Things Would Never Be The Same Again
Donna is horrified. She’s laying under her bed and she can’t move. Her heart feels as if it’s about to beat out of her chest as she watches her husband’s feet pace back and forth in front of her. All she wanted was to pull a little prank. To add some levity to their marriage. She never could have anticipated this. With every second that ticked by, she felt her marriage fading away from her.
Things Would Never Be The Same Again
A Picturesque Union
Mark and Donna Smith first got to know each other at the age of seventeen. After he worked up the nerve to ask Donna on a date, Mark eventually asked for her hand in marriage. A whole twenty-five years later, the two were married, and they had two kids. To the world, it seemed to be the perfect relationship. Donna felt lucky and wondered how she managed to get such a kind and gentle husband.
A Picturesque Union
The Love Begins To Fade
As time went on, Donna realized that her husband’s love for her appeared to be fading day by day. He used to shower her with compliments and dote on her, but now that was no longer the case. Donna immediately suspected that he may have been cheating on her, or perhaps secretly addicted to some substance or other. Regardless of what it was, she decided she absolutely had to find out what was causing it.
The Love Begins To Fade
Pranking Mark
Donna realized something must be done. She simply couldn’t sit around and let her marriage and twenty-five-year relationship fall apart. She had an idea. She and Mark were both into pulling pranks when they were kids. They often spent time tricking their family and friends. Donna decided she’d pull a prank on Mark to see how he’d react. Unfortunately for her, this wouldn’t go as planned, and she’d be the shocked one, to her horror.
Pranking Mark
A Piece Of Paper
When coming up with her big prank, Donna decided she’d write down how she felt about her marriage at the moment, and what she felt was missing, on a piece of paper. She sat down and began writing, and could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes. She loved Mark very much, but she just had to know what was going on. She needed the truth. Unfortunately, when she found it, everything would change.
A Piece Of Paper
A True Feeling
To figure out how Mark really felt about everything, Donna wrote down everything she could think of that bothered her about the relationship and then ended it off by declaring she wanted a divorce. Obviously, she didn’t really want one, but the idea was to prank Mark, and in doing so, figure out just how he actually felt about everything. She just didn’t know that this wouldn’t go the way she really wanted it to.
A True Feeling
Setting The Trap
Donna decided that she’d place the note in the room in an obvious spot and then hide under the bed in order to get Mark’s genuine reaction. She wondered how he’d respond. Whether he’d cry, completely freak out, or perhaps go quiet. She didn’t think to wonder whether he might actually be happy. Donna thought that nothing could go wrong, but it was she who was wrong. She was the one about to be shocked
Setting The Trap
How Would He React
In Donna’s mind, she believed that Mark would break down into tears like it was a movie. From there, she’d pop up from under the bed and tell him it was all a joke, like an angel come to relieve him. She’d finally have her answer. She’d know that he still wanted their marriage and that it was strong. Unfortunately, this isn’t how it was going to play out. His reaction would completely devastate her.
How Would He React
Constructing The Message
When coming up with the wording, Donna knew the note would need to be blunt. It had to look real. She wrote down how she felt that their love had slowly faded and that she didn’t love Mark anymore. It was severe, but it had to be done. This is what she believed. She needed a genuine reaction, so she couldn’t hold back. She took a deep breath and put the note on the bed.
Constructing The Message
Waiting And Waiting
As Donna lay underneath the bed, waiting for her husband to return home, she started to think about what would happen if this prank backfired. What if she didn’t get the reaction she was hoping for? Maybe marriage counseling would have just been easier? But before she could overthink, even more, she heard the front door slam shut. Her husband was home and very soon her life was about to get turned upside down. Donna hid under the bed and waited for Mark to get home from work. She waited a long time, and as she waited she began to wonder what would happen if the prank didn’t go affording to plan. What if she got his genuine reaction, but it wasn’t the one she wanted? Maybe marriage counseling would have been a better idea. Before she could think further, she heard the front door open. It was time.
Waiting And Waiting
Hubby Is Home
It was finally time for her to discover Mark’s true feelings. Donna heard him coming up the stairs and her heart pounded with every footstep. He called out to her, but she stayed hidden under the bed. Mark came into the room, and Donna realized she’d made a mistake. His reaction to the note was about to validate that belief. Marriage counseling would have been a much better choice. However, it was too late now.
