I arrived at the port with our baby twins to surprise my husband, who was returning from months at sea, but I caught him with his mistress, so I made him regret it.<\/p>\n
My husband, Brandon, worked on a cruise ship and could be away from home for months at a time.<\/p>\n
When he left for his trip, I was seven months pregnant, and we were expecting twins.<\/p>\n
Two months later, I gave birth to our beautiful daughters.<\/p>\n
Brandon kept calling me and telling me how badly he wanted to finally see our girls.<\/p>\n
So when I found out he would be returning from his trip three months later, I decided to surprise him.<\/p>\n
We had agreed that we would wait for Brandon at home, but I wanted so badly for him to finally meet our daughters, to hug him as soon as possible, and then go home together.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when I decided I would go straight to the port with our daughters to meet him. I didn\u2019t tell him about it during those three months.<\/p>\n
Then, the day before he arrived, I bought tickets to another city where his cruise ship was supposed to dock.<\/p>\n
And I went to the cruise terminal.<\/p>\n
I was holding our daughters in my arms when I finally saw him walking out of the terminal.<\/p>\n
Through the crowd, I was just about to wave and call out to him.<\/p>\n
But then I saw that he wasn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n
He was with another woman.<\/p>\n
She was pulling a suitcase, and he had his arm around her waist. They were laughing together, and then he leaned down and kissed her.<\/p>\n
Everything inside me dropped.<\/p>\n
I stood there frozen, unable to move.<\/p>\n
Then Brandon noticed me.<\/p>\n
He immediately walked over to me with the woman.<\/p>\n
\u201cJenna? What are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice trembled as I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually wanted to surprise you so you could finally see your daughters\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Then the woman beside Brandon laughed and said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u2026 this is awkward, to put it mildly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Brandon said:<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease, just don\u2019t make a scene. We met on the ship, and it just happened. I mean, you understand that I\u2019m a young, attractive guy, and being alone for that many months just isn\u2019t realistic.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman smirked.<\/p>\n
Brandon went on to explain that apparently he couldn\u2019t stay faithful to just one woman because \u201cthat\u2019s just male nature,\u201d and proudly added that she \u201cwasn\u2019t the only woman he\u2019d been with.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was in complete shock.<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t even trying to apologize or explain himself. He simply blamed me for his cheating and stood there smiling while I held our babies in my arms.<\/p>\n
Then suddenly, I felt completely calm inside. I already knew exactly what I was going to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what, honey?\u201d I said. \u201cI understand. I really do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there\u2019s something you forgot. One very important detail. Please look to your right.\u201d<\/p>\n
The smile instantly disappeared from his face.<\/p>\n
I brought our baby twins to another city\u2019s port to surprise their father, only to find him kissing another woman. I thought asking him to look to his right would finally put someone on my side. But what happened next made me realize I was on my own. So I started planning my revenge.<\/p>\n
I straightened the girls\u2019 hats again while we waited at the cruise terminal.<\/p>\n
Piper was fussing. Quinn slept with one fist against her cheek.<\/p>\n
Brandon had sailed when I was seven months pregnant. Two months later, I\u2019d given birth without him. Now our daughters were three months old.<\/p>\n
We\u2019d agreed to meet at home, but yesterday, unable to bear another hour of waiting, I\u2019d bought tickets to the port city. I\u2019d barely slept. I\u2019d spent most of the trip picturing him dropping his bag and reaching for a baby.<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t made the trip alone. My father-in-law, Russell, had offered to come along to help with the twins and the luggage, and he\u2019d paid for the return tickets as a gift. He\u2019d stepped away a few minutes earlier to find a luggage cart, so for the moment I stood there by myself.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d handled the birth, the night feeds, and the evenings when both babies cried while I sat on the bathroom floor, trying not to wake the neighbors.<\/p>\n
Every few days, Brandon had called over bad ship Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I\u2019m home, everything changes, babe. I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n
The doors opened, and Brandon appeared, but he wasn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n
