My Husband Started Staying Late at Work and Coming Home with a Woman’s Scent, So I Decided to Follow Him and Uncover the Truth – Story of the Day #9

When my husband started coming home late, smelling like another woman’s perfume, I couldn’t ignore the red flags. He denied it, but my instincts told me otherwise. So, I decided to follow him one evening, hoping to uncover the truth about what was really going on. What I discovered changed everything.

When you get married, you think you’ll always stay this happy, that you’ll always love each other fiercely, and there will always be passion and sparks between you.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

But unfortunately, that’s not entirely true. My husband and I, though we hadn’t yet crossed the 45 threshold not long ago, had already lost those youthful emotions.

I still loved Richard, respected him, and he was my friend and life partner.

But the longer our marriage went on, the more we became used to each other, and talk of fireworks of passion was something that seemed unnecessary.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

Our kids had grown up and left the house, so we were learning to live alone together again, and I wouldn’t say it was easy. I felt like we were drifting apart.

We still talked and had a personal life, but it just wasn’t the same. Then, Richard’s behavior began to change.

He started staying late at work and began lying to me. After so many years of being together, I could tell when he was lying.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

But one evening, he came home late again, and there was something more.

At first, I couldn’t figure out what smell was on him, but then it hit me, it was the scent of women’s perfume.

I could’ve expected anything, but definitely not that he would find someone else. I thought he respected me, but it turned out I was just an empty place in his life.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

“Richard, are you cheating on me?” I asked.

“What? What makes you think that?” Richard asked.

“You smell like women’s perfume,” I said.

“There’s a new worker at the office, and she sprays that perfume so much, it fills the whole office. They even sat her next to me,” Richard explained.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

“Perfume doesn’t just transfer like that. Are you saying she rubbed against you?” I asked.

“No one rubbed against me, and we’ve been married for so long, how could you accuse me of something like that?” Richard said.

“What else am I supposed to think?!” I asked.

“I don’t know, just relax,” Richard said and went to the bedroom.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

It was easy for him to say. I could feel something was off. He couldn’t just suddenly start staying late at work and then come home smelling like another woman.

Every day, Richard became more secretive, hiding things, lying more. He even started locking himself in the guest room and playing music.

I tried to go in once, but he wouldn’t let me. He was probably talking to her, and the music was on so I wouldn’t hear anything.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

I made several attempts to talk, but he quickly shut down every conversation.

I often sat in the evenings thinking, Is this really the end? Is our marriage, almost 25 years long, really going to fall apart so easily? Will I not even try to save it?

One evening, I decided that I needed to save our relationship, the relationship I didn’t want to lose.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

I changed my hairstyle to one I used to wear in my youth, bought some nice new clothes, and slowly started changing, making sure Richard noticed.

One day, he was watching me as I got ready for work. “You’re looking better. What changed?” he asked.

“I decided I needed to take better care of myself. Do you like it?” I asked.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

Richard came up behind me and hugged me. “I always like you, no matter what you look like,” he said, kissing me on the cheek.

I smiled. Hope started to rise in me, hope that everything would be fine, that our marriage wouldn’t fall apart.

That day, I decided to cook a romantic dinner. When I got home from work, I texted Richard: “Don’t be late, I have a surprise for you.” Then I got to work on the dinner.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

Two hours later, everything was ready, duck and a side dish were on the table, wine was in the fridge, I had cut roses from our garden and put them in a vase, and I lit candles for the atmosphere.

Music and dancing would’ve been perfect for the evening, but Richard never liked dancing and never tried to learn, even though he knew how much I loved it.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

I looked at the clock; it was already 7 p.m. Then 8, then 9, and Richard still hadn’t come home.

The dinner had long since gotten cold, the candles were burning down, and I sat at the table in my new dress, ready to cry at any moment.

Suddenly, I heard him come in. I walked out into the hall, arms crossed, glaring at him.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

“Where have you been?” I asked.

“I stayed late at work,” Richard said.

“I asked you to come earlier! I was waiting for you!” I snapped.

“I’m sorry, it just happened. I saw your message when I was already heading home. What’s the surprise?” Richard asked.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

I was about to reply when something on his shirt caught my eye. “What the hell is this?!” I screamed.

Richard looked at his collar. “I must’ve gotten it on my shirt during lunch,” he said.

