When Laura's husband left her in a completely unexpected and heartbreaking way, she had some big news of her own to share. Keep reading to find out exactly how Laura got her payback.
Happily Married: Laura And Jack
Laura always assumed her marriage was a happy one, but one day, this idea completely evaporated when Laura came home to find a note written for her by her husband Jack.
Jack thought he had done the right thing by leaving Laura for her sister, but he had no idea what had happened while he was writing the note. Laura threw him a massive curveball, but what was the revenge that changed both their lives?
The Contents Of The Letter Were Heartbreaking
While Laura was reading the letter from her husband, she was finding it really hard to keep her composure. All she kept thinking to herself was, 'well that's the end of a seven-year marriage'.
She was really struggling with the shock of reading the words. To make things worse, Jack began the letter addressed to his 'Dear wife', by saying that he was writing the letter to tell her that he was leaving her forever. The finality of this statement and the bluntness of it seemed incredibly drastic and wildly out of left field. Laura had absolutely no idea that that was how Jack had been feeling.
The Letter Was A Hard Confession To Hear
Just before she had gone home, Laura was in a completely amazing mood because she had just gotten some wonderful news and she couldn't wait to share the news with her husband. However, she arrived home to find the surprising and shocking confession that her husband was leaving her for her own sister.
Jack's letter claimed that he had been a good man and husband to Laura for the full seven years of their marriage, but that he had 'nothing to show for it'. He also wrote in the letter that the previous two weeks had been awful for him and that Laura's boss had just called to say that she had quit her job and that was the last straw for Jack.
The Time Had Passed
Jack said in the letter that the week before, Laura came home and didn't notice that Jack had a new haircut and was wearing a new pair of silk boxers.
He complained that Laura ate her dinner in 2 minutes, and went straight to bed after watching her soap shows. He said that Laura doesn't tell him he loves her anymore and doesn't want anything that connects them as a married couple.
He Made Bold Statements And Said He Was Moving Away
Jack ended the letter by accusing Laura of either cheating on him or not loving him anymore but claimed that it didn't matter because he was gone. He then signed the letter 'your EX husband', and added a postscript that told Laura not to try to find him, because her sister and he were moving to West Virginia together.
Up to this point, Laura had been having a good day, but the letter of betrayal by her husband was deeply hurtful. Not only because her husband of seven years was leaving her, but because he was leaving her for her sister!
The Letter Came At The Absolute Perfect Time
The letter from Jack to Laura came at the best time ever. If Jack had waited one more day to write the letter, then Laura wouldn't have found out what Jack's real feeling was and that he was cheating on her with her sister.
The amazing news that Laura had just gotten? She had won the lottery! So, even though she was sad about the letter she just got from her husband and knew that she was losing her husband, she was also still happy that she was one of the very few who had won big on the lottery.
They First Met In College
Laura and Jack were both in college when they first met. However, they didn't have a special connection when they first met each other, and even though they were studying for exams together and spending a lot of time in the library that would become valuable members of each other's lives in the future.
Jack ended up dropping out of college and then started working as a bartender, and neither Laura nor Jack knew that their love stories wouldn't last forever.
Romeo And Juliet Backgrounds
When they met, they were from totally opposite walks of life. Laura came from a wealthy family and was studying hard in college. Jack, on the other hand, had a part-time job as a bartender and didn't really have any other ambitions.
Laura's parents were dead-set against their daughter marrying Jack. From the very beginning of their relationship, Laura's parents disapproved of her and Jack's relationship because they wanted Laura to have more than Jack was able to provide her with. But by then it was too late because Laura was deeply in love with Jack and didn't care about what her parents thought.
A Love Story For Laura
Jack was convinced that his love for Laura was enough because she was stubborn and wouldn't easily let Jack go. Laura's parents didn't like Jack and Laura's relationship, and they totally knew best, but when our parents put too much pressure on us, we often push back against them even more.
So, a totally in love Laura decided to move in with her partner and start living together. However, seven years down the line, her one regret was that she didn't listen to her parents all those years ago.
A Beginning That Was Full Of Hope
Just after Laura graduated from college, she moved into Jack's one-bedroom apartment with him. Jack was totally used to the apartment, but in reality, the whole place was small and grimy. The paint on the walls was old and jaded, the heater never worked and the level of maintenance was pretty poor.
However, Laura kept hold of the hope that made her think it would all get better. She also had an enthusiasm for everything because she had never lived with her boyfriend before, so it was all a new adventure for her. It was a fresh and exciting experience and it was made better by the love she had for Jack.
