My Wife Laughed At A Love Letter I Received And Called Her Family To Join In. She Called Me “Damaged Goods” To Her Sisters. Now She Is Begging For Spousal Support While My Lawyer Destroys Her In Court.

Drawing the Line

The receptionist fit me in for 3 that afternoon. I drove 30 minutes to his office in a strip mall next to a dry cleaner and a nail salon. The waiting room had magazines from 6 months ago and a water cooler that made gurgling sounds.

Jeremy came out to meet me himself. He was maybe 50 with gray hair and kind eyes that didn’t judge when I told him why I was there. We sat in his office and I explained everything: the 15 years of mockery, the video call with her family, the way Lisa had responded to Caroline’s letter.

Jeremy listened without interrupting, and when I finished, he leaned back in his chair. He explained that emotional abuse was valid grounds for divorce, even without physical violence or cheating. He said I had a strong case and we could move forward quickly if that’s what I wanted.

His parallegal, Rosemary, came in with paperwork. She had red hair and smiled at me like I was a person worth smiling at. She helped me fill out forms while Jeremy explained what would happen next.

He warned me that Lisa would probably get worse once she was served with papers. He said I should prepare for things to escalate before they got better. I signed everything and paid the retainer with money I’d been keeping in a separate account Lisa didn’t know about.

I went back to work the next day. Caroline saw me walk in and her face changed immediately. She followed me to my desk. I told her I was filing for divorce, and her whole expression shifted through relief, then guilt for feeling relieved.

She hugged me right there in the middle of the office. It was the first real hug I’d gotten in years where someone actually meant it. Her arms felt warm and safe, and I had to fight not to cry into her shoulder.

Workplace Support

Kieran found me at lunch in the break room. He sat down across from me with his sandwich. He said he was glad I was finally leaving Lisa. I must have looked surprised because he explained that everyone at work knew how she treated me.

She’d shown up at company holiday parties and summer picnics and openly mocked me in front of my colleagues. He said they’d all seen it but nobody knew how to help because I never complained or acknowledged it was happening. He squeezed my shoulder and told me I deserved better.

I ate my sandwich and realized I’d been living in a nightmare while pretending everything was normal. 3 days later, Lisa got served with divorce papers at her workplace. I know because within an hour my phone was ringing with her screaming on the other end.

She said I was humiliating her. Everyone at her job was asking questions. I was destroying her reputation.

“How dare I do this to her publicly?”

I hung up and she called back six more times. I stopped answering. That evening I was in my hotel room watching television when someone started banging on the door. I looked through the peephole and saw Lisa standing there with her face red and her fists pounding the door.

She was yelling that I needed to let her in so we could talk about this like adults. I called the front desk and hotel security came within 5 minutes. I recorded video on my phone of her shouting that I was having an affair with Caroline and she was going to prove it in court.

Security escorted her out while she screamed the whole way down the hall. I sent the video to Jeremy immediately. Jeremy filed for a temporary restraining order the next morning.

We had a hearing 2 days later. The judge looked at the video and Lisa’s voicemails and granted the order without much discussion. Lisa was served with papers saying she couldn’t contact me except through her attorney. The judge told her any violations would result in contempt charges.

Uncovering the Truth

I walked out of the courthouse feeling lighter than I had in 15 years. That feeling lasted exactly 6 hours. Diana called my phone that evening. I answered because the restraining order only covered Lisa.

Diana’s voice was syrupy sweet. She said Lisa was devastated. I was being so cruel. Marriages had rough patches and I should give Lisa another chance to work on things. I told Diana that 15 years of mockery wasn’t a rough patch and hung up.

She called back twice but I didn’t answer. The next morning I scheduled a meeting with Skyler from HR. Her office was on the third floor in a corner with windows that looked out over the parking lot. She motioned for me to sit down and close the door behind us.

I explained that I was documenting things for my divorce and needed to know if the company had any records of Lisa’s behavior at work events. Skyler leaned back in her chair and let out a long breath. She admitted they’d been worried about me for years but didn’t know how to address it since Lisa was my spouse and I never said anything.

She pulled up files on her computer showing dates of company picnics, holiday parties, and team building events where Lisa had attended as my plus one. At the summer picnic two years ago, Lisa had loudly commented that I looked pregnant in my polo shirt while standing near the food tables where at least a dozen coworkers could hear.

At the holiday party last December, she’d introduced herself to the new hires by saying she was married to the office furniture because I blended into the walls so well. Skyler had written up notes about both incidents but couldn’t take action because I never filed a complaint.

She asked if I was okay, and I realized I didn’t know how to answer that question anymore. I thanked her and left with printed copies of her documentation tucked into a folder. That afternoon, Caroline texted asking if I wanted to grab coffee after work.

We met at a place two blocks from the office with exposed brick walls and mismatched furniture. She ordered a latte and I got black coffee because that’s what I always got. We sat at a small table near the window and she looked nervous, fidgeting with her cup.

She said she was sorry for causing problems in my marriage and I should have kept my feelings to myself. I stopped her before she could finish. I explained that she didn’t cause anything because the problems existed for 15 years before she ever handed me that letter. She just helped me see clearly what had been wrong the whole time.

Caroline’s eyes got wet and she reached across the table to squeeze my hand. She said Lisa was cruel and I deserved someone who saw my value. We talked for over an hour about everything except my divorce.

She told me about her marathon training and how she was trying to qualify for Boston. She mentioned her parents lived in Florida and she visited them twice a year. I realized I’d worked with her for 2 years and knew almost nothing about her life because I’d been too buried in my own misery to ask.