I Suspected That My Husband Was Cheating on Me When I Saw His New Tattoo — Story of the Day

My husband Sam is a prime example of a decent man. Our life was going smoothly until Cora, the woman from Sam's past, showed up. She was everywhere with all her runes and magical nonsense... Sam, my grounded and pragmatic Sam, had plunged into it. One day, he did something I couldn't stand! I felt betrayed! I decided to act immediately.

Sitting in the calm of her office, amidst her patients' thank-you notes and certificates, Dr. Christy's mind was troubled by the change in her husband's behavior. His frequent, mysterious interactions with Cora, a woman of mysticism and runes, baffled Christy.

"Magic and runes... What nonsense," she muttered under her breath. She was a woman of science and didn't believe in the things Cora was involved with.

But what troubled her the most was that Sam seemed too involved in all that stuff. One evening, she had confronted Sam over dinner.

"Sam, who's Cora? I've seen her name on your phone quite often."

Sam hesitated, then explained, "Oh, Cora? She's just an old classmate who's back in town. She's got all these wild stories from her travels. It's... it's nothing to worry about, really."

But things got only worse when, one day, Sam came home with a tattoo of a rune, something he got because of Cora. Christy was even more upset when she saw the same rune on Cora's social media.

She knew confronting Sam wouldn't provide her with the answers she was looking for, so Christy made an appointment to see Cora, pretending she was interested in runes.

At Cora's studio, the session began with Cora asking Christy to focus on her most profound question or concern.

Christy hesitated momentarily before retrieving a photograph from her purse — a picture of Sam. She slid the photo across the table to Cora, her hands trembling slightly.

Cora's shocked expression did little to quell the storm of emotions brewing within Christy. A mixture of disbelief and anger washed over her as she gripped the photograph of Sam a little tighter.

"You didn't know?" Christy asked, getting louder. "Or did you just not care?"

Cora was taken aback. "I believed Sam was single. He didn't wear his ring, and he never mentioned you!" she revealed, shocked.

Christy's frustration boiled over. "So, what? That makes it okay for you to swoop in, to fill my husband's head with all this...this nonsense?"

"Your husband came to me, Christy. He sought out my company and my expertise. What does that say about your perfect marriage?"

"Don't you dare judge my marriage! You know nothing about us!"

"And you? Do you know everything about Sam?" Cora snapped.

After a tense standoff, she proposed a plan for revenge. "What if we teach Sam a lesson? We could make him pay, quite literally, for what he's done to us," she suggested.

Feeling trapped and desperate, Christy agreed. She thought about the prenuptial agreement she had signed and how it left her with nothing in case of a divorce. "I've got some dirt on Sam, and he wouldn't want out in the open," she shared, willing to spill his secrets as payback.

The moment came when Cora organized a session in Sam's art studio. Sam had readily agreed when she suggested the idea to him. While hiding in Sam's art studio, Christy almost got caught because of a sculpture accident.

But she saved herself, ensuring Sam didn't see her while she watched Cora perform a special trick to make it seem like Sam's late mom was talking to him, warning him about health risks.

"Sam," the voice echoed, rich with a warmth that Sam recognized instantly. It was his mother's voice, a voice he hadn't heard since she passed away years ago. "You must listen. Your health, my son, is in danger. Severe problems lie ahead if you do not heed this warning."

Sam was taken aback and didn't believe the eerie message. "This isn't real. You're playing tricks on me," he stammered.

"Sam, I'm only the messenger. The spirits are warning you because they care. You must take this seriously." But Sam was shocked and angry beyond reason.

He stood up abruptly, his chair clattering to the floor. In a swift motion driven by fear and denial, he flipped the fortune-telling board, sending it and the runes scattered across the room.

"This is nonsense! I don't believe in any of this," he shouted and stormed off.

Christy came out of hiding once he left and approached Cora. "Did our plan work?"

Looking around at the mess, Cora sighed. "I think so. The voice app did a decent job of imitating his mom's voice. He looked really scared, Christy."

"Sam's always been scared of dying young like his mom," Christy said, sounding a bit sad. "She passed away from cancer, and it's something he can't shake off. That's why I thought this might actually scare him."

Cora nodded. "I get it. And it looks like we did scare him. He won't forget today, that's for sure."

"Yes, but at what cost?" Christy mused, her gaze drifting to the scattered runes. "We used his deepest fear against him. I just hope we can find a way to make things right in the end."

As they tidied up, Christy's phone rang; it was Sam, sounding shaken and wanting to go to the hospital for a check-up. Christy assured him they would get through whatever happened together.

