My ex-husband used to say, “It’s just harmless fun.” That’s what he called his affair — harmless. But after our divorce, when he came back and ripped the wallpaper off the walls of the house — because he paid for it — karma decided to have a little fun of her own. And this time, the joke was on him. Dan and I had been married for eight years. We had two beautiful children, a house I inherited from my grandmother, and what I thought was a solid life. But I was the only one who truly believed in “ours.” I discovered Dan was cheating the night our daughter had a fever. While searching for medicine in his drawer, I saw a text pop up: a heart emoji and an “I love you” from someone named Jessica — his secretary. When I confronted him, he didn’t even look ashamed. “These things happen,” he said. “It was just some fun.” I wanted to believe it was a one-time mistake. But then came the second betrayal — red lipstick on his shirt. That was my breaking point. I filed for divorce immediately. During the process, Dan shocked me…

Dan asked for a week to pack and leave. I took the kids to my mother’s to avoid drama. When we returned, the house was almost unrecognizable. The floral wallpaper we had picked out together was gone — ripped off the walls. He was still there, pulling it down like a madman. “I bought it. It’s mine,” he said when I demanded to know what he was doing. My son cried. “I liked those flowers, Daddy! Why are you tearing our walls?” I knew I had to get the kids out. I said nothing more and left with them. When I returned later, it got even worse. He had taken everything he bought: the toaster, utensils, even the toilet paper. I was furious — but I refused to let him see that he had gotten to me.
Later, at my book club, I shared the story with some new friends. We laughed about it. One woman, Cassie, called him an “overgrown toddler.” They helped me heal. For the first time, I laughed about Dan instead of crying over him. Six months later, karma struck. Dan called me out of nowhere to brag about his engagement to a “gorgeous bombshell.” I wished him well and moved on. But one day, while walking downtown, I saw him — with Cassie. My Cassie. From the book club.