My Husband Abandoned Me On My Birthday To Spend The Entire Day With His Ex-wife.

My husband abandoned me on my birthday to spend the entire day with his ex-wife, so I introduced his replacement at his mother’s funeral. It was my 30th birthday and my husband Jerome had promised we’d spend the whole day together since it was a milestone birthday and I’d been talking about it for months.

He’d made dinner reservations at the steakhouse I’d wanted to try and said he’d taken the day off work and we’d do whatever I wanted from morning until night. I woke up excited and made special breakfast while Jerome was in the shower.

His phone rang and I saw it was his ex-wife Natalie calling, which was weird because their divorce was 5 years ago and they had no kids together. Jerome answered and I heard him saying he’d be right there and Natalie needed him.

He came out saying Natalie’s father had a heart attack and she had nobody else to call and he needed to be there for her. I said her father had a heart attack twice a year whenever she needed attention and Jerome knew this, but he said this time was real and serious.

He said he’d be back in an hour just to drop her at the hospital and make sure she was okay. He said we’d still have our whole birthday celebration just maybe starting a little later.

I watched him leave at 8:00 in the morning in the clothes I’d bought him for our anniversary while I sat there in my birthday dress. An hour passed then 2 then 4.

Jerome texted saying Natalie was really upset and he couldn’t leave her alone at the hospital. He said her father was stable but she needed emotional support.

I called him and heard Natalie laughing in the background about something on TV. I asked if they were watching TV at the hospital and Jerome said they’d gone back to Natalie’s apartment to get her insurance papers.

At 2:00 in the afternoon, Jerome said Natalie’s father was being discharged and needed a ride home. At 4:00, he said Natalie needed help setting up her father’s medications.

At 6:00, he said Natalie was too upset to cook so they were grabbing dinner. At 8:00, when our reservation had long passed, he said Natalie had a panic attack and he couldn’t leave.

I spent my entire 30th birthday alone while my husband played caretaker to his ex-wife who was probably faking everything like she always did. Jerome came home at midnight and found me sitting in the dark still wearing my dress.

He said he was sorry but emergencies happen and I should understand. He said Natalie had nobody else and he’d promised when they divorced to always be there as a friend.

He said I was being selfish making someone else’s family crisis about my birthday. He actually bought Natalie flowers at the hospital gift shop to cheer her up while I got nothing.

The next day I found out from Jerome’s friend that Natalie’s father never went to the hospital. He’d had heartburn from eating too much pizza.

Natalie had called Jerome crying anyway knowing he’d drop everything. She’d done this before on our anniversary, on Valentine’s Day, and on Christmas morning, always some emergency that only Jerome could solve.

The Birthday Betrayal and the Other Woman

Jerome’s mother Linda thought it was sweet that Jerome remained friends with Natalie. She’d always preferred Natalie to me anyway and would mention how pretty and successful Natalie was compared to me.

Linda would invite Natalie to family dinners and seat her next to Jerome while I sat at the end like an afterthought. Linda would show people photos of Jerome and Natalie’s wedding saying those were happier times.

That’s when I reconnected with my ex-boyfriend Nathan, who I’d dated before Jerome. Nathan was successful and handsome and had always treated me like a queen.

We started having coffee just as friends catching up. Nathan remembered every detail about me that Jerome had forgotten.

Nathan knew my coffee order and my favorite flowers and my middle name. Nathan listened when I talked instead of scrolling his phone.

Nathan was also very photogenic and looked amazing in photos. Three months later Linda got diagnosed with terminal cancer and had maybe 6 weeks left.

The family was devastated and Jerome spent every day at the hospital. Linda’s last wish was to see all her children happy and settled.

She kept asking Jerome if he regretted choosing me over Natalie. She’d hold Natalie’s hand during visits and call her the daughter she’d wished for.

The funeral was planned for a Saturday and Jerome gave a speech about what an amazing mother Linda had been. I sat in the front row in a black dress looking appropriately sad.

Halfway through the service Nathan walked in wearing an expensive suit looking like a model. He sat next to me and took my hand.

Jerome noticed immediately and stopped mid-speech. Nathan whispered something in my ear and I smiled slightly.

Jerome continued stuttering through his speech while watching Nathan comfort me. The reception at Linda’s house felt stuffy with too many people crowded into rooms that smelled like old furniture and the casserole dishes everyone brought.

Jerome stood near the dining table trying to shake hands and accept hugs from relatives I barely knew. His eulogy notes were still wadded up in his left hand while his right hand moved automatically through the motions of greeting people.

I watched him glance at me every few seconds then look at Nathan then back at me like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Natalie hovered at Jerome’s elbow touching his arm and whispering things I couldn’t hear.

She kept trying to position herself between Jerome and his view of me but he kept shifting to see around her. Nathan stood beside me with his hand resting lightly on my lower back and several of Linda’s friends kept looking at us.

I heard one woman whisper to another about what a handsome couple we made. Jerome’s face went white when he heard it too.

Nenah appeared at my side and gestured toward the kitchen. I followed her past the crowd and she closed the door behind us.

The kitchen still had Linda’s magnets on the refrigerator and her handwriting on the grocery list stuck to the side. Nenah crossed her arms and looked at me with eyes that reminded me of Jerome when he was trying to figure out if I was lying about something.