There Was No Coming Back From This
Donna is mortified, frozen in her tracks lying underneath the bed. She can feel her heartbeat race as she watches her husband's feet standing in front of her. This was supposed to be a prank; something to add some fun and laughter in their relationship.
She didn’t want it to come to this, but some things call for drastic measures, right? But still, Dona never expected this. With each second that passed, she felt her heart crumble into tiny pieces. She felt sick to her stomach. There was no coming back from this.
The Perfect Marriage
Donna and Mark Smith first met when they were just seventeen years old. After plucking up the courage to ask Donna out, Mark eventually asked Donna to marry him, and twenty-five years later, the childhood sweethearts have two kids of their own.
To everybody else, their marriage seemed perfect. And Donna, at times, questioned how she managed to get such a kind and generous husband. But then one day, everything changed for Donna.
Where Did The Love Go?
Overtime Donna noticed her husband's passion for her was dwindling day by day. He used to compliment her all the time and swoon in with love and affection, but now it’s a different story. Donna was worried was he possibly having an affair or perhaps he was nursing a secret addiction to something?
She was absolutely hell-bent on finding out what was causing her husband’s distance but when she found out she felt sick to her stomach.
Pulling A Prank
Donna knew she had to do something. She couldn’t just sit and let her marriage and relationship crumble apart.
You see, both Donna and Mark were absolute pranksters when they were younger. They often spent their time pulling pranks on their friends and family. So Donna decided to pull a silly prank on her husband to test if his love was still there. However, his reaction left her gobsmacked.
Note
While she started to plan her prank, Donna decided to write down all of her feelings about what she felt was missing from their marriage, in a note. As she scribbled onto the note, she could feel tears well up in her eyes.
She loved her husband very deeply but it was important to her to know if he was just keeping up appearances with his happiness. She needed to know the truth now. And when she did, she felt sick to her stomach.
Her True Feelings
In order to uncover her husband’s true feelings, Donna wrote down absolutely everything about the relationship that bothered her and why she wanted a divorce.
Of course, she didn’t really want a divorce, but the logic behind her prank was to discover her husband’s true feelings and to get to the bottom of his dismissiveness and lack of passion. Little did she know her plan wouldn’t go as smoothly as she would have hoped.
A Note On The Bed
Donna planned that in order to get a proper gauge on her husband's reaction to this earth-shattering news, she would lie under the bed and leave the note on top of the bed.
From there she would be able to see his genuine reaction. Would he burst out in tears? Or would he be happy? Either way, Donna knew this plan was genius, after all, what could go wrong? Well, Donna had no idea what was coming.
What Would His Reaction Be?
In Donna’s head, she imagined her husband breaking down in tears, like in a Hollywood rom-com movie. And from there she’d appear from the bed and comfort him, like an angel sent from above. She would have gotten her answer and know her marriage was strong.
However, Donna didn’t relieve the answer she was looking for at all. In fact, his reaction left her world crashing down.
Writing the Note
Donna knew she had to write the note as bluntly as she could. She wrote how she felt the love had slowly been fading away for years, and that she didn’t love him anymore. It was harsh but it needed to be done, right? She knew she had to get a reaction from him.
After finishing writing, Donna took a deep breath. She placed the note on the bed, and got underneath the bed, and waited for her husband to come in. She had no idea this would be the worst decision she would ever make.
The Waiting Game
As Donna lay underneath the bed, waiting for her husband to return home, she started to think about what would happen if this prank backfired. What if she didn’t get the reaction she was hoping for? Maybe marriage counseling would have just been easier?
But before she could overthink, even more, she heard the front door slam shut. Her husband was home and very soon her life was about to get turned upside down.
Honey, I’m Home
Finally, the moment of truth had come. Donna heard her husband's footsteps make their way up the stairs, all the while her heart began to race. He shouted out her name, but Donna just stayed silent underneath the bed.
Her husband walked into the room and straight away Donna knew this was a big mistake. And his reaction was about to prove her right.
Reading The Note
Donna can feel her heartbeat in her throat as she watches her husband's feet standing in front of her. He was obviously reading the note, but a terrible silence lingered in the air.
It was too late for Donna now. There was no she can take back her elaborate prank. She was about to get exactly what she wanted; her husband's true feelings. But she wasn’t expecting this.
Not What She Expected
As she lay under the bed, with her nerves on edge, she waited for a response from her husband. Anything at all. Was he silently crying? Was he in shock?
But then suddenly, he did something that she never thought he would do, he started to laugh. Then, he pulled out his phone and called someone. Who was he calling? When Donna found out she felt sick to her stomach.
On The Phone
“Hey you,” Mark said, “guess what, my marriage is finally over! I know right, I thought she’d never get the message. I’ll be right over to see you,” he said then walked out of the room.
Donna was lost for words. She felt sick to her stomach. She wanted so badly to turn back time, but she couldn’t. Her worst nightmare had come true.
Mystery Caller
What her husband just said tore Donna’s heart in two. She had never felt heartbreak like this. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t speak. Even the worst-case scenario she had imagined hadn’t gone like this.
