My kids told me they wished I didn’t exist, and those words cut deeper than anything I’d ever heard. They were angry, careless—but I decided to take their wish seriously. I vanished from their lives, leaving no trace. It was time they learned what life would be like without Mom.
I’d heard it countless times—people saying housewives had it easy. They stayed home, relaxed, and lived off their husbands’ hard work. What a joke!
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Let me tell you, my being a stay-at-home mom wasn’t just a job; it was an endless marathon with no breaks. My days were a blur of cleaning, cooking, managing tantrums, and juggling a thousand other things.
Tom, my sweet but stubborn five-year-old, was at that age where every little thing was a battle.
Eliza, on the other hand, was teetering on the edge of her pre-teen years—full of sass and mood swings.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
And my husband, Justin? He thought his paycheck excused him from everything else. It was exhausting.
That evening, as usual, we sat down for dinner together. Sharing our day had become a routine, though it often came with surprises.
I looked at Tom, who was already playing with his peas. “Tom, how was preschool today?” I asked, trying to sound cheerful.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
He shrugged. “It was okay, but Miss Jackson might call you tomorrow.”
That caught my attention. “Why would she call me?” I asked, putting down my fork.
“I just wanted to pet a dog outside, but Miss Jackson said you shouldn’t touch stray dogs because they can have rab—rabai—” Tom paused, frowning.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Rabies,” Eliza said with an exaggerated eye roll.
Tom nodded. “Yeah, rabies.”
I leaned forward. “And why does that mean she might call me?”
Tom hesitated, then blurted, “Well, I didn’t like what she said, so I bit her.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I stared at him, shocked. “You bit your teacher?” My voice rose without meaning to.
Tom nodded, completely unbothered. “She said rabies spreads by bites. I wanted to show her.”
“Mom, you gave birth to a lunatic,” Eliza muttered, smirking.
“Don’t talk about your brother like that,” I said firmly. Then I turned to Justin, who was busy eating. “Justin, do you have anything to say about this?”
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He glanced up briefly. “You’re handling it great, honey,” he said, patting my hand.
I sighed, turning back to Tom. “Tom, we’ve talked about this. You can’t bite people. It hurts, and it’s wrong. Next time, use words to express how you feel.”
Finally, I faced Eliza. “How was your day?”
“Fine,” she said, barely looking up.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“That’s all?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m sleeping over at Nancy’s tomorrow, remember?” she added casually.
“Yes, I remember,” I said, feeling my energy drain.
The next day started badly and only got worse. When I went into Tom’s room to check if he had cleaned up like I’d asked, it looked like a tornado had hit it.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Toys, clothes, and books were everywhere. I felt my patience slipping, but there wasn’t time to deal with it.
I had to apologize to Miss Jackson for Tom biting her, which was embarrassing enough.
Then, as I finally sat down to breathe, the phone rang. Eliza’s school informed me she had skipped classes. My anger boiled over. By the time they got home, I was ready for a serious talk.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Wait, both of you, stop right there,” I said as Tom and Eliza headed to their rooms. My voice made them freeze.
“What is it now?” Eliza asked, sounding irritated.
“Let’s start with Tom,” I said, turning to him. “I saw your room. It’s a disaster. We agreed that if you didn’t keep it clean, I’d take away your games. So, your console is mine until you show me you can keep your room tidy.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Tom’s eyes went wide. “What? No! That’s not fair!” he yelled, crossing his arms.
Eliza smirked. “Nice job, Tom,” she said with a mocking tone.
“I wouldn’t laugh if I were you, young lady,” I snapped. “I got a call from your school today. They told me you skipped class.”
“It was one time! Just one!” Eliza shouted, her face red with anger.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“You’re grounded for a week,” I said firmly. “No sleepover at Nancy’s.”
“You can’t do this! ‘’ve been planning that forever!” Eliza screamed, clenching her fists.
“Then you shouldn’t have skipped class,” I replied calmly.
“I hate you! I wish you didn’t exist!” she yelled before stomping off to her room and slamming the door.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Yeah! Me too!” Tom shouted, running to his own room.
I stood there, tears welling up. My chest felt heavy, but I swallowed the lump in my throat.
When Justin got home, I recounted everything. He listened quietly, barely responding.
“Well?” I asked, desperate for some support.
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“Maybe you were too hard on them,” he said, shrugging. “They’re just kids.”
“Did you hear me? Did you hear what Eliza said to me?” I asked, my voice shaking with anger.
“She didn’t mean it,” he said, brushing it off.
“I’ve had enough,” I said, my voice cold. “I’ll show them what it’s like when I’m not here.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“What are you talking about?” Justin asked, confused.
