He Took His Female Assistant Home, I Made Him Taste His Own Medicine

After two years of marriage, my husband Jody Graves and I had never shared a room.

Tonight, however, hed prepared the bedroom with candles and soft lighting and I thought he might finally want to close the distance between us, to deepen our relationship.

But as I waited, trying to hold back my nerves, he opened the doorwith his assistant, Lucy Petersen, trailing behind. Without looking at me, he said indifferently, I need to meet a work deadline tonight. Lucy will help me and well be working in my room.

My heart twisted as Lucy shot me a smug, knowing smirk. I felt like a stranger in my own home, reduced to some background character in their little show. I could hear them in the next room, laughing and flirting.

Hours passed before I gathered the nerve to walk in, hand Jody a pillow and force the words out, Its late. Here, so you can share the bed.

A brief flash of guilt flickered in Jodys eyes, but he quickly countered, his voice edged with irritation. Whats that supposed to mean? Were working on a project. If I wanted to do something with her, Id just book a hotel and not take her here!

His shirt was wrinkled and a faint lipstick mark smeared on his collar was enough to give him away. He didnt even care to hide it anymore.

For once, I didnt shrink back. Meeting his gaze, I kept my voice firm. Lets get a divorce.

Without missing a beat, he threw the pillow back in my face and sneered. Not this again, Samantha. Youre always looking for something to fight about. Just go to your bed. I dont want you coming near this room for the rest of the night. Youre nothing but a nuisance.

His words stung, a familiar venom twisting through them as if I were the unreasonable one here.

Lucy stayed on the bed, smirking as if it were all a sideshow for her entertainment. I pulled out my phone, snapped a picture of them and shut the door before Jody could react. I sent the photo to his parents, writing a simple message: [Im sorry, but I cant do this anymore. Jody and I are over.]

It didnt take long for his phone to ring, his mothers voice loud enough to echo down the hallway. He rushed to reassure her, smoothly weaving his lies.

No, Mom! Samanthas just being dramatic again. Of course, Id never do that! Lucy and I are just working. Where else could I take her at this hour? You want me working in the streets?

A few minutes later, he stormed into the room where I was, simmering with anger. Whats wrong with you? Running to my parents over a trivial matter? Im just trying to do my job, but youre too wrapped up in your suspicions. Did you forget that Im the one bringing bread to the table while you do nothing? Grow up!

I stayed silent, watching him walk away, his laughter mingling with Lucys, echoing down the hall.

I went to the closet, pulled out a suitcase and began packing.

This marriage was never about love. Jody and I were childhood sweethearts whod been together for over twenty years. We got married because he felt pressured by his family.

Why dont we get married? hed asked one night, as if solving a puzzle.

For years, I told myself this marriage was a blessing, a twist of fate that brought me closer to the person Id loved since we were kids.

But reality was different.

On our wedding night, hed laid it out bluntly. Samantha, I know you too well. It feels like youre my little sister. Im not even slightly interested. So, is it okay if we sleep in separate rooms?

For two years, I kept my end of the bargain. But the emptiness grew as I watched him build a life without me, indifferent to the toll it took.

Three months ago, Lucy entered our lives and everything shifted. Suddenly, he had a spark, new energy and each day he treated me with more impatience and disdain. Youre boring, Samantha, hed say. Just dull.

At one point, I thought it was my fault and tried to be as tolerant and generous as I could be. But his affair with Lucy became more intense.

This time, hed brought her straight into the master bedroom for hours.

Heartbroken, I stuffed a few belongings into a suitcase, heard him teasing Lucy in the bedroom, her giggles ringing out and resolutely opened the front door, stepping out into the night.

The next morning, I woke up in the guest bed of my parents' empty house to the ringing of my phone. Still half-asleep, I answered, knowing exactly what awaited me.

Samantha, where are you? His voice had that familiar edge of impatience. Youre not around the house and theres no breakfast. Lucy and I are starving.

The nerve of him left me momentarily speechless. After everything, he hadnt even noticed Id left the night before. All he cared about was breakfast.

I steadied myself, keeping my voice calm. Im not responsible for feeding either you or your assistant. Im serious about the divorce, Jody. Ill have the papers sent to you soon.

Silence hung between us, thick with tension. Then his tone dropped, colder. Enough of this nonsense, Samantha. Im the only family you have left. You still want to divorce me?