At the hospital, after running tests, Christy had to 'break' the news to Sam. "Sam, the tests have confirmed my initial concern. You have stomach cancer."

"But... are you sure? Is there nothing we can do?" His voice cracked, the fear evident.

"We caught it early, which is good. But, yes, I'm afraid the diagnosis is certain. There are treatments available, but they're not easy. Chemotherapy is the most common route, but it can be very tough on your body."

"Isn't there... isn't there something else? Some other treatment we can try first?"

"There are alternative treatments, yes. Some patients explore natural remedies or seek out less conventional methods. But, Sam, you need to understand these alternatives... they don't have the same success rate. We're talking about a slim chance, and even then, it's uncertain."

Later, Sam thought about asking Cora for other treatment ideas. Christy felt a pang of sadness but remained silent as he called Cora. On the speaker of his phone, Sam hesitantly shared his diagnosis with Cora, who was caught off guard but sounded eager to help.

She told Sam about a rare crystal from Norway, believed to have healing powers, sparking hope in him.

"Really? A crystal that can help with any disease?"

"I've seen it work miracles," Cora insisted.

Sam was really hopeful the crystal could cure him. He thanked Cora and ended the call.

"Sam, you're considering this because Cora is suggesting it? Over actual medical advice?" Christy asked.

"It's about trying every option. I thought you'd understand."

"You're so quick to believe Cora's fairy tales. What's next? Denying anything between you two?"

"This has nothing to do with Cora, honey! I'm fighting for my life here."

"I'd rather have you trust your wife, your doctor, over some high school flame with a miracle cure!" Christy said harshly. Yes, it was all a part of a plan, but it hurt her that her husband seemed to trust Cora so much.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way," Sam apologized.

Later at home, as per the next stage of the plan, Christy replaced his drink with moonshine mixed with a dye, causing him to vomit a blood-like substance. Panicked, Sam mentioned Cora's crystal cure again.

"Your health matters, Sam. But chasing fairy tales? That's not wise," Christy said. "We need to focus on real options, not false hopes."

But she knew Sam would return to Cora's advice, and that's what happened. He was eager to get the crystal, and so Christy and Sam met with Cora at the city cafe, carrying money they hoped would secure the crystal with rumored healing powers.

"You've brought the money, then?" Cora asked, eyeing their bags.

Sam and Christy handed Cora the money, but it turned out it wasn't enough due to the high demand for the stone and deeper-pocketed competitors.

"Well then, I can mortgage our house and add my savings," she offered. Cora agreed that they'd outbid others if they acted fast. Trusting Cora, Sam committed to the plan.

Everything went as Cora and Christy had planned.

On D-Day, Christy arrived at Cora's studio. The two women had planned to meet there, but Cora was nowhere to be seen. Then, she found a letter from Cora.

As she started reading it, she realized she had been a fool to trust a stranger instead of trusting her own husband.

"Christy," the letter began, in Cora's unmistakable handwriting, "I write this knowing that when you read it, the trust between you and Sam will forever be altered. I need you to know that Sam has never betrayed you, not in the way you think, not in any way. I loved him when we were in high school. When he rejected my feelings, my affection turned to spite, and I decided to take revenge...Your bad luck! You were his wife and my target!"

Christy realized her grave mistake. She had thought that by making Sam lose everything, she'd teach him a lesson, but it was Cora who had fooled them both. Now, they were both left with nothing. Cora had vanished with Christy's share of the money.

"Christy, what are you doing here?" Sam's voice trembled as he read the letter that had fallen from Christy's grasp and landed on the floor. Cora had invited him to the studio for the crystal, and Christy for the money at the same time!

"Sam, I...I thought I was losing you and, in my pain, wanted you to feel some of that loss," Christy struggled to justify.

"But I was never unfaithful. How could you believe I would do that? And to fake an illness?" Sam gasped.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I let fear and jealousy cloud my judgment," Christy said, tears in her eyes.

"Where do we go from here?" Sam asked sadly.

"We start with the truth, Sam. I hope, with time, you can forgive me," Christy suggested.

But Sam shook his head. "It's over, Christy. I'll rebuild my life, but not with you."

Trust and faith are the cornerstones of any relationship. Had Christy trusted Sam, she wouldn't have lost her loyal husband.

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If you enjoyed reading this story, you might also like this one: Carly stumbled upon a makeup bag in her home, one she didn't recognize. Puzzled and concerned, she asked her husband about it. He quickly came up with a story, saying it was his mother's. But Carly had her doubts, so she decided to set up a hidden camera in their bedroom.

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