Hubby Is Home
Considering The Note
Donna’s heart was throbbing in her throat as she watched her husband’s feet pacing back and forth. It was clear that he was now reading the note carefully. It was terribly silent and the air was thick and hot. It was far too late for Donna to undo what had been done. She was about to get the exact thing that she wanted; Mark’s true feelings. However, certainly not the ones she had hoped for.
Considering The Note
An Unexpected Revelation
She laid under the bed with her nerves fraying as she waited to see how Mark would respond to the note. She waited for something, anything to happen. However, there was just silence. Maybe he was crying quietly? Maybe he was shocked? All of a sudden he did something unexpected. He began to laugh out loud. He got out his phone and called someone. Who could it be? When Donna discovered who, she was distraught.
An Unexpected Revelation
Talking On The Phone
“Hey hon,” Mark began “Good news! My marriage is over! I know, I know. I thought she’d never take the hint. Get ready, I’ll be right over!” he ended off before he left the room. Donna was speechless. She lay there feeling dejected and defeated. Sick. She wished she could got back in time, but that wasn’t possible. Her nightmare had come to life. Donna wished with all her heart that she could undo this.
Talking On The Phone
Mystery Person
What Mark had said on the phone devastated Donna. It positively shattered her heart. She’d never felt sadness like this. She was frozen. She couldn’t make a sound. Even the worst outcome she had though of hadn’t been this bad. Who did Mark call? Was it another woman? A mistress? Or perhaps it was a friend. Regardless, she needed to find out for herself. She had to investigate this event and find out what happened.
Mystery Person
Hollowed Out And Floored
Donna lay beneath her bed feeling like a total idiot. Regret, heartbreak, and pain filled her up to the brim. She wanted a dramatic outcome from all of this, and she certainly got one, but in the opposite way to what she had wanted. She wanted him to fight for the marriage, not happily skip away. Donna dragged herself out from under their bed. Donna was a wreck, but she didn’t know it’d get worse.
Hollowed Out And Floored
No Longer Together
Donna tried to get herself together, but her body was overcome with fatigue as she sobbed deeply. She didn’t know how she’d be able to carry on without Mark. They’d been together for years. This wasn’t the way such a long relationship should end. Then, she saw something on the bed. It was another note. Mark must have left it as an answer to hers. She was on edge. She couldn’t know what it said.
No Longer Together
Reading The Response
Donna grabbed the note and prepared to read it. She could feel that her heart would break with every word read, but she had to know what the truth of it all is. This had been the purpose of her prank after all. She imagined reading the page and felt herself crying with each word. She believed her fears would be confirmed. At the end of the note, there was a surprise that changed everything.
Reading The Response
Prank Reversed
After finally working up the nerve to read the note, she got to the end and discovered that Mark had written “Dear Donna, next time you try to trick me like this, make sure I can’t see your feet sticking out from under the bed. I’ve gone to the store to pick up a few things. Be back soon, love Mark.” She couldn’t believe it. She had had her own prank completely reversed on her.
Prank Reversed
Embarrassed
Even though she had planned her prank meticulously, she had failed herself at the last moment over such a trivial and small detail. She was very embarrassed by the way this had played out and backfired on her. Thankfully, although this wasn’t the result she wanted, it did show that Mark still had a sense of humor to match her own. She wondered if she’d be able to get over the embarrassment of it all.
Embarrassed
Relief Comes In A Wave
As she sat done and pieced together what had happened, she realize that Mark hadn’t even been on the phone. He had made up a call to annoy her and set the groundwork for his prank. She knew that she deserved it and that Mark had taught her a big lesson about messing with people’s emotions to get your way. It never works out right. She wondered if Mark would forgive her after all this.
Relief Comes In A Wave
The Importance Of Trust
Sometimes something like this can be the test for a couple to discover where they stand with each other, but it isn’t something that can be thought of as healthy. Trust is crucial to a relationship, which involves being open and honest with each other. That’s the only way to work through things. Luckily for Donna, her prank didn’t destroy her marriage, but who can guess how long it’ll last after she displayed such manipulation.
The Importance Of Trust
A Happy Ending
To get through things in a relationship, sometimes all you need is trust. Going to extreme measures to test your partner just isn’t a healthy way to deal with things. Hopefully, Donna and Mark learned to communicate after all of this, so that the pranks would be light-hearted from now on, and not borderline dangerous. Another lady found herself in a similar predicament of suspicion. It involved her husband behaving very suspiciously with their babysitter.
