When I first met Nathan in high school, it felt like destiny. We were inseparable and got married a few years later, dreaming of a wonderful life together. But everything changed after just two years of marriage.

At first, I thought the arrival of our newborn daughter, Ellie, might be the cause of Nathan’s shift in behavior. But he was a fantastic father, so that couldn’t be it. His criticism of me was what hurt the most.

“You’ve just let yourself go, Dani,” Nathan said one day, his words stinging. “Always dressed in such dowdy attire. Do you believe that’s how you’ll maintain the spark?”

He even accused me of being a bad mother despite me working from home and spending countless hours with Ellie.

“It’s the computer screen that you’re always behind. Even so, are you paying Ellie enough attention? It doesn’t appear to be. Every night when I get home from work, she is by herself.”

I tried everything to please him, but nothing was ever good enough. I saw our marriage falling apart and eventually realized I didn’t have the strength to fight against something that existed only in Nathan’s mind.

One day, Nathan told me we had to move because he had a new job opportunity. I agreed, hoping the change might help our marriage. Ellie was in the first grade, and since I worked from home, the move wasn’t a problem for me.

After Ellie started her new school, I noticed she was acting out more at home. One day, I found her crying in her room.

“Honey, what happened?” I asked, worried.

“Miss Allen is not the mother I desire! You should become my mommy,” Ellie sobbed.

A chill ran down my spine. Miss Allen was Ellie’s teacher.

“Why would she become your mother?” I asked, feeling uneasy.

Tears streamed down Ellie’s face as she told me everything she had overheard in the past few days. It was like a weight lifting off her shoulders.

“When Dad picked me up from school yesterday, Miss Allen asked me to wait outside while she talked to him. I didn’t hear everything, but I did hear her say she could be a better mother to me. Dad laughed at that.”

Nathan was having an affair.

That night, I waited until Ellie was asleep before confronting Nathan. I poured him a drink and began, “So, Ellie seems to really like Miss Allen.”

His eyes lit up. “Really? I knew she would.”

“Enough to want her as her new mother?” I asked. “What’s going on, Nathan? Don’t lie to me.”

Nathan looked down, unable to meet my eyes. He confessed to the affair with Miss Allen. But that wasn’t the only one. He’d had an affair with another woman back in our old town, and she had started demanding more from him. That’s why he decided to move and change jobs.

I realized then that my marriage was truly over.

In the days that followed, I moved Ellie to a different school. She needed love and protection, not the mess of her father’s affairs. I found a new home and filed for divorce. Nathan was allowed to see Ellie whenever he wanted, but I was done with him.

Do you think I made the right decision?

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