“You’ll see,” I said and walked away.
That night, as the house lay silent, I began my plan. Justin, always a heavy sleeper, didn’t stir once.
I moved quietly, gathering every single thing that was mine—clothes from the closet, photos from the walls, notebooks from the desk.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Even my favorite mug, the one I used every morning, went into a box. I left no sign that I had ever been there.
With everything packed, I carried it all up to the attic. The attic was dusty and cramped, but I set up a mattress in the corner, arranging a small lamp and a blanket. Justin wouldn’t think to look here; he barely remembered the attic existed.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Before settling in, I set up cameras in the kitchen and living room. I needed to see how they managed without me. This was only the beginning.
The next morning, I watched them from the camera feed as they stood in the kitchen, looking lost.
“Where’s Mom?” Tom asked, his voice unsure.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t know,” Eliza said, glancing around. “But even her pictures are gone. The ones on the wall, too.”
“Her clothes aren’t in the closet,” Justin added, scratching his head.
Tom’s eyes widened. “Did our wish come true? Did Mom really disappear?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Justin said, shaking his head.
“But she’s really gone!” Eliza insisted. “Her stuff isn’t here. There’s no sign of her at all.”
Justin pulled out his phone. “I’ll call her. This is probably some kind of joke.” But I had turned my phone off. He stared at the screen for a moment before putting it back in his pocket.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Okay, let’s go,” he said, sounding annoyed. “I’ll drop you off at school. We’ll figure this out later.”
Eliza hesitated. “Can I still go to Nancy’s sleepover?”
“Yes, yes. Just get in the car,” Justin said impatiently.
“Yes!” Eliza cheered. Then she grinned. “Maybe it’s better this way. Mom was always on my case anyway.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“That means I can play video games!” Tom shouted, jumping up.
I felt my chest tighten. My heart ached as I watched them. They didn’t miss me; they seemed relieved. They were happy I was gone.
That evening, I watched from the camera as Justin and Tom sat on the couch, laughing and playing video games.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
A pizza box sat open on the coffee table, grease stains already soaking into the cardboard.
I noticed Tom eating a big slice loaded with cheese. My stomach tightened. He was lactose intolerant. Justin, distracted by the game, had clearly forgotten.
The next morning, my fears were confirmed. Tom was curled up on the couch, pale and groaning.
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Justin scrambled to find medicine, muttering under his breath. He ended up staying home from work, trying to comfort Tom while also cleaning up the mess.
By the third day, chaos ruled. Dishes piled up in the sink, laundry was untouched, and the kids left for school with nothing but dry cereal in their hands.
That evening, Tom sat crying on the couch, overwhelmed. Even Eliza, who usually stayed distant, looked defeated. Her hair was a mess as she clutched her empty lunchbox.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I miss Mom,” Tom finally said, looking up at Justin. His little face was streaked with tears, and his lip trembled.
“Me too,” Eliza added, her voice quieter than usual. She looked down at her hands. “I got my period today, and I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to call Mom so bad, but I couldn’t. It made me feel awful.”
Justin sighed, leaning back on the couch. “I think this is because of what you both said. You told her you didn’t want her to exist. Now she’s showing you what that feels like.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“But that’s not true!” Eliza said, her voice cracking. Tears filled her eyes. “I was just mad. I didn’t mean it. I’m so stupid for saying that.”
Tom sniffled loudly. “I want Mom to come back. I’ll clean my room every day. I won’t bite anyone ever again. I promise.”
Eliza wiped her face and nodded. “I’ll stop yelling at her. I’ll listen better. I can’t live without her. I miss her so much,” she said, sobbing.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Hearing their words broke the last bit of resolve I had. I stepped out of the shadows, standing in the doorway. “I hope you’ve learned your lesson,” I said, my voice firm but full of emotion.
They turned to me in shock before running into my arms. “Mom! You’re back!” they cried, hugging me tightly.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Really, it’s so good to see you,” Justin said, standing and walking over. “These past few days have shown me what a monumental job you do. I’ll try to make things easier for you from now on.”
“Thank you,” I said, my voice soft.
“No, thank you, for everything,” Justin replied.
“Thank you, Mom! We love you so much!” the kids said together, holding on tight.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
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On Valentine’s Day, I Woke up to Find My Car Covered in Paper Hearts — It Looked Cute Until I Picked One up and Read the Message
On Valentine’s Day morning, Kate stepped outside expecting a sweet surprise. Her car was covered in hundreds of pink paper hearts, fluttering in the wind like a love-struck teenager’s confession. But when she picked one up and read the message, her stomach dropped. This wasn’t love. It was a warning.