A Happy Ending
Extreme Regret
At first, she didn’t really pay attention to what was going on, but after a while, she noticed that her husband and the babysitter would often speak to each other in hushed whispers. She became suspicious. She knew she had to figure out what was going on. She decided to secretly record them, but after it all, she’d wished she hadn’t. Some things are better off being left in the dark. She would learn this.
Extreme Regret
The Richards Family
Mr. and Mrs. Richards were the hot gossip in town. They appeared to have everything going for them. The perfect couple. They were very successful in terms of their careers. John Richards was a high-powered lawyer, and Grace was a very prominent estate agent. When they discovered that Grace was pregnant, they were over the moon. They were beyond ecstatic, but soon everything would change as hardship arose. Life is never without its many challenges.
The Richards Family
A New Mother
Grace had always wanted to be a mother, and now she would be able to live out this dream. She thought that she couldn’t be any happier than she was this day. To make things more wonderful, the entire pregnancy went off without any problems at all. The true challenges would arrive after she had the baby, however. She began developing postpartum depression, and she was less than satisfied with the way her body looked.
A New Mother
A Babysitter
Grace knew that she’d need to get a babysitter to look after her wonderful baby once she went back to work. She hired a sitter named Anna. She was a beautiful young woman and came highly recommended by everyone in the neighborhood. Grace felt sure about hiring her, but a problem would arise that she could never have expected. The plot was certainly thickening in the Richards household. So what happened next, you may wonder?
A Babysitter
A Sensual Manner
After hiring the sitter, Grace noticed that she had a very sultry manner about her, and liked to flirt. She ignored this at first but soon began to think she better pay closer attention. One day, she heard the sitter and her husband having a very quiet conversation. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she felt suspicious and more than a little jealous. She had to get to the bottom of it.
A Sensual Manner
Insecurity
Grace understood that time had moved on since her marriage began and that the nature of her relationship had changed. Grace began to wonder if perhaps her husband was getting bored, and thought it was time to spice things up. She had had a child after all, and didn’t have the energy or body she once had. Normally she’d cast aside suspicions, but this time, she had a reason to be worried. What was happening?
Insecurity
Forming A Plan
Grace wasn’t sure how to go about this, but she understood that she couldn’t outright ask John. She was worried about hurting him and damaging the trust between them. Instead of going direct, she decided that she’d gather more evidence before trying anything. She realized that it could all be innocent, so it was best to not jump to conclusions. She waited until the house was empty to begin her plan. She had an idea.
Forming A Plan
Putting Up Surveillance
Grace put up three hidden cameras. She put two in the house, and one outside the house. She pretended everything was normal, and as if she wasn’t suspicious. The more time went on, the more she noted her husband and the babysitter behaving oddly. Her heart jumped in her chest when it dawned on her that something really was going on between the two of them. She knew she needed to discover what it was.
Putting Up Surveillance
Smashing The Play Button
After a week of recording, Grace decided that she was prepared to face whatever was going on. She sat down in her living room and logged into the secret cameras she had put up. She hoped with all her heart she was wrong. She poured over the footage and paused anytime John and Anna were alone in a room. She’d then fast forward again and watch nervously for the next moment. The tension was tight.
Smashing The Play Button
A Great Unease
It wasn’t too long before Grace noticed that there was great tension between John and Anna. This gave Grace an uneasy feeling. She noticed that every time Anna and John were alone, Anna would find an excuse to get near him. There was no doubt in Grace’s mind that Anna was attempting to seduce her husband. She waited to see how John would react. She was glued to her seat. Suddenly, there was a knock.
A Great Unease
A Visitor
It was the babysitter Anna. She had come by unexpectedly to get her check for the month. She announced that John was expecting her. Grace had to force herself to stay calm and smile. It was at that moment that John showed up. He greeted her. Grace was about to pay, reaching for her purse when John said not to worry, he’d pay. He walked Anna out to her care where he’d pay her himself.
A Visitor
On Alert
Being a mother isn’t the sexiest job in the world. You’re tired all the time, there are messes to clean, and the children must be watched at all times. John was a desirable man. He was good-looking and successful. She saw the way other women looked at him. She tried to stay calm, but there was always a lingering doubt in her mind. Anna’s behavior put her on full alert mode. She was very wary.
On Alert
Underhanded
Grace could tell that something was up tonight. Anna was behaving even more strangely than usual. Plus, she was wearing a very revealing black dress. Maybe she was going out to a club? Grace wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Everything was calm, but then she saw Anna put her hand on John’s arm, and Grace knew that something was going on now. She had to get to the bottom of this.