Who had he called? Another woman? A mistress? Or was it a friend? Either way, she was about to find out.
Heartbroken On The Floor
As Donna lay under the bed feeling like a complete fool, regret and heartbreak washed over her. She did hope for a dramatic breakdown from her husband, but instead of walking out of their home, he’d come running into Donna’s arms sobbing.
Donna managed to drag herself out from under the bed and she was faced with much more than when she had crawled under not a mere half-hour before. But little did Donna know more devastation was to come.
No Longer Soulmates
As Donna tried to compose herself, her body was still racked with deep sobs. How could she carry on without him? They’re were each other’s soulmate. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. But then suddenly, she saw something on the bed.
There, next to her relationship death sentence was another note. He must have left it and she had not noticed. What was inside the note? She was about to get her answer.
Reading His Note
Donna picked up the note and began to read it. She could feel her heart begin to shatter with every word she read. Still, she knew she had to find out the truth. After all, that had been the entire purpose of her prank.
As she read down the page she felt herself sob harder and harder as he detailed everything that she had been so afraid of for months. But there was something else she never expected to read.
Caught Out
After building up the courage to read it, she saw that her husband had written, “Dear Wife, Next time you try to trick me into proving my love for you make sure that your feet aren’t sticking out from underneath the bed next time”.
She could not believe it. She had been caught in the act. How would she ever live this one down?
Embarrassment
Despite planning her prank down to the last detail she had let herself down with the most trivial and small detail. She was totally humiliated at the way it had all backfired on her.
On the bright side, she could see her husband was light-hearted enough to make a joke of it. Would she be able to get over this embarrassment?
Relief
As she put the pieces together, she realized her husband hadn’t even been on the phone at all and had been faking the call to get under her skin. She deserved it really.
It had taught her a valuable lesson about playing with people’s emotions to get what you want. It never works out. Would her husband be able to forgive her?
Trust
Sometimes this kind of a prank can be the ultimatum that a couple needs to see where they stand with one another but it is not something that would be regarded as healthy. Having trust in your partner and being open and honest is the only way to deal with issues like this in a healthy manner.
Thankfully for this paranoid woman, her insecure prank didn’t tank her marriage but who’s to say how long it lasted after displaying her manipulative behaviors.
Happily Ever After
Sometimes all you need in a relationship is trust to get you through the ups and downs that are inevitable in life. Going to elaborate measures to see if they will react dramatically is never indicative of a healthy relationship. Hopefully, for this couple, they learned to communicate better so she never had to pull any crazy stunts like this ever again.
Another woman found herself in a similar situation when she noticed that her husband insisted on paying their babysitter outside. She was convinced that something untoward was going on.
Instant Regret
She didn't pay it any mind at first. But when she heard her husband and the babysitter in a hushed whisper. What was going on? She needed to get to the bottom of that.
But after setting up her plan she watched the recording and wished that she had never gone through with it.
The Richards
The Richards couple were the talk of the town. They seemed to have everything that they ever wanted. The two were successful in their jobs - John was a lawyer and his wife Grace was a real estate agent.
The day they found out Grace was pregnant they couldn't believe it. They were beyond happy but soon that happiness would change as they were met with many hardships.
New Mom
Grace had always dreamt of being a mother and now that it was finally going to be a reality she couldn't be happier. To make things even better the pregnancy went off without a hitch.
But the challenges would arrive after she conceived. She soon developed postpartum depression and found it hard to get back her old physique.
The Babysitter
Grace knew that once she went back to work she'd need to find a sitter to look after her precious child.
She got a babysitter named Anna. She was very pretty and came highly recommended by her neighbors. Grace felt confident hiring her, but there would be a problem she didn't see coming.
Flirtatious Personality
Grace noticed soon after hiring her that Anna had quite a flirty personality. But she tried to forget about it but soon found reasons to think twice.
One day she heard a hushed conversation between the sitter and her husband. What were they talking about? She felt jealous and suspicious, she needed to find out what was going on.
Insecure
Grace was becoming all too aware as time wore on that their relationship had changed. They had been together for a while. Grace began to wonder whether her husband thought it was time for a change. After all, she had given birth to a child, and she didn’t have the energy or the physique that she once had.
Usually, she would just brush these suspicions off. But now, she had a good reason for suspicion.
Tactical Planning
Grace didn’t know how to handle this situation. She knew if she asked her husband what was going on between them, he’d feel deeply upset that she didn’t trust him.
Instead, she decided to gather more evidence before saying anything. After all, it may well be nothing. She waited until they were both gone to execute her plan.
Setting Up Cameras
She set up two hidden cameras inside the house and one outside. She continued to act as if she suspected nothing. But the more time passed, the more she noticed their strange behaviors.
Her heart pounded as she realized there was definitely something going on between them.
Hitting Play
After a week passed, Grace was ready to confront her worst nightmare. She sat in her living room and logged into the security cameras. She hoped desperately that her intuition was wrong.
