My Husband Thinks His New Mistress Is A Psycho Stalker Who Just Ruined His Career. He Does Not Know I Am The One Who Hired Her And Wrote The Script. Is It Wrong To Watch Him Crumble From The Front Row?

The Final Phase

I told Natalie it was time for the final phase. We were going to humiliate Jay in front of everyone he loved. He was begging me for help, not knowing I built this nightmare around him with my own hands.

His parents’ dinner party would be the last time he ever felt like a respected man in that family. Jay wanted freedom from our boring marriage so badly; I was about to give him more freedom than he could ever handle.

Jay’s parents hosted a dinner party every year on the first Saturday of October. They invited the whole family plus a few close friends. His mother cooked for three days straight. His father set up the backyard with string lights and rented tables.

It was their thing, their tradition. The one night a year when everyone came together and pretended to like each other. I had been going to these dinners for 5 years. I knew exactly where the house was. I knew exactly when everyone would arrive. I knew exactly how to make sure Natalie had all the information she needed.

3 days before the party, I met Natalie at our usual coffee shop. I slid a piece of paper across the table with the address written on it.

“Saturday night,”

I said.

“Everyone will be there by 7: aunts and uncles and cousins. About 30 people total.”

Natalie picked up the paper and smiled.

“The whole family.”

“The whole family. And they have no idea what’s coming.”

“When should I arrive?”

“8:30. Give everyone time to eat and drink and get comfortable. Let them think the night is going perfectly. And then you walk in and burn it all down.”

Natalie tucked the paper into her purse.

“What’s the play?”

“Pregnant girlfriend who was promised a future. He told you he was leaving his wife. He told you he loved you. He told you the baby would change everything. And then he ghosted you.”

“And you?”

“I’ll be the shocked wife who had no idea any of this was happening. At least until the very end.”

Natalie raised an eyebrow.

“You’re going to reveal yourself?”

“That’s the whole point. I want him to know. I want him to look at me and realize that the cool wife he thought he had been playing this whole time was actually playing him.”

“That’s cold.”

“He deserves cold.”

Natalie smiled and finished her coffee.

“Saturday at 8:30. I’ll be there.”

She walked out, and I sat there for another hour imagining the look on Jay’s face when his world came crashing down.

The Family Dinner

Saturday came, and Jay spent the whole morning getting ready. He ironed his best shirt and polished his shoes and practiced his smile in the mirror. He had no idea this would be the last family dinner he would ever be welcome at.

We drove to his parents’ house together. His hand was on my knee the whole way, and he kept talking about how nice it was going to be. How he had been stressed lately and he needed this. How being around family always reminded him what was important.

I nodded and smiled and counted down the hours.

The party was exactly what I expected. His mother had made enough food to feed an army. His father was already three beers deep and telling the same stories he told every year. His brother Anton was showing off pictures of his new boat. His aunts were gossiping in the corner, and his cousins were playing cards at the kids’ table even though most of them were in their 20s.

Jay worked the room like a politician. He shook hands and kissed cheeks and laughed at jokes that weren’t funny. He was charming and likable, and everyone adored him. I stood by the punch bowl and watched him perform. I wondered how many of these people would still adore him in 2 hours.

By 8:00, everyone had eaten and the energy in the room was warm and relaxed. Jay’s mother was bringing out dessert. His father was setting up the projector for his annual slideshow of family photos.

Jay was sitting on the couch between his brother and his uncle, telling some story about a client at work. He looked happy. Genuinely happy. Like he had forgotten all about Natalie and the chaos of the past few weeks. Like he thought the storm had passed and he was safe now.

I checked my phone. 8:27. 3 more minutes. I excused myself to use the bathroom and locked myself in. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath.

This was it. 5 years of marriage. 5 years of giving everything I had to a man who asked me for permission to cheat. 5 years that ended with him thanking me for being cool while he planned to use me as a safety net.

I heard the doorbell ring at exactly 8:30. Natalie was nothing if not punctual.

The Crash

I came out of the bathroom just in time to see Jay’s mother open the front door. Natalie stood on the porch in a tight black dress that showed off a small but visible baby bump. She had a pillow stuffed under there. We had practiced it together.

She looked stunning and devastated and absolutely unhinged all at the same time.

“Can I help you?”

Jay’s mother asked.

“Hi Mrs. Ywallis. I’m Natalie. I’m here to see Jay.”

The room went quiet. Every head turned toward the door. Jay’s face went white.

“Natalie,”

he said. His voice cracked on her name.

“What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see you, baby. You haven’t been returning my calls.”

She pushed past his mother and walked into the living room. Her eyes scanned the crowd and landed on me.

“Oh, your wife is here. Hi Viola. I’ve heard so much about you.”

I played my part perfectly.

“Who is this, Jay?”

“Nobody! She’s nobody. Natalie, you need to leave right now.”

“Nobody?”

Natalie’s voice broke.

“I’m nobody? After everything we shared? After everything you promised me?”

Jay’s father stood up from his chair.

“Son, what is going on here?”

“Dad, it’s nothing. She’s just some crazy woman who’s been stalking me. I’m calling the police.”

“Stalking you?”

Natalie laughed bitterly.

“Is that what you’re calling it now? Because that’s not what you called it when you were sneaking out of your house to meet me at hotels. That’s not what you called it when you told me you loved me. When you told me you were going to leave your wife for me.”

Jay’s mother put her hand over her heart.

“Jay, is this true?”

“No! No, absolutely not. She’s lying. She’s insane.”

“I have proof,”

Natalie said. She pulled out her phone and held it up.

“I have every text message, every photo, every voicemail you left me at 2 in the morning telling me how much you missed me.”

She started reading out loud.

“I can’t stop thinking about you. My wife has no idea. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I wish I had met you first.”

Jay lunged for the phone, but his brother grabbed him and held him back.

“Let her talk,”

Anton said. His voice was cold.

“I want to hear this.”

“Anton, please! She’s making this up!”

“Then why do you look like you’re about to pass out?”

Natalie continued reading.

“I’m going to leave her soon. I just need time. We’ll be together, I promise. You and me and our baby.”

Jay’s aunt gasped.