When My Husband's Affair Killed Our Son, I Took Revenge

At six in the morning, Jack Thompson came home after working overtime. He looked drained, but still managed to bring me a bouquet of flowers. Gently, he set the roses by my pillow. As usual, he leaned in to kiss my forehead.

But this time, I quietly pushed him away and asked for a divorce. Jack stared at me, shocked.

“Why? Just because I worked overtime too late?”

I shook my head. “Because at five in the morning, you sent me a message.”

——

The message was simple, just one line. [Wife, I love you.]

It was sent at 5:07 a.m.

The location showed: his company.

For a moment, my heart fluttered. I almost replied, but then a thought I’d read online popped into my mind.

[When someone leaves a cat café, they bring home a can of cat food—out of guilt.]

[A cheating man is the same. After an affair, he’ll send his wife an ‘I love you’ out of guilt.]

I had always believed Jack would never cheat.

He loved me so much that whenever I got hurt, he’d shield me with his own body.

He was always busy with work, so busy he barely had time to eat or drink. Someone like that couldn’t possibly cheat. He didn’t even have the time.

That’s what I kept telling myself.

But still, my hands moved on their own.

I started checking Jack’s social media on his WhatsApp, Discord, Amazon and Slack. Everything seemed normal.

Until six in the morning, I noticed a new girl on his follow list.

An intern who had just joined his company was Audrey Quinn.

Jack had mentioned her before. He said she was dumb, clumsy and couldn’t do anything right.

At five in the morning, this socalled “dumb beauty” posted an update. [The most romantic thing in the world is watching the sunrise with the one you love after intense exercise.]

The morning light lit up her young, radiant face. Around her slender waist rested a long, bony hand.

If that hand hadn’t been wearing the same wedding ring Jack and I shared, I might’ve even sighed and thought youth was beautiful.

But at that moment, I already knew the truth.

But eight years of love made me choose selfdeception.

I wasn’t ready to let go. So, I kept digging, holding onto the hope that maybe this was all a misunderstanding.

A woman in love would become a natural Sherlock Holmes.

Through Jack’s bank records, WhatsApp step count and fuel logs, I pieced together the timeline of his night.

At 7 p.m., Jack told me he had to work late and left to meet a client.

By 8 p.m., the deal had reportedly fallen through and he returned to the office to revise the proposal.

At 3 a.m., Jack took Audrey to a fivestar hotel near the company.

By 5 a.m., their passion ended.

Audrey, satisfied, looked at the sunrise and sighed.

Out of guilt, Jack sent me that message.

Just like the line I’d read online.

The person who had returned from the cat café, feeling guilty, had opened a can for the cat at home.

The man who had just fooled around, out of guilt, had sent his wife an “I love you.”

That bouquet of flowers was the cat food Jack brought home for me.

When I uncovered all of this, I felt shattered.

I was in pain, furious and broken.

For a moment, I even considered pretending I hadn’t seen anything, to quietly continue life with Jack.

After all, we’d spent eight years together and we had two beautiful children.

But the moment Jack stepped through the door, I caught the scent of sickly sweet perfume on him.

In that moment, I understood.

I knew I couldn’t swallow this halfhearted lie. Even more, I couldn’t bear a man who could betray me so easily.

So, without hesitation, the word divorce slipped from my lips.

Jack, unaware of what had just unfolded, frowned and glanced at me.

He rubbed his temples before collapsing onto the sofa, exhausted.

“Can you stop being unreasonable?”

“I’ve been working all day. I’m exhausted.”

I didn’t massage his shoulders or bring him breakfast like I usually did.

Instead, I calmly opened Audrey’s profile and held my phone up in front of Jack.

In over twenty videos, Jack's presence was everywhere.

There were shots of the two of them walking together at sunset, as well as photos of them holding hands in a hot spring.

Although his face was never shown, our years of closeness allowed me to recognize him instantly; that was Jack. Alongside that were countless flowers and luxury gifts.

The first post was from just ten minutes ago.

Audrey stood in a sea of flowers, flashing a peace sign. She wore a full set of ruby jewelry, sparkling brilliantly in the sunlight.

The caption read, [Stupid fool. Every time we meet, you always bring flowers. I’ve long grown sick of them. Better to give them to someone who needs them.]

At that moment, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I grabbed the wilted, yellowing roses and threw them at Jack’s face.

“You think I’d be touched just because you gave me flowers another woman tossed aside?”

“You think I wouldn’t recognize you just because your face isn’t in the photos?”

“Jack, I’m not a fool and I don’t need your leftover trash!”

He yanked off the ruby bracelet and held it up in front of me.

“Stop throwing a tantrum!”

“Look at yourself! Everything you eat, wear and use is bought with my money! Without me, could you even afford this bracelet?”