He came out laughing, his arm around a woman pulling a pink suitcase. Before I could call his name, he leaned down and kissed her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandon looked up and saw us. Instead of looking guilty, he walked over with the woman still beside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cJenna? What are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to surprise you.\u201d My voice shook. \u201cSo you could finally meet your daughters.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u2026 this is awkward, to put it mildly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned to Brandon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this exactly? How long have you been seeing her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCalm down.\u201d Brandon waved his hand dismissively. \u201cWe met on the ship, and it just happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo strings,\u201d the woman added, smiling like that fixed everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, you understand that I\u2019m a young, attractive guy, and being alone for that many months just isn\u2019t realistic,\u201d Brandon finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlone,\u201d I repeated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. It\u2019s male nature.\u201d He tipped his head to one side. \u201cHow do you think I get by at sea? She\u2019s not the first, and she won\u2019t be the last.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019d been counting the days until he came home, only to learn he\u2019d been cheating every time he was away and thought that was acceptable.<\/p>\n
Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw Russell returning with the cart.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what, honey? I understand. I really do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandon\u2019s shoulders relaxed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there\u2019s something you forgot. One very important detail. Please look to your right.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned. That cocky smile disappeared like smoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell stood there with the diaper bag over his shoulder, his face dark.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d He pointed at the woman. \u201cGo on. We need to speak as a family.\u201d<\/p>\n
She rolled her suitcase away.<\/p>\n
\nI let out a breath. Brandon might dismiss me, but he listened to his father.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you out of your mind?\u201d Russell hissed. \u201cParading her in front of your wife? Telling Jenna to her face that you\u2019ve had multiple affairs?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandon ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck.<\/p>\n
For all of two seconds, I felt vindicated.<\/p>\n
Then Russell said something that caught me off guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been married thirty-four years. I never once let your mother catch me with another woman, and I certainly never told her about them. Use your head.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought I\u2019d misunderstood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re telling him he should\u2019ve hidden it better?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetheart, lower your voice.\u201d Russell turned back to Brandon. \u201cShow some respect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right, Dad.\u201d Brandon turned to me. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he reached toward Quinn as though the reunion could begin.<\/p>\n
I stepped back. \u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously? You\u2019re going to use the girls to punish me?\u201d<\/p>\n
I took the diaper bag from Russell. \u201cI\u2019m not going to pretend this is okay. I\u2019m leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you\u2019re not.\u201d Russell put a hand on my shoulder. \u201cYou can\u2019t get home by yourself, Jenna. The return tickets are in my name, and I won\u2019t let you run off with my grandchildren just because you\u2019re upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was right. I couldn\u2019t afford to get home on my own, and I hated it.<\/p>\n
On the flight, the men talked about a fishing trip. I watched the twins sleep and thought through my options.<\/p>\n
When we reached the house, Brandon dropped his bag by the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat\u2019s for dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously?\u201d<\/p>\n
He rolled his eyes. \u201cWe\u2019ve been happy all this time, and it\u2019s not like you\u2019ve got somewhere else to go, so get over it already.\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019d see about that.<\/p>\n
The next morning, I called my best friend, Kelsey, from the nursery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat am I going to do? I could ask to go back to work, but then I\u2019d have to pay for childcare, and rent, and food\u2026 it won\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome here,\u201d Kelsey said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a long-term solution, but it\u2019s a roof over your head.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to say yes. Then I looked at the two cribs and tried to picture fitting our whole life into her tiny spare room.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t leave them behind,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t know how I\u2019d manage with them there.\u201d<\/p>\n