I woke up that morning just like any other, slipping out of bed while Brandon remained curled under the blankets.
A man sleeping in his bed | Source: Pexels
After 28 years of living together as a married couple, our lives had settled into a predictable rhythm. I always woke up early, made coffee, prepared breakfast for our 17-year-old son, and enjoyed a few quiet moments before the day fully began.
Valentine’s Day wasn’t a big deal in our house. It never really had been. Boredom had long replaced passion, and grand romantic gestures had never been Brandon’s thing.
So, when I glanced outside and saw my car covered in paper hearts that morning, I actually gasped.
A car covered in hearts | Source: Midjourney
For a brief, stupid moment, my heart swelled.
Had he done this? After all these years?
My heart pounded against my chest as I stepped outside. The sight was almost ridiculous.
Hundreds of pink paper hearts were plastered all over my car’s doors and windows. There were even some stuck on the mirrors. It honestly looked like the car belonged to some teenage romance movie, like my teenage boyfriend was trying his best to impress me.
I smiled, thinking my husband had finally decided to surprise me after nearly three decades together.
A woman smiling | Source: Midjourney
Excited, I walked toward my car to take a closer look and realized that every heart had a note inside.
Wow, that’s a brilliant idea! I thought.
Then I picked one up and read the message underneath. I stared at it for a few seconds, unable to understand why my husband would write such a thing.
It read, Your husband is a liar.
Was this some kind of a prank? A joke?
A close-up shot of a woman’s face | Source: Midjourney
I felt my heart skip a beat as I ripped off another paper heart.
It read, Brandon only loves me.
Another.
He’ll never tell you the truth.
I felt a knot in my stomach and my heart almost flipped inside my chest. I quickly grabbed the hearts and yanked them away as fast as I could.
One by one, they revealed the same kind of message.
You deserve to know.
He was with me last night.
Ask him about the woman he’s been seeing.
A woman holding a paper heart | Source: Midjourney
I tried pulling the hearts off faster, but the glue was thick, stubborn, and far stronger than expected. It completely ruined the look of my car. Every time I yanked one away, it left behind an ugly smear of adhesive on my pristine car.
Soon, neighbors started peeking from their windows. I could feel their eyes on me as they whispered amongst themselves.
They had seen this before I had.
They had already put the pieces together before I even had a chance to process what was happening.
A neighbor peeking out of her window | Source: Midjourney
I swallowed, forcing myself to look up at my house, and saw Brandon at the window. He had been silently watching me all this time.
I turned back to the car as I pulled one last paper heart.
It read, He’ll never choose you.
The words blurred as tears filled my eyes.
Happy Valentine’s Day to me.
I quickly rushed back into my house and slammed the door behind me.
A doorknob | Source: Pexels
My pulse pounded in my ears as I marched straight to the kitchen. I found Brandon sitting at the counter, scrolling through his phone like nothing had happened.
I threw one of the paper hearts onto the counter.
“What the hell is this, Brandon?” I asked in a shaky voice.
I couldn’t even speak properly because of how angry I felt.
He barely glanced at the paper before looking at me.
“What are you talking about? I don’t know who did this.”
A man sitting in the kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“Seriously, Brandon?” I let out a bitter laugh. “You saw me from the window, right? All those hearts on my car… they’re talking about you and some woman you’re seeing. And you’re saying you really don’t know who did this?”
Brandon picked one of the hearts and read the message inside before putting it back down.
“It’s probably a prank,” he said as he sipped his coffee. “Must be some stupid kids messing around.”
Liar.
I knew that tone. That measured, even voice he used when he wanted me to second-guess myself. The same one he had used in every minor argument over the years, making me feel like I was overreacting.
But not this time.
A woman standing in her house | Source: Midjourney
I turned away from him and stomped toward the security monitor in the living room. My fingers flew over the controls as I rewound the footage from the night before.
And there she was.
Linda.
Our neighbor.
At 3 a.m., under the dim glow of the streetlights, she was gluing those damn hearts onto my car.
What the heck? I thought. Brandon and Linda? They’re together? How is this even possible?
A couple holding hands | Source: Pexels
My throat tightened as I recalled every moment when I saw Linda standing outside her house as Brandon left for work. She’d been our neighbor for as long as I could remember, but I never once suspected Brandon had an affair with her.
If my husband wasn’t going to tell me anything, then there was only one thing I could do. Confront Linda.
I immediately stormed next door and banged on her door so hard it rattled.