An Unexpected End
Laura felt like she deserved for Jack to discuss his feelings with her in person, but it was too late for that now. Laura still wanted to tell Jack her good news, that she had won the lottery, but now she wanted to tell him so he knew what a massive mistake he had made.
During all their years of struggling financially, Laura always tried and hoped that she might get lucky with the lottery.
The Boredom Of Everyday Life
This story could have been a love story about two people who overcome difficulties in order to stay together, make their marriage work, and live happily ever after. But this isn't one of those stories, and over time, Jack and Laura's marriage started to crumble.
Their relationship was beautiful while it lasted, but it had to come to an end, just like most beautiful things do. There's only so much compatibility and personal change that people can go through together as they age and experience life. Sometimes, it the mundane everyday aspects of the relationship that bring it to an end.
Something Just Didn't Feel Right
Before she got her letter from Jack, Jack meant the world to Laura. All she ever wanted was to just be with him, even if he couldn't provide her with the type of life that she grew up with and was used to.
Ever since they got together, the couple had to safe and tight with money. That's when Laura agreed to help Jack financially by getting a job as a waitress in a restaurant near their apartment. Laura started getting good tips that really helped them to live comfortably but after a few years, Laura started to get a bit suspicious.
Laura's Gut Feeling
Laura just wanted to spend all her time with Jack, so she often went to visit him at the bar where he was working as a bartender. She mainly did this to spend some extra time with him, but after a while, she started to come across clues that Jack might be cheating on her.
People who were at the bar started to look at her strangely but Laura didn't want to believe her own suspicions. She shook off the feeling of uncertainty and visited Jack much less often while he was at work. She was still happy and in love with Jack, but later on, she learned that the feeling of uncertainty she had back then wasn't just a feeling.
Striking It Lucky
All this time Laura kept chancing it and buying lottery tickets, even though she consistently lost. Then, eventually, Laura won a lottery draw. She couldn't believe it and she was unbelievably happy and excited about the whole thing.
The first thing she did was book two tickets to Hawaii so that she and Jack could celebrate her win while they were there. However, once she saw the letter Jack had written to her, she didn't want to go on holiday with Jack. But not only that, she wanted to make him sure that he wouldn't get one single cent of her lottery money, and she didn't want him back either.
The Big Win
Even though she was upset by her husband's letter, Laura still felt really happy about winning the lottery and she was wondering what she should do with the money.
She was wondering if she should travel the world, buy a big house, a fancy car or a yacht. The whole thing felt really overwhelming, and she had a lot to think about at the moment. But she knew the first thing she wanted to do was reply to Jack.
Laura's Letter
She started the letter, 'Dear ex-husband', and told him how getting his letter really made her day,
She said that even though they were together for seven years, he had been far from a good man to her.
The Wrong Sister
She then said that the 'favorite meal' he cooked for her must have been for her sister, especially since she stopped eating pork before they met.
However, she wasn't finished yet.
The Real Jack
Laura said that when she saw Jack in his new boxers and turned away it was because she had seen a price tag on them for $49.99 and hoped it was all just a coincidence that her sister had borrowed $50 from her that morning. But, despite that, Laura still loved him and wanted to work on things.
So, it looks like all the suspicions she had about Jack cheating on her were real, even though she didn't want to believe him, but after she read his letter, Laura realized the reality of the situation.
Laura's Lottery Win
Just so Jack could be certain, Laura told him that the only reason she had quit her job that day was that she won $15 million in the lottery and she thought spending time with him was more important than sitting at a desk at work all day.
However, once she read Jack's letter, everything changed. She told him that everything happens for a reason, and she sure hoped that he got the life of fulfillment that he always craved.
Mixed Feelings
Laura was really struggling with her feelings of rejection and betrayal and knew she had to cope with these feelings before she could contemplate how she should spend her lottery money.
Laura knew she had to figure out how much Jack would get, because he was her husband, so she called up her lawyer and told him everything, including the letter she had just gotten from Jack. Her lawyer was super helpful and told her how the law works.
Carla Wasn't Always Carla
Her lawyer told her that the letter Jack wrote made it certain that he wouldn't get any of her lottery winnings. She then included in her letter that she wasn't sure if she had ever told Jack or not, but that her sister Carla was actually born Carl and hoped that wouldn't be a problem for him!
What a way to break to tell someone that! We're not sure if that's actually true or not, but it's a pretty funny way to finish a letter.
