Laurel and Phil are all set to celebrate their tenth anniversary with a trip. But then, Phil’s mother asks him for financial help to fix her debt — only for the couple to discover that she had lied to them about her situation.

My husband, Phil, and I have been together forever. And we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary with a perfect getaway to the seaside.

But then, his mother got involved.

One week before our epic getaway, while I was going through my closet to get my swimming outfits ready, Phil walked in and hit me with a bombshell.

“I’m so sorry, Laurel,” he said, looking somber.

It turns out that his mother, in full-on tears, phoned him while he was at the office. She told him she was in a financial hole and desperately needed Phil’s help to escape her debt.

My hero of a husband saved the day, wiping out our savings. Unfortunately, this meant that we had to postpone our trip because we still needed money for food and travel.

Naturally, our dreams were shattered, but you know what? Family first, always. We were both close to our families and always did whatever was necessary for them first.

I am a first-grade teacher, so I finish school early. I decided to visit my mother-in-law on my way home from work. I wanted to ensure she was okay because Phil had said she was beside herself on the phone.

I picked up some lunch for the both of us on the way over to her.

“Laurel!” she said, opening the door for me.

“I just wanted to check on you,” I said, entering the house.

I didn’t expect the scene I walked into. It was a tech lover’s paradise — a room filled with gift boxes, electronics peeking out over the tissue paper.

“Anne?” I asked, looking at her. “What is all this?”

“Oh, Laurel,” she said. “I am so ashamed of myself.”

She walked me to the dining room, and I opened our salads.

“Explain everything,” I said.

And explain she did. My mother-in-law, at seventy years old, still had game. She had attracted the eye of a sixty-three-year-old man, and she wanted to win his affection. The tech haven in her living room was a way to get into his heart — but not just for him.

There were two laptops for his sons and three iPads for his children. So, she took the money from us to buy her way into the man’s heart.

At first, I was beside myself. How could she do this? How could she use our hard-earned money for something so trivial? But then, the emotional cocktail hit me — Anne was a lonely widow who was looking for some form of affection.

Driving home, I couldn’t figure out what to do. Was I supposed to tell Phil the truth or just let it go?

But honesty won. While I was making dinner, I told Phil everything. I could see the betrayal etched onto his face.

Cue the family meeting: Phil and I invited Anne over. We didn’t want to confront her about anything — we just wanted answers.

“Mom, we were planning something special. You knew that,” Phil said, his voice heavy.

“I didn’t want to burden you,” Anne said. “I just wanted to be someone special to him, to his family. I’ve been alone for so long, Phil. You don’t understand.”

“But you just went about it incorrectly,” I said.

“I never meant to hurt either of you, and I didn’t mean to take the joy away from your anniversary. I just felt so alone.”

Later, after we had gotten back home, Phil moped around like a sad puppy.

“I can’t believe she would do this to us, to me,” he said.

Anyway, after that, Anne returned all the gifts she had bought — giving most of the money back to Phil. I don’t know if she’s still seeing the mystery man, but she hasn’t spoken about him.

We decided to put our anniversary getaway on hold. And we’re taking a little trip with Anne soon. I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic toward her — she wanted company and love.

So, I told Phil it was up to us to do that.

I’ve also decided to return to the gym, so I’ll be bikini-ready when it’s time for our trip!

Now, how would you navigate this emotional rollercoaster if you were in my shoes?

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