I planned and paid for a dream family vacation for my husband’s 35th birthday. The morning we were supposed to leave, I woke up alone to a text saying my ticket had been given to my MIL’s friend. I took the next flight to join them and soon realized I wasn’t just excluded — I was being replaced.
Have you ever woken up and felt like the world was just slightly tilted on its axis?
That was me on the morning we were supposed to leave for a dream family vacation.
My husband, Mark, turned 35 that year. For months, he had been talking about wanting a real vacation with his parents.
Now, we didn’t see my in-laws much.
They lived three states away.
We didn’t have kids yet, and I was doing great at my job, so I thought, why not give him the best birthday gift ever?
I went all out.
I booked an all-inclusive getaway to Florida, paid for the flights and the five-star resort.
I handled every single detail.
His parents, Margaret and Arthur, seemed so grateful. Margaret even sent me a little note saying how much she looked forward to the “bonding time.”
The night before our flight, I was a whirlwind of energy.
Then, something happened that I should have flagged.
Mark came into the bedroom with a steaming mug.
He was smiling calmly in a way that seemed a little awkward, but the weirdest part was the tea.
Mark never made me tea. He always said it was too complicated.
“Oh?
Thank you, that’s unusually thoughtful of you,” I said.
He chuckled. “Well, you’ll need the rest for our early flight!
You’ve been rushing around all evening, and I figured you might be too wired to sleep.”
I laughed.
He sat on the edge of the bed, and we chatted a little as I finished the tea.
I thought he was just being nice, that maybe this was his way of showing his appreciation.
I trusted him. Why wouldn’t I? He was my husband.
Not long afterward, I started feeling sleepy.
I zipped my luggage closed after one last check to make sure I’d packed everything, then climbed into bed.
That’s the last thing I remember.
I woke up the next morning to absolute silence.
It took me a full ten minutes to realize how bright the sunlight streaming through the window was. My heart did a little somersault, and I scrambled out of bed.
“Mark! What time is it?”
His side of the bed was empty.
I reached for my phone.
There was a new text message from Mark.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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