Lucky Laura
The possibility of winning the lottery was always a massive thrill for Laura, and even though she figured she'd never win it, she kept on trying. Then, once everything ended up the way it did between herself and Jack, she was even luckier.
What an eventful day for Laura, she won $15 million in the lottery and then found out that her husband had an eventful day too! He was leaving his wife for her very own sister.
Hawaiian Holiday
Laura's reaction to Jack's news that he was leaving her for her sister is actually the last thing he ever would have thought would happen. And it was literally the best and ultimate revenge that Laura could ever take.
Especially since Laura told Jack that he was fleeing with her sister who was, once upon a time, her brother. But, with her tickets to Hawaii already booked and paid for, Laura knew she had to go on vacation anyway, and she could do whatever she wanted with her freedom.
Time To Move On
Even though Laura had suspicions that Jack was cheating on her, she always loved him. It was also because of this love that she booked them both tickets to Hawaii with her lottery winnings.
Things weren't working out quite the way Laura had planned, because it was now crystal clear that Jack had been unfaithful to her and had decided to leave her behind. She knew that now was her chance to embrace her freedom and move on to a new life.
A Better Life For Laura
This day was a pretty faithful one for Laura, and despite her mixed feelings about Jack and Carla, she was still happy, knowing that her suspicions had been proven right and she had the chance to change her life now.
While she was sitting in the taxi on the way to the airport, she was really happy knowing that her now ex-husband had gotten his comeuppance and that she was now free to go and enjoy her Hawaiian trip on her own terms.
When She Learned Her Husband's Secret, She Sent Him The Perfect Message
As anyone in her situation would expect, Karen thought her fairytale wedding with Terry, a local builder four years younger than her, would be the start of a lifelong commitment with her new husband. But soon, she was about to discover life is not as picture-perfect as she imagined.
Indeed, he ended up leaving her for one of her best friends of 25 years. But Karen was not ready to let go without an act of revenge, so when she decided to leave her wedding dress on their porch along with a note, their reaction was exactly as she wanted.
Their Happy Life Together
The pair were lucky enough to enjoy a good marriage, at least this is what it seemed from the outside. Karen and Terry had two children together and life was good. And they remained in wedded bliss for 19 years.
19 years is a long time to be together in anyone’s book. It’s something to be proud of and a sign that the two people must be in love. But after some time, some cracks began to show in this seemingly happy home.
The First Signs of Trouble
These issues didn’t appear all at once. In fact, it was just vague signs that Karen began to notice, and began to make her question if everything was as it should be in her marriage. And with nothing concrete to go on, she began to question her own judgment.
No one wants to think that there might be problems in their relationship. But it wasn’t too long before Karen had reason to be suspicious.
Changes in His Behavior
The first thing she noticed was changes in Terry’s behavior. Nothing drastic, again just little signs that something was different. He began coming home and changing his clothes into something more dressed up, telling her that he had to go back to work.
For some jobs, this might be a normal thing to do, but as Terry worked as a builder, it seemed unlikely that his work would need him in better clothes. It’s no wonder that Karen’s female intuition told her that something here was not quite right.
A Woman Knows
Karen explained in an interview, “He started coming home, having a shower and getting started up, and saying he was going to look at a job. I wondered what was going on because after living with someone for so long years, any little changes you notice.”
Her suspicions grew, but still, she didn’t say anything to her husband, instead preferring to see what other developments would occur. And when it came to Christmas time, there were a few more things that just didn’t add up for Karen.
The Christmas Presents
One of the unusual things that happened at this time is that Terry gifted her a diamond ring for Christmas. While women would be thrilled by receiving such a gift, for Karen it was just another sign that something was going wrong.
Karen expressed her concerns saying, “That Christmas he bought me a £700 diamond ring which just had guilt written all over it.” She had discovered the extravagant price when she came across the jeweler’s receipt, along with something even more troubling: a receipt for two bottles of the same perfume.
Who Is He Buying It for?
For Karen, finding this receipt was the definitive sign she needed that her husband and the love of her life was having an affair. She reasoned, “What he was thinking was, he will buy both of us Opium so when he comes in smelling of it it's my perfume.”
Still, she didn’t give away that anything was wrong, explaining, “So then I knew something was wrong. Something in me said: 'keep your eyes and ears open and mouth shut.'”
More Evidence Was Needed
Although she felt she now had proof, rather than confront Terry, Karen decided that she would bide her time. She ramped up her snooping to see if she could build more evidence against him.
