I immediately rushed to her.
“Can you not hear the baby?” I snapped over my shoulder.
As I rocked the baby, trying to calm her down, I felt like I could explode.
I thought things couldn’t get any worse, but then my phone buzzed loudly on the dresser, waking the other two girls.
Suddenly, I was pulled in every direction, trying to soothe each one while my mind raced with anger and confusion.
Finally, when I got them settled again, I grabbed my phone.
Sam had posted a new photo on Instagram.
It was our dirty, disgusting living room.
The caption read: “MY SLOBBY WIFE HASN’T CLEANED THE APARTMENT IN A MONTH. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN THIS IS GOING TO STOP?”
In the time it had taken me to settle the girls, the comments had blown up.
Strangers were calling me lazy and useless, and those were the kinder comments. The really bad ones brought tears to my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall.
I refused to be humiliated like this!
I put the triplets to bed one more time, and then I went into the living room.
I went over to Sam and gave him a soft hug.
It took everything in me to keep my voice soft.
“It’ll be an unforgettable evening,” Sam replied with a smile.
I smiled back. Yes, Sam.
You have no idea how unforgettable it’s going to be!
I spent the next day making phone calls.
That evening, I moved through the apartment quietly and methodically. The triplets were fed, changed, and asleep. My sister had agreed to watch them the moment I told her what I was up to.
Sam was upbeat, dressed nicely in a button-down shirt I hadn’t seen him wear in months.
I handed him a folded cloth.
Sam laughed.
“What’s this?”
He smirked, clearly flattered by the attention. “Wow. Okay.
Getting fancy now?”
Once we reached the car, I secured the blindfold gently but firmly over his eyes.
The car ride was quiet except for Sam’s oblivious chatter.
We reached our destination after a short drive.
I helped him out of the car and guided him up the walkway. My heart was pounding, but my hands stayed steady.
The door opened.
There was a murmur inside. Not loud, but unmistakably people.
Sam tensed. “Wait.
Where are we?”
I untied the blindfold.
Sam blinked.
He was standing in his sister’s living room.
His parents, my parents, some extended family, and close friends were all seated, waiting.
Sam scanned the room. “Okay. Very funny.
What is this supposed to be?”
I stepped forward, hands folded in front of me.
Sam frowned. “Worried about me?
Why?”
I exhaled slowly and led him to the chair positioned in the center of the room, facing the TV. He sat, and I took my place by the TV.
I turned to face everyone.
“Thank you all for coming tonight to support Sam. This might be disturbing for some of you, but please remember this evening is not about us — it’s about helping Sam.”
“What are you talking about?” Sam cried out.
I turned on the TV and started casting to it.
Gasps filled the room.
Now, it may seem like I’d come up with this plan in the blink of an eye, but it had taken careful planning.
My first instinct had been to humiliate Sam the same way he’d humiliated me, but once my initial anger passed, I realized that would be pointless and petty.
I needed to teach Sam a lesson, and his Instagram post was the perfect tool for doing just that!
The Instagram post appeared first.
Then I clicked through photos of the apartment showing the plates that looked like petri dish experiments, the trash overflowing in the can, and, most horrifying of all, the bathroom.
I gestured to the screen. “I was confused at first about why the apartment was in such a state, but when Sam created that Instagram post, I finally understood.”
I swept the room with my gaze. “I don’t think Sam has the basic life skills to take care of himself.”
Sam let out a sharp laugh.
“You can’t be serious.”
I scrolled back to the Instagram post and read the caption aloud. “‘My slobby wife hasn’t cleaned the apartment in a month. Does anyone know when this is going to stop?’ Do you all see the problem?”
Sam crossed his arms.
“Yeah… the problem is that you’re trying to blame me for your mess.”
I shook my head and spoke to the room.
“While I was recovering from giving birth to triplets, Sam did nothing to maintain our home. The only possible explanation for this is that he lacks the skills to do basic domestic chores.”
“I know how to clean!” Sam said, annoyed now. “I’m not an idiot.”
I gave him a sympathetic look.
“It’s okay to admit it, Sam. We’re here because we love you and want to support you.”
Sam curled his hands into fists. “I told you, I know how to clean.”
I sighed softly.
I was prepared for this. “When was the last time you cooked a meal?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Did laundry?”
He shrugged.
He frowned but didn’t answer.
“So, you insist you can clean, but you’ve got no proof to back it up,” I said. “What I’m hearing here is… I don’t just have a filthy home.
I have a husband who doesn’t function without me.”
The words landed heavily.
Sam’s mother spoke first.
“Sam… you know how to clean, don’t you? When you were little, I showed you—”
Sam bristled. “Of course I do!”
His father leaned forward slightly.
“Sam, be honest with us. Did you even try to take care of your home while Nicola was in the hospital?”
The room murmured in quiet, uncomfortable agreement.
Sam looked around, realizing he was losing control of the narrative.
“It’s her job!” He pointed at me. “She’s supposed to take care of our house, not me.”
That’s when the moment shifted.
Friends and family exchanged glances.
“So, you’re saying you chose to live like that?” I asked. “That you expected me to come home after a difficult labor, with three babies to care for, and clean up the apartment?”
“Well…” Sam rubbed the back of his neck.
Sam’s father stood, his face set in a grim expression.
“Sam, we raised you better than this.
Posting that about your wife… after she gave birth? Blaming her for a mess you created and left for her to clean up… that’s shameful.”
Sam’s shoulders slumped. He was no longer arguing.
He was exposed.
I turned off the TV. It was time to deliver the final blow.
“We have three daughters now,” I said. “If you won’t do these things for yourself, how are you going to do it for our kids, or is that all on me, too?”
The room went quiet.
All eyes were on Sam.
He didn’t reply.
I nodded. “I see… well, if I’m responsible for everything, then why should I keep you when all you’re doing is giving me additional work and stress?”
“How can you ask that?” Sam cried.
“We’re married… we have a family…”
I crossed my arms. “This is what’s going to happen now. I’m taking the girls, and we’re going to stay with my parents.
If our family means so much to you, then you’ll do the work to save it. You’ll clean our apartment, and you’ll correct what you posted. Publicly.”
Sam nodded.
He had no ground left.
Later that night, as I settled the triplets in the spare room at my parents’ house, I checked my phone.
A new post from Sam showed him cleaning our home.
The caption read: “I was wrong. I disrespected my wife when she needed me most.
The mess was mine, not hers.”
I exhaled. Did I know if this would fix things? No.
Did I know if Sam would actually change, or if this was just damage control? No idea.
But here’s what I did know: I wasn’t going to be humiliated again.
And if you’re wondering whether I felt bad about ambushing him like that, here’s my answer: not even a little bit.
Sometimes you have to make people uncomfortable before they’ll actually listen.
Was the main character right or wrong? Let’s discuss it in the Facebook comments.