Underhanded
Movements
Grace observed Anna and John walking through the hallway. They paused. Grace wished she could hear what they were talking about, then suddenly her heart dropped. Anna stepped back and gestured at her black dress seductively. It wasn’t difficult for Grace to imagine what Anna was saying. Unfortunately, John’s back was to the camera, so she couldn’t gauge his response. They left the house. Grace continued to watch with unease. She switched the camera feed.
Movements
The Moment At Last
Grace kept watching as John guided Anna to her car. She was watching with bated breath and thought that finally, she’d have her answer. She’d know that something was going on. She believed her marriage was about to fall apart. She watched them talk, but something was amiss. It appeared they were arguing. Anna began to cry and John stormed into the house. Grace couldn’t imagine what had happened. Grace needed to discover what, quickly.
The Moment At Last
The Answer
Grace rushed to John’s side. She asked him what had happened, and John said that he fired her. Grace was confused, and she asked John why. John asked her to sit with him. Grace prepared herself for what was about to happen. She was finally getting the answer, and directly from John himself. Finally, she’d have the truth of it all and know for certain. She was ready to hear it all from her husband.
The Answer
The Truth Is Revealed
John said he didn’t like the way that Anna talked to him or looked at him. He said she was constantly flirting with him, and felt that it was disrespectful to their marriage. In short, her behavior made him feel uncomfortable. He said he told her to stop her behavior many times, but she didn’t listen, so he finally fired her. Grace felt happy, but also guilty. She decided that she’d need to be honest.
The Truth Is Revealed
Explanation It All
Grace told John how concerned she had been. She told him that she noticed something strange was going on, but she wasn’t sure what. She came clean about the cameras. She said she’d set two up inside, and one outside in order to try and figure out what was happening. She explained that she felt bad for spying on him, and asked if he could forgive her. She went on to explain the situation further.
Explanation It All
An Outpouring Of Emotion
Grace started crying. She explained how depressed she’d become after having their child, and how she felt guilty because it seemed like everyone else was fine after giving birth. This made her feel even worse. Not only was she struggling with post-partum depression, but she was also struggling with her body image. She felt like it made her unattractive which just made her more insecure. She explained how all of this lead to her suspicion.
An Outpouring Of Emotion
An Understanding Man
John was surprised by all of this. He didn’t realize that she felt like that, and although he was a little hurt about her not trusting him, and spying on him, he did admit that he should have been upfront about everything that was happening. He understood how it must have seemed seeing as he wasn’t being transparent about everything. Goes without saying that they didn’t hire Anna again. So what happened to grace though?
An Understanding Man
Self Improvement
This had been the final push that Grace had needed to finally get help with the depression that she was suffering. She went to a doctor, and they explained that this wasn’t uncommon. In fact, the condition affects between ten and twenty percent of new mothers. She began treatment with antidepressants and started seeing a psychiatrist. John was with her the whole way, and she no longer felt as if it was all on her.
Self Improvement
Getting Better
A month later, Grace began to feel her dread and paranoia easing. She finally felt like she could breathe again for the first time in ages. The feelings of insecurity and sadness were leaving her, and she felt like she was becoming her old self again. They hired a new babysitter to help Grace, and thankfully this one was nothing like Anna. Things were starting to become right again. Grace finally found some peace again.
Getting Better
Feeling Joy Once More
After a whole year of treatment, the doctor deemed that it was the right time for Grace to stop taking the medication. Grace regretted not getting help earlier, but she was thankful that she finally had, and things were finally going back to normal. She felt joy again, and John had been there with her every step of the way. She could finally accept her new body, even if it would never be the same.
Feeling Joy Once More
A Serious Medical Condition
Many people tend to trivialize post-partum depression, but it is a real and serious medical issue that requires the correct care. It’s not something a new mom can simply “get over” all by herself. It’s an extreme form of depression, and it can make women feel as if they have no control and are helpless. It can aggravate existing issues, and make everything worse. So, what can a woman suffering from this serious condition do?
A Serious Medical Condition
The Ultimate Treatment For Post-Partum Depression
According to research by the Post Natal Depression Support Association Research Division, the best way to treat post-partum depression is to seek the help of a licensed medical professional who is trained to deal with psychological issues and figure out what triggers it in individual cases. There are also support groups where women can come together and support each other. Most important of all, women suffering from the condition should know that they aren’t alone.
The Ultimate Treatment For Post Partum Depression