She scoured over the footage, pausing anytime she saw both her husband and Anna alone in a room. She’d continue to hit play and watch anxiously as her stomach twisted.
Obvious Tension
It wasn’t long before she noticed the tension between them. Anna slowly closed the distance between them each time they were alone. Now, there was no doubt she was hitting on him - but how would he react?
Grace was glued to the screen. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.
Unexpected Visit
It was Anna. She dropped by unannounced to collect her payment for the month. She said that John was expecting her. Grace forced a smile. Just then, her husband appeared.
“Anna!”, he said. Grace was about to get up and reach for her wallet when John said, “Oh I got this Grace. Don’t worry about it”. He insisted on walking Anna out to her car and paying her himself. Little did he know, Grace was watching.
High Alert
More often than not, being a mom isn’t the sexiest of jobs. You are tired, full of mess and constantly available for your kids. However, Grace’s husband was a desirable man. She had often noticed the looks he got from other women. She tried not to let it bother her, but it lingered in the back of her mind.
But the way their babysitter was looking at him tonight put her on high alert.
Ulterior Motives
Grace could see that Anna was behaving more oddly than usual around her husband tonight, and she was wearing a slinky little black number that left little to the imagination.
Maybe she was going out partying afterwards? Grace tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. But when she saw her put her hand on John’s arm, she knew she was definitely up to something.
Gestures
Grace watched Anna and her husband walk to the hallway, then they stopped. She wished she could hear what Anna was saying. Then, her heart dropped.
The audacious babysitter took a few steps back and gestured at her little black dress suggestively. It didn’t take much for Grace to imagine what she was saying. She couldn’t see her husband’s reaction, though. He had his back to the camera. Then, they stepped outside.
Moment Of Truth
Grace watched as her husband guided Anna outside. Then she logged straight into the live footage from the outdoor camera.
“This is it,” she thought. The moment her marriage came crumbling apart. She watched them converse. But something was wrong. It looked like an argument. Anna started to cry and John stormed back inside. What happened?
An Answer
Grace raced out to her husband. “What happened?” she asked. “I fired her,” John said. “Why?” Grace questioned. John told her to take a seat. Grace braced herself for what was to come. It was happening. She couldn’t believe it.
John told her that he didn’t like the way she treated him. He continued...
Truth Comes Out
“I didn’t like the way she looked or talked to me. She flirted with me all the time and I felt like she was completely disrespecting you. She made me feel uncomfortable. I told her to stop many times. She didn’t listen. I was left with no choice. It was way too inappropriate.”
Grace had never felt happier - and guilty. So, she came clean.
Explanation
Grace told him how worried she was. She said she knew something was going on between them and set up a camera. She asked for his forgiveness for spying and should have trusted him.
She explained that she felt insecure since the baby and felt like he wasn’t as interested in her anyway.
Pouring Her Heart Out
Grace began to cry. She told John how she felt like everyone she knew had been able to pull themselves together after giving birth, but she was struggling with her insecurities and her post-partum depression.
She hadn’t managed to lose the baby weight and she felt like he didn’t find her attractive anymore, which only made things worse.
Understanding
Her husband was shocked at her response. He had no idea she felt that way and although he didn’t appreciate her not trusting him and going to such extremes, he admitted that he should have just been open about everything with her.
He understood how it must have looked as he didn’t communicate openly and maturely with her. Needless to say, Anna wasn’t hired by the Richards ever again. And Grace?
Working On Herself
What Grace had done pushed her to finally get professional help for her postpartum depression. Her doctor explained that she wasn’t alone in her feelings - postpartum depression affects ten to twenty percent of new mothers.
She started treatment with antidepressant medication and began seeing a psychotherapist. John was supportive and completely on her side. She no longer felt so alone.
Healing
Around four weeks later, the terrible looming paranoia and insecurity began to lift - Grace felt like she was able to breathe.
The feelings of inadequacy, depression, and anxiety melted away and she started to become her old self again. They hired a new babysitter to help her with her baby a few days after John fired Anna, and she was nothing like her.
Joy Again
After a year of treatment, Grace was ready to come off the medication. Her one regret is not getting the help she needed earlier.
There was joy in her life again, and with John’s support, she grew to accept her post-baby body - after all, John didn’t care one bit that she wasn’t as slim as she used to be, and sh efinally accepted that too.
A Medical Condition
Although some people may trivialize postpartum depression, it is very real and requires medical care. It is not something a new mother can overcome by herself simply by “snapping out of it” or by trying to be more positive.
This extreme form of depression can make women feel like they have lost control, that they are helpless, and that they are inadequate. So, what should you do if you know someone you think is experiencing it?
The Best Treatment
According to the Post Natal Depression Support Association, the most effective way to tackle postpartum depression - in conjunction with medication - is to seek professional care from a psychologist to identify the triggers and help the new mom work through them.
There are also support groups out there, and many women find it helpful to share their thoughts and feelings with other women. Most of all, women with postpartum depression need to know that they are not alone.