The words struck like a punch to the chest, reigniting a wound Id just begun to numb.

My parents had died six months ago, their bus crashing on a rainy night on the way to a long-awaited vacation. The emptiness they left was a void Jody knew all too well and here he was, using it against me.

Then, in a swift shift, he softened his voice, as if trying to appeal to my sentiment. Look, I got carried away. Tomorrows the weekend. Lets go to the lodge and you can have a spa day. Itll be good for us.

Months ago, I had suggested we go to that lodge together, hoping a change of scenery might help us reconnect. Every time, he brushed it off, too busy with work. Now, when it was too late, he was finally offering to go.

I rejected him flatly, Not interested.

A pause lingered. Is it because of last night? Samantha, I was just working. Lucy and I are colleagues. Why dont you trust me? Weve known each other for twenty years.

I did trust him. But that trust had shattered long ago. It started two months back, with a call from a womans number saved on his phonesomeone I didnt recognize.

Thinking it was a family member, I picked up, only to be met with a video call from Lucy herself. She was lounging poolside in a swimsuit, clearly posed.

The moment she saw me, she froze and quickly ended the call.

I felt so conflicted that I confronted Jody about it, only to have him explode in anger. Who gave you the right to go through my phone? Dont you have any manners?

Stunned, Id apologized, only for him to dismissively explain, Lucys just learning to swim. She only contacted me for work, thats probably urgent when she call me and you pick up. He said it so nonchalantly, as if that made everything fine.

I convinced myself it was nothing. But soon after, Lucys name became a constant presence in our lives. Either Jody was on the phone with her day and night, or hed leave me behind to go see her, vanishing for two or three days of business trip.

At one point, he even took her on a week-long trip. Every time, he used work as an excuse, treating me like I was oblivious to what was really going on.

Once, I might have fought for him, hoping hed come back to the man I thought I knew. But now, he was already so far gone that there was no point.

It doesnt matter anymore, Jody.

In the silence, I heard a giggle in the backgrounda smug, small laugh that could only belong to Lucy. Hed put me on speaker, letting her listen to everything. I lost any remaining will to continue the conversation and hung up.

Not long after, my phone buzzed with a message from him: Youre hanging up on me? Are you trying to ruin our marriage?

I stared at the message, feeling a hollow ache mixed with the familiar resentment hed left me with. But this time, I didnt respond. I let the silence speak for me.

I reached out to my lawyer to initiate the divorce. This farce of a marriage needed to end. I couldnt bear to pretend anymore, not when everything was already broken. It was time to take control of my own life and put an end to the misery.

That evening, just before finishing work, I received a friend request from Lucy. Surprised, I accepted it, wondering what she wanted. Almost immediately, a message popped up: [Hey Samantha, Jody asked me to move in with you. Can you give me hands?]

The audacity of it. My stomach twisted in an instant. But it wasnt until I heard the voice message that I felt a wave of disgust wash over me. Jodys voice came through, casual as ever, as though nothing was wrong, as though he hadnt just completely discarded me:

[If you dont want to go with me this weekend, fine. But you have to go home and move your things to the guest room. Lucy is going to stay over tonight. Shell use your room since it gets more sunlightshes sensitive to the cold.]

The words hit me like a slap across the face.

Sensitive to the cold? Does he think Im not?

Did he think I wouldnt notice the shift in his words, his priorities? His complete disregard for me was palpable in that message and I felt a sick, bitter laugh bubble up from deep within. It felt like the last shred of dignity I had was being torn apart, piece by piece.

I didnt reply immediately. My mind was racing, trying to make sense of the cruelty, the thoughtlessness. How had I gotten here? What had happened to the man I once loved, the man I thought I knew?

I stood there, staring at my phone, paralyzed for a moment. Then the phone rang. Jody.

Are you dead? he barked, his voice tinged with fury. Did you not get my message? Or is it just that you dont want to make room for Lucy? Shes living in a cramped room now and shes got it worse than you.

I wanted to scream at him, tell him how wrong he was, how much he was hurting me with every word. But I kept it together. His words were like venom and I had to remind myself that I wasnt going to let him control me anymore.

He paused for a moment before his voice took on a sharper, colder edge.

If you havent cleared it out by the time we get there, dont blame me if your things end up on the curb.

I heard the threat loud and clear and it was the final straw. The coldness in his voicethe complete lack of empathy or concern from someone I had shared so much withsent a chill through my entire body.