She didn’t want to give Terry any signs she was suspicious, but there were still questions she wanted answers to. For one thing, she still hadn’t discovered who the other woman was. And when she would eventually find out this detail, it would be a terrible shock.
An Unexpected Revelation
But before Karen could discover all the details of the affair she was sure was taking place, Terry said something that made her move her plans forward, forcing her to take action and come face to face with reality.
Karen recalls, “Around Valentine's Day I remember him saying something like, ‘I don't know what I want to do with the rest of my life’ so I said, ‘I thought I was part of it?’ He said, ‘you are, but I don't know what I want to do, just give me time.’”
Her Feelings Begin to Change
This was all the reason she needed to take her future into her own hands and start making sure she was looking after her own needs. After all, why would she stick around for a man that wasn’t even sure if he still wanted her in his life?
Her feelings towards the so-called love of her life finally began to change. Karen remembers sadly, “I make a brilliant friend but a terrible enemy, and he was making such an enemy of me.”
Clearing Her Things
So she did the only thing she could think of in this situation, she started to remove Terry from her life before he could do the same to her. And that meant reviewing the life and the home that they had created and shared for 19 years.
She started going through the house and clearing out his things. Karen stated, “I thought, ‘You can have all the f***ing time you like, mate’ so I started making plans. I started getting rid of stuff, selling stuff.”
Still Living Together
Although these developments may seem dramatic and would signal the immediate end to any relationship, it’s not so easy to finalize things after being married for such a long time, and Karen and Terry continued to live together in their family home
It might have been an awkward arrangement but this provided Karen with the opportunity to get more information about his infidelity. And her plans all came to fruition when she managed to discover the password to his phone.
The Fateful Morning
She had tried to read his messages earlier but noticed that he had changed the code on his phone. Karen remembers, “He changed his pin number on his phone, which is another red flag.” Why would a man with nothing to hide change his password?
However, the troubled wife was finally able to get the information she needed by a completely chance event, as the two of them were lying in bed one morning. She explained, “He woke me up by moving to get his phone and something in my head said, 'mouth shut, eyes and ears open'.”
The New Password
Karen kept still and tried to act normal as she watched him unlock his phone with his new password. “I just looked up and I saw him put four of the same number in his phone, so I thought right, now we've got the pin number.”
Now she had the password she would be free to read his messages, but how could she get a hold of his phone without him finding out? She would have to find a time when he didn’t have it with him.
How to Get His Phone
And, indeed, Terry didn’t take his phone with him everywhere, like into the shower for instance. So one night as he was in the bathroom, Karen began to take action, almost without thinking about what she was doing.
She reveals, “One night it was like my body became possessed, I paused the telly and I heard him in the shower. I went out to the car, started it, left the door open.” The next step was to make sure Terry couldn’t follow her.
Locking Him Inside
The front door of their home was one that could be locked with a key, so after taking his mobile phone she locked the door and took the key with her, ensuring he would not be able to come running out after her.
With Terry safely trapped inside, she drove off to find somewhere private to read the messages. At last, she would have her answer – but it was not going to be one that she liked. Discovering the identity of the other woman would come as a terrible shock.
Reading the Messages
As she scrolled through her husband’s private messages – and there were plenty of them – she saw the sickening exchanges. Texts like, "I can't believe last night, it was wonderful", “Yeah we made up for not seeing each other”, “Don’t give her any ammunition”. The two even had pet names for each other such as “huggy bear”.
The worst was yet to come, however, when she realized that the woman who had been sending all these texts to her husband was none other than her best friend Carol. Karen simply couldn’t believe what she was reading.
The Shock of Discovery
Karen found it hard to accept the truth of this situation. How could her husband and her best friend do this to her? She had known Carol, an art teacher, even since before she had met Terry – the two women had been friends for 25 years.
Carol had been present at their wedding, the day when Karen married what she thought was the love of her life. Terry had even gone on to become friends with Carol’s then-husband and the two couples often socialized together. Even their children had become friends.
The Ultimate Betrayal
For Karen, this was the ultimate betrayal and the ultimate sign of disrespect. She revealed later in an interview, “It was the betrayal of a husband and a friend. Neighbors and friends knew about it and never told me.”
She went on to explain just how much the discovery had hurt her knowing that the affair had been going on for so long behind her back, “You can’t imagine how f*cking humiliating it is to have all these people know it’s going on and not say anything to you.”
