect opportunity to have an affair when he was away, and she suddenly seemed to have a lot of money.
Divorce
David waited for Sara to come home and confronted her immediately. He showed her the ‘cute’ photos she meant to send and exposed them for what they were - calculating images of deceit.
“I’m filing for a divorce in the morning”, he said. “No”, she cried. “Please let me explain, then you can decide to stay or leave”. But David wasn’t going anywhere.
“Get Out”
David told Sara to get out. He handed her the key to a hotel room, 50 bucks for cab fare, and told her to leave.
Sara kept screaming, crying, apologizing and proclaiming her love for him. After seeing that her tears weren’t getting her anywhere, she finally confessed. Ready to talk, she sat David down.
The Truth?
Tearfully she reminded him about how difficult it was for her to find work. “I was getting rejection after rejection. We needed money David and with my experience, no one wanted me. The only skill I could use to my advantage was my appearance”.
She admitted that she didn’t get offered a job in a hotel, and revealed something else entirely.
Explanation
She explained that she wasn’t wearing the wedding ring because of her new job as a bartender at a fancy speakeasy just outside of the city.
It was the only application that appreciated her experience as a model and didn’t snub her for it. But to play the part, the company had her dressing in revealing clothes and she knew David wouldn’t approve but it paid well. But David didn’t believe her.
Could He Trust Her?
Sara begged David to understand but he said he needed to sleep on it. Now that he knew Sara had already lied to him once, how could he trust her when she said she was telling the truth?
And how did a bartending job explain all the money she suddenly seemed to have? Something wasn’t adding up.
Calmer
In the morning, he woke up calmer, he told her that she shouldn’t have acted behind his back and that whatever struggles she was having, they could work through it together.
He didn’t believe her though. He just needed to bide his time and get evidence of what she was really up to.
Gathering Evidence
Over the next few weeks, David watched Sara very closely. He noticed she always took her phone with her when she went to the bathroom, and she seemed to spend an unusual amount of time in there.
And she was always on her phone - they hardly spoke anymore. And there were other troubling signs. One was all the new clothes that kept appearing.
Lingerie
When David rifled through the shopping bags she was always bringing home, he realized she was amassing a rather large collection of lingerie - but he never saw her wearing it.
Surely, her “bartending” job didn’t insist that she served drinks in her underwear? David waited until, Finally, an opportunity to catch her in the act presented itself.
Out Of Town
When David was commissioned to do a big remodeling job at an upmarket restaurant out of town, he decided that he would surprise his wife then.
After all, she had the perfect opportunity to do whatever she wanted while he was away - she wouldn’t even have to be careful. But things only went downhill from there.
Arriving Early
David traveled for the remodelling job that would take around five days to complete, but he decided to come home two days early.
Sara didn’t expect him to come home for a couple more days. So when David entered his house, it caught her completely by surprise. Unfortunately, what David saw confirmed his worst suspicions about the woman he had once thought was the one.
Surprise!
David’s world fell to pieces when he walked into their bedroom. Sara was caught completely off guard. It was all the evidence he needed. He calmly told the other man to get out.
He immediately filed for divorce, and Sara didn’t get a cent. After all, the condo was in his name, and she had been the one to break their wedding vows. But, if David thought that Sara would just turn the other cheek, he was very much mistaken.