“Don’t lie to me! This is a lipstick stain! Who is she?!” I screamed. It was definitely a lipstick mark, smudged, as if left accidentally, but it was unmistakable.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

“Calm down, there’s no one else. It’s just you for me,” Richard said.

“You jerk!” I screamed. “I’m doing everything to save our marriage, and you’re hanging out with other women!”

“I’m telling you again, there’s no one else!” Richard yelled.

“You even have the nerve to lie to my face!” I shouted. “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight!”

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

I ran to the bedroom, threw his pillow and blanket out, and then locked the door. Richard came to the door a few minutes later.

“I saw the dinner you made; it looks really nice and delicious,” he said. “Let me heat it up, and we can eat together.”

“I don’t want to eat with you!” I screamed.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

I heard him standing there for a few more minutes before he just left. I cried all night. I always thought I wouldn’t be the fool whose husband cheats, but I guess I was wrong.

The next morning, I had no more sadness, just anger. I wanted to catch Richard in the act, so he couldn’t lie to me anymore.

I wanted to see the woman, the woman he preferred over me. So, that evening, I drove to Richard’s work to follow him.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

I saw him get in his car and leave, so I followed. He was driving in the opposite direction of our house. Jerk!

We arrived at some apartment building, and he went inside. I watched carefully through the windows of the building until I saw him.

He entered an apartment, which looked more like a studio. There was a woman there, probably no older than 30, so he chose a younger woman.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

They were talking sweetly, laughing, and then… they started doing what Richard never did with me in nearly 25 years of marriage.

They started dancing. And he was actually pretty good at it. Some moves were a little awkward, but you should have seen how he danced before.

He never knew how to dance until now. It hurt so much. I almost wished I had seen them sleeping together instead, because he never danced for me, but he did it for her.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

I wanted to turn around and go home, but something inside me, all that anger that had built up, made me get out of the car and go up to the apartment.

I walked in without knocking. They didn’t even notice me right away and kept dancing.

“Are you going to lie again that you’re not cheating?!” I screamed to get their attention.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

Richard immediately pulled away from the woman, nearly pushing her aside. “Melanie, it’s not what it looks like,” Richard said.

“You lied to me! You said there was no one else, and here you are, having fun with her!” I yelled.

“Let me explain everything,” Richard said.

“I think I should leave,” the woman said.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

“You slept with my husband, and now you want to leave? No, honey, you’re staying,” I said.

“No one slept with anyone,” Richard said.

“Yeah, right, you just smelled like women’s perfume and had lipstick marks on your clothes for no reason,” I snapped.

“The lipstick stain happened by accident,” Richard said.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

“Yes, I know it happened by accident, but that doesn’t change the fact of the cheating! For 25 years, you never, NEVER, danced with me, not even at our wedding, but now you’re doing it willingly with her,” I shouted.

“I think I should introduce myself, my name is Sarah—” the woman started, but I interrupted her.

“I don’t care what your name is!” I screamed.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

“Melanie!” Richard yelled. “This is Sarah, my dance teacher.”

I scoffed. “Dance teacher? Seriously? You could’ve come up with something more believable.”

“But it’s true. Richard asked me to teach him how to dance. This is my studio. I can show you my certificates,” Sarah said, and a moment later, she brought out diplomas proving she really was a dance teacher.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

“I don’t get it,” I said.

“I also felt how hard it was after the kids left, so I decided to do something nice for you, reignite that spark that used to burn,” Richard said.

“But you hate dancing,” I said.

“That’s true, but I love you,” Richard said.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

“You decided to learn to dance for me?” I asked.

“I wanted to surprise you for our 25th anniversary, so I didn’t tell you anything and had to lie,” Richard said.

“I can’t believe you did this. You did it for me,” I said, and tears started to fill my eyes.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney

Richard came up to me and gently hugged me. “Of course. I’d do anything for you,” he said, and kissed me.

“Maybe you’ll show your wife what you’ve learned so far?” Sarah said.

“Uh…I’m not sure, I still feel a little insecure,” Richard said.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

“Come on, you’ve got this,” Sarah said and turned on the music.

Richard twirled me around. He was a little clumsy, but the dance still felt magical. I felt happy.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you more,” Richard said.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Sora

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