Her Husband Calls
As she sat in the car contemplating what she had discovered, Terry rang her from the house phone. She answered angrily, “hello huggy bear, been shagging your s**g have you?” Not knowing that Karen could see his messages, Terry continued to lie and deny the affair.
But his lies fell on deaf ears. There would be no getting out of it for Terry now that his affair was exposed, and Karen could not forgive him or her so-called best friend. She explained, “I just think that's the lowest of the low. It's despicable.”
Planning Revenge
Rather than fall to pieces, Karen began to plot her next move. She knew that she wanted to get revenge on the pair of them for what they had done to her, but it was all about finding the best way to do it. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.
“Don't get mad, get even”, she thought, “wait until he shows his true colors. [Carol] has no idea what she let herself in for. The grass is always greener on the other side.”
She Finds the Dress
As Terry moved out and she began to clear their possessions out of the house, she came across her wedding dress in the attic. And a plan began to form in Karen’s mind that filled her with excitement.
She realized this would be the perfect way to show her disgust for the two of them and for the marriage they had ruined. “I saw the wedding dress when I was packing up my house, and thought, ‘she can f***ing have this.’”
Her Dramatic Display
Karen decided she wanted to make the experience as humiliating for a friend as it had been for her. After all, this was a woman who had been cheated on and lied to for months, while all the neighbors knew what was going on. It still filled her with pain to realize she was the last to know.
So she drove to Carol’s house and left the strapless cream dress on the front porch for all the world to see. She proudly set up a display right outside the front door so that there was no doubt about exactly what it was.
The Sarcastic Note
For the finishing touch, Karen realized she needed a note to truly express her contempt for the pair. She penned, “Hey Carol, I know you love secondhand goods, so thought you might like the dress I wore when I married your boyfriend. Love, Karen xx.”
This act of revenge provided Karen with exactly the relief she needed, “Leaving a wedding dress and putting that note through the door I knew there was nothing they could do. I was shaking like a kid at Christmas with excitement. “
Cutting Off Contact
Karen didn’t wait to stick around to see what the reaction would be to her dramatic gesture. She had no wish to know anything about Carol and her cheating husband Terry from that day forward. She was still too shocked and hurt by their betrayal.
In fact, Karen made sure the pair could not contact her, by going as far as changing her phone number as soon as she left the wedding dress on the doorstep. Newspapers contacted Carol to see what her reaction had been, but she refused to speak to any journalists.
Terry's Response
Terry, on the other hand, had no problems telling the world how he felt about his life with Karen. He said in an interview after the event, “Ask [Karen] what she’s like to live with, and then you might get a real story on why people do cheat on her.”
The ex-husband appeared to have no shame about what he had done, even justifying his behavior by saying, “When you do eventually go and get in touch with her, tell her to go and get a life. How many people have affairs every single day of their lives? People have affairs every day.”
She Wants More
For Terry, it seems that having an affair was no big deal, but Karen remains sure that she did nothing to deserve what happened to her. She stuck up for herself saying, “I've got nothing to hide. That bird was a friend of mine for 25 years. I was with him for 19 years.”
She believes that she shouldn’t have to pay for the divorce, as Terry was the one that committed adultery. Sadly, he refused to do this, meaning Karen had to find another way of saying that she has moved on, changing her name by deed poll back to her maiden name ‘Dineen’.
The Pain of Betrayal
For Karen, it will always be the betrayal that caused her the most pain. She explained, “He never said, ‘Karen I don't love you, I don't want to be with you anymore.’ That would have been fine. That would have been a shock, but not as much as this.”
“If he had come to me and said I don't love you anymore and I don't want to be with you, I would have had a bit more respect for him. But the way he did it, with the lies and the sneaking around. He'd be sitting in the front room with me looking at text messages on his phone.”
Her Friendship Ruined
Of course, it wasn’t just her husband to blame, the fact that it was her best friend made it much worse too. She talks about her past with Carols stating, “They were my friends and when I met Terry, Carol's husband became friends with him. It's vile.”
Fortunately for Karen, she was able to make a clear-cut decision and not let her feelings get in the way. She revealed, “I don't miss him or love him or pine for him. As soon as I saw those text messages it was over. I knew it was over.”
Moving on
It has been four years since Karen discovered the involvement between her husband and her best friend, and although she has not spoken to either of them, she believes they remain a couple, “I do believe they are still together now. He'll be slowly chipping away at her.”
And for Karen herself, she has found someone special too. “I've been single for four years. When I chucked him out I got a chihuahua, who is cleaner, more loyal, and more faithful. I got the better end of the deal there. Win-win.”