“My job is stressful. So what if I unwind once in a while? It’s not like I’m not coming home.”

“If you really have that much pride, then get out of this house without taking a single cent!”

The sharp edges of the bracelet dug into my wrist, bright red blood dripping onto the carpet.

Staring at everything around me, I suddenly found it all laughable.

That bracelet had once been Jack’s wedding gift to me.

I still remembered that day. He had kissed the back of my hand so gently and smiled as he said, “Wife, thank you for staying by my side all this time.”

“I promised you I’d give you the best of everything. Now I can finally make that happen.”

Back then, I had truly believed I was the happiest woman in the world.

Now, I understood. I had always been just like that little cat in the story.

Eating leftovers someone else had grown tired of.

Wearing a bracelet that someone else had discarded.

And still, I dared to believe I was deeply loved.

Rage surged through me and my tears flowed uncontrollably.

But my last bit of dignity wouldn’t let me back down.

I charged forward and slapped Jack hard across the face, over and over.

I shouted furiously, “What right do you have to throw me out? This house is my premarital property; if anyone’s leaving, it’s you!”

“If it weren’t for me back then, would you even have the family business you have today?”

“Now you’re trying to kick me out to make room for your mistress? Keep dreaming!”

In the chaos, Jack’s shirt was accidentally torn open.

Those faint red marks felt like a giant axe, cleaving us apart.

Jack, flustered and guilty, hurried to close his shirt.

He tried to speak but fell silent. His eyes had fixed on the photo of the four of us, frozen in happier times.

He shoved me aside, sneering coldly, “What right do you have to talk to me about divorce?”

“In this world, who else but me would want a piece of trash like you, someone who killed her own son?”

That one sentence silenced me.

The wound I had buried deep inside, the one that would never heal, was torn open again, bleeding all over.

I stood frozen, the pain so sharp that I couldn’t find the words to speak.

A satisfied smirk curled at the corner of Jack’s lips. After calling me a shrew, he slammed the door and walked out. And I couldn’t hold on any longer.

I collapsed into the chaos around me, sobbing uncontrollably.

Until a timid voice broke through the silence, Ruby clutched her little bunny, her eyes wide with fear.

“Mommy, did you and Daddy fight?”

“Are you going to separate? Will Daddy still come home?”

The fear in her eyes pierced straight through my heart.

I pulled her tightly into my arms.

“I’m sorry, Ruby. Mommy scared you.”

“Go back to bed now. I’ll take you to school later.”

Ruby shook her head, her eyes fixed fearfully on my phone.

After a long pause, she gently tugged at my sleeve.

“Mommy, I’ve seen that lady before… a long time ago… on the day Brother died…”

“What did you say?”

My breath caught and my eyes widened instinctively.

“Ruby, do you know something? Tell Mommy, what happened that day?”

Ruby stepped back, her innocent eyes filled with deep fear.

Then, all at once, she broke into sobs and threw herself into my arms.

“That day, Daddy brought that lady home.”

“He said they were going to play a game and told Brother and me not to bother them.”

“The lady gave us two pieces of chocolate with liquor in them, then locked us in the room.”

“After Brother ate the chocolate, he said it hurt and then he just fell to the floor and stopped moving.”

“I was so scared. I kept banging on the door, crying, calling for Daddy, but he just kept playing with the lady. He wouldn’t listen no matter what I said.”

“Later… Brother was gone. Daddy said it was our secret and we couldn’t tell anyone. He said if I told… he wouldn’t want me anymore…”

“Mommy, I’m sorry. Ruby’s not a lying bad girl… Ruby was just scared…”

I stood there, dazed, completely at a loss for words.

It felt like a knife twisting inside me, tearing through everything.

Aiden’s death had been the deepest pain of my life, of both our families.

Two years ago, the other party had pushed me to attend a meeting.

To help the company secure that crucial contract, I had no choice but to leave Aiden and Ruby with the nanny and drive off alone.

When I returned, the nanny was gone.

Only Ruby was there, crying uncontrollably and Aiden lay stiff and cold.

The doctor said Aiden had died from an allergic reaction after mistakenly eating chocolate with liquor in it.

If he had been brought in just ten minutes earlier, he could have been saved.

My mother couldn’t bear the shock and died of a heart attack.

My motherinlaw directed all her fury at me.

She grabbed me by the neck and slapped me over and over, calling me a murderer with every word.

“You wretched woman, how could you leave two such small children home alone? Are you even human?”

“You knew perfectly well that Aiden was allergic to alcohol, so why did you still buy liquorfilled chocolates? Was it on purpose? Did you mean to kill my grandson?”

“You murderer! Killer! I want you to pay for his life!”

The relatives on my motherinlaw’s side beat and kicked me, as if they wanted to tear me apart.

