Planning a wedding is supposed to be magical, right? Everything was going perfectly until one moment shattered it all: a photo of my fiancé cozying up to his ex at a spa. But my revenge? Oh, it was just as brutal as his betrayal. And let me tell you, I got the last laugh!
I was the bride-to-be, thrilled about planning my dream wedding. I had the perfect dress, the venue, and even started picking songs for the DJ to play. It was all so exciting! That is, until one photo blew everything up.
It happened on a lazy Saturday afternoon. I was lounging on the couch, half-watching some reality show about a couple arguing over their wedding plans. Typical TV drama, right? The bride on the screen shrieked, “I can’t believe you want a chocolate fountain at our wedding!”
I laughed and thought, Thank God Mark and I don’t fight over silly things like that.
Then, out of nowhere, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Claire, this nice but quiet colleague of mine. We weren’t close, but she’s the sweet, polite type who’s always smiling.
Her message said, “Hey Cathy, I hope I’m not overstepping, but isn’t this your fiancé? I think I remember him from our company Christmas party.”
I clicked on the attached photo, and for a good five minutes, my brain just shut down. There, clear as day, was Mark, my “loving” fiancé, chilling by a pool at a fancy spa. And that wasn’t even the worst part.
Next to him, looking all relaxed and sipping a tropical drink, was Amanda. Yes, his EX! She was in a bikini, sunglasses on like she didn’t have a care in the world. And here I was, sitting at home, thinking Mark was off visiting his mom! Seriously?
My first reaction? Not tears. Not throwing my phone at the wall. Nope—it was pure, fiery rage. But here’s the thing about me: I don’t scream, and I don’t throw tantrums. I get smart. Real smart.
I didn’t call him. I didn’t text him. I waited, knowing he’d come home that Monday. And when he finally walked through the door, looking all innocent, I was ready.
He dropped his bag, smiled at me with this big, cheesy grin, and said, “Hey, babe! Missed you. How was your weekend?”
“Oh, you know,” I replied casually, “not as relaxing as yours, I bet.”
I saw his face twitch for a second, but he didn’t catch on. He kissed me on the cheek, still clueless. “What do you mean?” he asked.
Smiling sweetly, I pulled out my phone and showed him the photo. “Claire sent me this picture. She wasn’t sure, but she thought it looked like you at a spa. Want to take a look?”
His face went pale. It was like watching his soul leave his body.
“Wait, what? I-I can explain, Cathy. It’s not… I swear it’s not what it looks like. Amanda… she just… it was a coincidence—”
“Oh really?” I tilted my head. “So while I was sitting here thinking you were visiting your mom, you were actually out getting cozy with your ex?”
He panicked, stumbling over his words. “No, no, it’s not like that. I swear! It was a mistake. A huge mistake. I’m sorry! It’ll never happen again. I can change!”
Ah, the classic line: I can change. Every cheater’s go-to phrase when they’re caught.
I played along, putting on my most understanding face. “Okay. Let’s say I believe you. You’ll have to prove it.”
His eyes lit up, thinking he was about to get away with it. “Anything, Cathy. I’ll do anything!”
“Great!” I said. “You can start by coming on a hike with me tomorrow. You know how much I love hiking.”
Now, here’s the thing about Mark. He’s the type of guy who gets winded walking from the couch to the fridge. The man HATES hiking. But he didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely,” he said quickly. “I’m in.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Really? You hate hiking.”
He shook his head vigorously. “No, no. I love it. I’ve just been… you know… busy. But I’m totally up for it. What time do we leave?”
“Early. Be ready at 5 a.m.”
His face dropped a little, but he forced a smile. “5 a.m. it is. I’ll set my alarm.”
The next morning, I took him to the most grueling, steep trail I could find. From the first ten minutes, it was clear this was going to be torture for him. He was already panting and sweating, asking, “How much longer?”
“Oh, just a bit more,” I replied sweetly.
Two hours in, he was begging for breaks. His face was beet red, and he kept clutching his knees like an old man. But I just smiled and said, “Come on, the view at the top will be WORTH it!”
By now, he was regretting everything. But I wasn’t done. We kept going, and as the trail got steeper, Mark was practically crawling.
“Cathy,” he wheezed, “I think I’m dying.”
I patted him on the back. “Don’t be dramatic. It’s just a little exercise. Didn’t you say you’ve been working out?”
He looked at me, confused and sweaty. “What? I never said that.”
I shrugged. “Oh! Must’ve been someone else then. My bad.”
After EIGHT hours, we finally reached the top. Mark collapsed on a rock, drained his water bottle, and looked at me with hope in his eyes.
“I did it!” he gasped. “See? I told you I could change.”
I knelt beside him, kissed his sweaty cheek, and smiled. “We’re officially OVER, baby!”
His face twisted in shock. “Wait—what?!”
“You heard me. We’re done. I’m not marrying you. I just wanted to see how far you’d go to save your sorry butt, and now I know. Hope Amanda’s worth it.”
He jumped to his feet, still out of breath. “Wait, Cathy, come on. You’re not serious. I just hiked this whole mountain with you! You can’t leave me here!”
“Oh, I can,” I said, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. “And I will.”
With that, I turned and started jogging down the trail. He yelled after me, but I didn’t stop.
“Cathy! Wait! You’re gonna have to wait for me at the car!”
Without looking back, I called, “Don’t worry, I’ll leave the keys for you.”
Spoiler alert: I didn’t leave the keys.
I drove home, leaving him stranded at the top of that mountain with no phone signal and nothing but his legs to get him down. When he finally showed up at our apartment later that night, exhausted and defeated, I had already packed up all his stuff and left it on the porch with a note:
Thanks for the hike! Enjoy your new single life. Hope Amanda enjoys your sweaty company. P.S. I changed the locks. If you even THINK about knocking on this door, my new pet Rottweiler might want to have a chat with you! 😉
Apparently, he had to call his ex to pick him up. Guess she was good for something after all!
As for me, I’m still processing everything. It’s funny how one little photo can turn your whole world upside down. But honestly? I think I dodged a bullet.
The next day, my phone was flooded with messages and missed calls from Mark. I ignored most of them, but one voicemail caught my attention:
“Cathy, please. Can we talk about this? I know I messed up, but I love you. It was a mistake, I swear. Call me back, please?”
I deleted the message without a second thought. Then, I poured myself a glass of wine and started browsing travel websites. Maybe a solo trip to Europe was just what I needed.
Would I do anything differently? Maybe I could’ve staged a bear attack and filmed his reaction for YouTube. Or told him there was a snake on the trail and watched him run for the first time in years. Now that would’ve gone viral!
Who knows? Maybe one day, I’ll look back and laugh. But for now, I’m focusing on me. New apartment, new hobbies, new life—and definitely no more cheating fiancés!
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!