A few seconds later, it swung open, revealing Linda’s face. It looked like she’d been crying. Like she already knew why I was there.
A woman standing in the doorway | Source: Midjourney
“How long?” I asked calmly.
Linda swallowed hard, her lip trembling. “Twenty years.”
The ground beneath me felt unsteady.
I shook my head. “You’re lying.”
She let out a sad, breathy laugh. “I wish I was.”
I stared at her, hoping she’d take her words back and say it was all some kind of an elaborate joke.
But instead, she spoke again.
A woman talking to her neighbor | Source: Midjourney
“He told me he’d leave you. Over and over again, for two whole decades. He just needed the right moment. He told me you weren’t well… that you couldn’t handle a divorce. That he had to stay because he felt sorry for you. I can prove it.”
I couldn’t process her words. I couldn’t believe my husband had spent twenty years living a double life.
How was I not able to see it?
I rushed back home without saying a word. It was time to confront Brandon before I asked her for proof.
He was sitting in the living room, scrolling through his phone again.
A man using his phone | Source: Pexels
“Linda just told me everything,” I said, crossing my arms while looking straight into his eyes.
“She’s lying,” he said. “She’s obsessed with me. She’s been coming on to me for years, but I never—”
“Prove it,” I cut him off.
“What?”
“Prove it,” I repeated, stepping closer. “Because it looks like she’s got twenty years’ worth of stories, Brandon. She told me how you needed the right moment to leave me. I’m sure she’s got much more to tell me about your affair.”
A woman arguing with her husband | Source: Midjourney
“Babe, I don’t know what she’s talking about,” he said. “I don’t have proof because there’s nothing to prove, okay?”
I scoffed. “Convenient.”
His expression didn’t change. No panic. No anger. Just that same infuriating calm.
“I swear to you, Kate. I have never been with her,” he began.
I stared at him, searching his face for a flicker of doubt, guilt, or anything real. But all I saw was the same blank mask he always wore when he lied.
A man looking straight ahead | Source: Midjourney
Without wasting another minute, I turned around and marched straight back to Linda’s house.
She opened the door before I even knocked, as if she had been waiting.
“Show me proof,” I demanded. “If you have it, he’s yours.”
She didn’t hesitate. She pulled out her phone, scrolling furiously before shoving it into my hands.
And there it was.
Photos. Videos. Messages.
A woman using a phone | Source: Pexels
There was a photo of Brandon with her at a hotel, their hands intertwined across a candlelit dinner table. Then, there was another one that showed him slipping into her house at night.
She even shared messages where Brandon promised her that he’d leave me. And that they’d live together happily.
The proof in her phone showed a side of my husband I had never known existed.
My legs felt weak, but I forced myself to stand tall.
I didn’t cry. Not yet.
I handed her phone back. “Thank you.”
A serious woman | Source: Midjourney
The next morning, I decided to file for divorce.
When I told Brandon about it, he still said Linda was lying. He swore the photos, videos, and text messages were fake. He even claimed Linda had been stalking him for years and had fabricated everything.
“Trust me,” he said. “I’ll prove she’s lying. My lawyers will take care of everything.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
The lawyers dug into the evidence. They found inconsistencies in the timestamps of the videos and digital alterations in the photos.
A lawyer in his office | Source: Pexels
It turned out Linda had hired a tech expert to forge messages, splicing together old voicemails and using AI to create fabricated conversations.
The supposed hotel footage was traced back to a manipulated stock video, and every single piece of “proof” she had provided fell apart under scrutiny.
And that’s how Brandon saved our marriage from falling apart. That’s how he stopped me from filing for divorce.
I don’t know why Linda did what she did, but it looked like she had spent 20 years in love with a man who had never been hers.
I guess she had been waiting for something that never existed.
A woman sitting in her living room | Source: Midjourney
That night, as we sat in the dimly lit living room, I finally spoke.
“I’m sorry, Brandon,” I whispered. “I should have believed you.”
He exhaled slowly, setting down his glass of whiskey. “Kate, after all these years, do you really think I could do that to you?”
“No, but…” I swallowed hard. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“I love you,” he said, reaching for my hand. “I always have.”
I nodded. “I know.”
A woman smiling at her husband | Source: Midjourney
After everything that happened, I sued Linda for damaging my car. Soon, she was forced to pay for the repairs and deep-cleaning. We even got a restraining order against her.
But at night, when Brandon’s asleep beside me…
I still wonder.
What if the lawyers were wrong?
What if, somewhere in that pile of lies and fabrications… there was one truth?
And what if I had just chosen the wrong side?
A woman looking outside a window | Source: Midjourney
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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