I exhaled slowly, my frustration threatening to boil over, but I forced myself to remain calm. This was no longer a conversation; it was just him exerting control.

Before I could say anything else, the line went dead. He hung up on me. Too lazy, too indifferent to offer anything more. It was over.

I decided then to return to the house Jody and I had once shared. Id left in a rush the night before, forgetting some things and I needed to take care of a few lingering detailsespecially the wedding photos still hanging in the master bedroom. I wasnt sure what I expected to find, but nothing could have prepared me for the chaos that greeted me.

The moment I stepped into the room, I was hit with the overwhelming sight of disarray. The quilt lay in a heap on the floor, the sheets were crumpled and the sofa had been shoved out of place. A piece of lace was carelessly draped across it and the trash can was overflowing with wadded tissues.

My eyes narrowed and I took in every detail, but it wasnt until I looked closer that the true horror became apparent.

Among the garbage was the unmistakable evidence of what had taken place in my absence: a condom pack, shoved carelessly into the trash, as if it didnt matter.

The air in the room reeked, a mix of stale perfume and something elsesomething far worse. The stench hit me like a physical blow and my stomach lurched.

I couldnt help it. I grabbed the edge of the wall, holding on for dear life as a wave of nausea swept over me. I doubled over, retching uncontrollably, my body shaking with disgust and rage. It felt like the last shred of respect I had for Jody had been completely obliterated and in its place was nothing but contempt.

Jody this is what you call work? I muttered.

The realization struck deeper than Id anticipated. I took out my phone and quietly snapped photos of the mess, capturing every detail. Then my eyes fell on our wedding photo.

We were smiling, holding each other close, as if nothing could ever come between us. I remembered that it was the only picture wed taken together in the past two years. Since then, he hadnt even wanted to be in the same frame as me.

I climbed onto a stool to reach it, took it down and cut it into pieces, including the frame. I tossed the fragments into the trash bin downstairs, feeling a strange sense of relief.

Driving back to my old apartment, I called my old boss. You mentioned needing more staff for the Amberstone project. Is that position still available?

She hesitated. I thought you said you couldnt leave Sunridge. Whats with the sudden decision? Did something happen?

I forced a steady tone. Ive realized that career should be on my first list.

After a pause, she agreed and we arranged for me to leave in two monthsjust enough time to settle the divorce.

When I arrived back at my old apartment, my phone rang again. Jody, his tone immediately accusatory, said, Why arent you back here yet? Lucy just moved in and this is how you welcome her? Youre the lady of the house. Wheres your sense of hospitality?

It was obvious he hadnt noticed the missing wedding photo, nor did he realize Id left for good. Calmly, I replied, I wont be back, Jody. Enjoy your time with Lucy.

Jodys voice came through, laced with annoyance. Why are you acting so immature? Im just trying to help Lucy outshes going through a tough time. I really dont get you, Samantha. Why are you always

I ended the call. I didnt need to hear his excuses anymore. The next day, I sent him the divorce papers, delivered right to his office. For two days, he didnt respond. But Lucys social media told a different story, filled with pictures documenting their sweet life.

In one post, Jody was making her breakfast, a heart-shaped omelet on her plate. In another, he napped while she lay beside him, their faces close enough to touch. They even played cards, with Lucy gleefully showing him removing his shirt piece by piece whenever he lost. To anyone looking, they seemed like newlyweds, while I I was the outsider.

Soon, Id be gone and none of it would matter. Still, I couldnt resist taking screenshots of everything. Evidence, after all, could help when the divorce went through.

After work that day, messages from Lucy appeared on my phone in quick succession:

[Have you seen my posts? Jody would do anything I ask. Do you really think you can compete?]

[By the way, he told me you two havent even shared a bed in ages. Is that true? I mean, I dont blame him. What man would want someone as withered and ugly as you? Just let me have him. He doesnt love you anyway.]

My fists clenched. This wasnt just a failed marriageit was an insult. Steeling myself, I went back to the house, knowing Id find them there.

As I stepped through the door, I saw them in the middle of a yoga session. Lucy wore a revealing outfit, barely holding back her smirk when she noticed me.

Hi, Samantha. Im so glad youre back. Jody and I were just having some fun. Care to join? Her words dripped with sarcasm, her eyes challenging.

Without thinking, I closed the distance, lifting my hand and delivering a slap across her face, followed by another, leaving her lip bleeding.