My job was waiting, but my leave was unpaid. Brandon\u2019s pay covered most of the household bills. Perhaps I could wait until he sailed again, then work, save, and prepare without having to live beside him every day.<\/p>\n
That night, I found him holding Piper in the nursery doorway.<\/p>\n
Her hand was wrapped around his thumb. Brandon hummed, and he smiled when she turned toward his voice.<\/p>\n
He could be gentle. He could love them. Perhaps the girls could have that, and I could learn to live with the rest: his income, most months without him, a family that still looked like one.<\/p>\n
Then he laid Piper down and followed me to our bedroom, where I\u2019d left a blanket on the couch for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sleeping out there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrandon, I can\u2019t just get into bed beside you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t keep punishing me for something that\u2019s over.\u201d He climbed into bed. \u201cIf you insist on treating me like I\u2019m single, don\u2019t act shocked when I act like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the space beside him. Staying would mean hearing that whenever I refused to pretend we were fine.<\/p>\n
I took my pillow to the nursery and lay on the floor until the window turned gray.<\/p>\n
Kelsey called the next day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know a childminder who might have room for two babies. I\u2019ll call her. You call your boss.\u201d<\/p>\n
So I did. My manager offered three early shifts or longer evening shifts.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome see me Thursday,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Kelsey had an appointment on Thursday, so I asked Brandon to watch the girls during my meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d he said, looking at his phone. \u201cNo problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019d failed me as a husband. I still hoped I could count on him as their father.<\/p>\n
The next morning, Brandon came into the kitchen smiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood news. Mr. Prescott put me forward for the shore position. It\u2019s approved. No more months away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Prescott managed Brandon\u2019s department and would oversee the move. Brandon had talked about winning his favor, but I hadn\u2019t known he was applying to stay ashore.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted me home, babe. Now you\u2019ve got me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Months ago, that news would have made me happy. Now it felt like the worst thing that could have happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI invited Mr. Prescott to dinner Friday,\u201d Brandon added. \u201cTo thank him. Cook something nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
I forced a smile.<\/p>\n
On Thursday morning, I was dressed for my meeting when Brandon came downstairs jingling his keys.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got to run some stuff for the new job. You\u2019ll have to move your meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you\u2019d watch them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis promotion matters to everybody. You should be supporting me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He left before I could answer.<\/p>\n
I called Russell. I didn\u2019t expect sympathy anymore, but perhaps he would spare two hours for his granddaughters.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrandon promised to watch them. He\u2019s gone, and my meeting\u2019s in forty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a lot on his plate. Maybe go back to work later. What\u2019s the rush?\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t postpone earning my own money because Brandon had other plans.<\/p>\n
I called Kelsey.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould you move your appointment? I hate asking, but I need help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me ten minutes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
At work, I chose the three early shifts.<\/p>\n
Afterward, Kelsey sat beside me while I called the childminder. Three mornings were available, and the cost for two babies took more of my wages than I\u2019d hoped. I wrote down what remained for transport, formula, and food. There was nothing for a rental deposit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can give you six weeks in the room,\u201d Kelsey said. \u201cWe\u2019ll share groceries while you\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens after six weeks?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the figures again. Staying with Brandon would be easier to pay for. It would also mean relying on the man who\u2019d just walked out on me.<\/p>\n
On Friday, we bought ingredients for dinner.