At the critical moment, Jack rushed in.

Without hesitation, he pulled me behind him, standing tall in front of everyone.

“Aiden’s death was an accident. This wasn’t Nora’s fault.”

“As long as I’m here, no one will lay a hand on her.”

That day, Jack felt like a hero, strong, unwavering, shielding me from the world.

Later, he took me to see a psychologist.

Jack stayed by my side, helping me slowly emerge from the shadow of Aiden’s death.

But the series of blows had left me with lasting psychological scars.

I couldn’t keep working. I couldn’t live like a normal person.

I kept dreaming of Aiden and I was always terrified that something might happen to Ruby, too.

Jack advised me to resign and stay home to care for our child.

After much hesitation, I gave up the career I had worked so hard to build and became a fulltime housewife.

Thankfully, Ruby was obedient and thoughtful.

Though Jack was always busy with work, he treated me with care and respect.

Over the years, even with regrets in my heart, I still felt fortunate to have a partner I could trust with my life, to have a family that, at the very least, seemed whole.

But I never imagined that one day, Jack would use Aiden’s death to hurt me.

Even more unimaginable, it was Jack’s affair that had taken our son’s life.

It was Jack who shifted all the blame onto me, who used guilt to trap me at home, far from the company.

It was Jack who destroyed my family and shattered every bit of happiness I had.

Blow after blow had numbed me. I closed my eyes in quiet despair.

Gently patting Ruby’s back, I softly reassured her not to be afraid.

I told her I would never blame her.

And I told myself I had to make Jack and Audrey pay for what they had done.

I sent Ruby to my best friend’s house and drove straight to the law firm.

While drafting the divorce papers, I asked the lawyer about Aiden’s case.

However, too much time had passed.

Without solid evidence, it would be difficult to convict Jack.

If that was the case, then I had no choice. I had to take justice into my own hands.

I drove to Jack’s company with the divorce agreement in hand.

After all these years, stepping into that familiar place again, everything felt different. The setting was the same, but the people were no longer there.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the receptionist stopped me.

“Sorry, ma’am, you can’t enter without an appointment.”

“I’m Jack’s wife. I want to see him.”

She looked me up and down, then flashed a mocking smile.

“Sorry, but everyone here knows Secretary Quinn is the boss’s girlfriend.”

I reached out to a few old colleagues and friends.

That’s when I learned that Jack had already fired everyone who had once been close to me.

He trapped me at home with guilt, while using money and power to build a kingdom for himself and Audrey.

Disgust surged in waves, crashing over me again and again.

Just as I was about to call Jack, Audrey appeared.

That sickly sweet perfume hit me before her voice did.

She adjusted her clothes as she walked over, then glanced at me with a knowing smile.

“You’re here to see Jack, right? We just… oh, never mind.”

“He’s resting. Anything you want to say to him, you can say to me instead.”

Audrey led me to her office. She didn’t waste time and told me she was pregnant.

“Just hit three months. The doctor says it’s a boy.”

“Jack already knows. He’s thrilled and said he’ll divorce you before the baby’s born.”

I quietly started recording on my phone, capturing every word of Audrey’s endless talking.

She shared a lot. She said Jack wasn’t that busy; he just didn’t want to see me. She said they’d known each other for a long time.

“On Valentine’s Day, he told you he had a business trip, but he actually took me to Bali. He grabbed some random souvenirs at the airport to brush you off.”

“Last year, when you had that car accident, he said he was working overtime, but he was with me.”

“And last month, when you were hospitalized for appendicitis…”

Audrey's smile grew wider.

“Jack asked the doctor to give you double the anesthesia so he could stay with me.”

“While you were in pain and unconscious, we were having fun in the room next to yours.”

“But that’s nothing. The most exciting part was on the anniversary of your son’s death.”

“Jack didn’t even bother changing. He came straight to me. While we were together, your son’s memorial photo was right next to the bed…”

Seeing Audrey’s smug expression, I couldn’t hold back the rage anymore. I grabbed the hot water from the table and threw it at her.

Before I could set the cup down, Jack rushed in front of me. He shoved me aside and wrapped his arms around Audrey protectively.

“Nora, what are you doing? If you have a problem, come to me. What kind of person bullies a young girl?”

The anger inside me was about to explode. I stared at him in silence.

This man, who had once shielded me from everything, who defended me against rumors, was now standing on the other side, protecting his mistress.

The pain in my heart had long since turned numb. I wiped the water from my hands, looked up at Jack and said coldly, “Looks like you still don’t understand what real bullying is.”

With that, I grabbed Audrey by the hair and slammed her head against the marble counter. Then I kicked Jack in the groin.

Before they could react, I picked up the fruit knife from the table and walked toward them slowly, both of them wailing in pain.