\n
\nBack on the porch, Brandon stopped with grocery bags in both hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need tonight to go smoothly. Understand?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning I smile while you tell Mr. Prescott what a devoted family man you are?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t start. It was a few women. It\u2019s not like I fell in love.\u201d He laughed. \u201cThey were guests, for pity\u2019s sake! I slept with them, and that was all.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you risked your job too?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shifted the bags.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if I lose it, you lose too. You and the girls. So you\u2019re not going to do anything stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
He carried the groceries inside. I stood on the porch a moment longer, and I knew exactly what my next move would be.<\/p>\n
That evening, when Kelsey arrived to collect the twins, I put my suitcase beside their bags in her trunk.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can come now,\u201d she said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to sit through dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through the window, I could see Brandon arranging wineglasses. She was offering everything she could. I wished it were enough to stop me from being afraid.<\/p>\n
I kissed both girls before Kelsey drove away. Then I went inside to finish the meal.<\/p>\n
Mr. Prescott arrived at seven carrying wine. He shook Brandon\u2019s hand, and Russell clapped them both on the back.<\/p>\n
\u201cA man who puts family first,\u201d Russell announced over the roast. \u201cThis job means he can be here for his wife and daughters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Prescott smiled at me. \u201cYou must be pleased.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandon grinned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoving ashore gives my family everything they need. Tell him, babe.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wanted me to help sell the story, and he trusted my fear of losing his paycheck to keep me smiling.<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t going to do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you told Mr. Prescott about the guests?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandon stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe women you described on our porch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJenna, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is neither the time nor the place,\u201d Russell said.<\/p>\n
I put my phone beside my plate. Brandon reached toward it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re really doing this?\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved it closer to me and pressed play on the doorbell camera recording of our conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were guests, for pity\u2019s sake! I slept with them, and that was all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Prescott looked at Brandon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was private,\u201d Brandon said quickly. \u201cWe were having an argument. I was winding her up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you involved with passengers while you were working aboard?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandon\u2019s shoulders dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, sir. I made mistakes. It won\u2019t happen again. Please give me another chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat holding my phone. He\u2019d found the apology he couldn\u2019t give me at the terminal.<\/p>\n
Mr. Prescott pushed back his chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know the rules. How could you do this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease. My girls\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou won\u2019t start the shore position Monday. Send me that recording, Jenna. I\u2019ll take this up with HR first thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He left his wine untouched and stood. Brandon followed him to the hall, still talking. I heard the front door close.<\/p>\n
Brandon came back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve cost me the job. How are we going to support those girls now?\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry. He was asking the question I hadn\u2019t stopped asking myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s endangered this whole family,\u201d Russell said. \u201cTo get even.\u201d<\/p>\n
I picked up my purse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girls are with Kelsey. I\u2019m staying there too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d Brandon demanded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s given us six weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then what?\u201d Russell asked. \u201cTwo babies, Jenna. This isn\u2019t just about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it isn\u2019t. I tried to work out how to stay, but you care more about your \u2018male needs\u2019 than about this family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandon stepped closer, his face changing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll change. I swear. Family comes first from now on.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to believe him. I wanted the man I\u2019d seen humming to Piper to mean it.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay while we sort it out,\u201d he said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to do this on your own.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand tightened around the purse strap. If I stayed, I could put off the spare room and the fear of having nowhere to go when the six weeks ended.<\/p>\n
But I\u2019d already seen how easily he broke a promise when keeping it became inconvenient.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope you do change,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m still leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell started to speak. I walked out before I could be persuaded to sit down again.<\/p>\n
Kelsey\u2019s spare room barely held us, with two portable cribs squeezed between the bed and the window.<\/p>\n
That first night, I settled Piper, then Quinn, and lay down with my suitcase still unpacked.<\/p>\n
Brandon\u2019s dismissal was confirmed on Monday. I returned to work that week and began arranging the separation. Money and parenting arrangements remained unresolved, and there was still no deposit for a place of our own.<\/p>\n
On Monday evening, I was putting away bottles when Kelsey knocked softly on the bedroom door.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two plates of pasta waited on the kitchen table. I sat across from her and picked up my fork.<\/p>\n
Eventually, the twins and I moved into our own small place.<\/p>\n
Brandon and I divorced. His father got him a job working at a restaurant owned by a friend.<\/p>\n
Last week, Kelsey introduced me to her new neighbor. We\u2019re going on a date tomorrow night.<\/p>\n
This is definitely not where I thought life would take me, but I\u2019m happier than I\u2019ve ever been.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PART 1 I arrived at the port with our baby twins to surprise my husband, who was returning from months at sea, but I caught him with his mistress, so … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24293,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,16,6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-inspiration","category-news","category-real-life-story"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/storyreadin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/storyreadin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/storyreadin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storyreadin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storyreadin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24295"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/storyreadin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24297,"href":"https:\/\/storyreadin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24295\/revisions\/24297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storyreadin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/storyreadin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storyreadin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storyreadin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}