I know about her, you dirty, sneaky, immoral, unfaithful, poorly-endowed slimeball. It’s all on camera.
Your (soon-to-be ex) wife.
P.S. I paid for this billboard with your card.”
Your (soon-to-be ex) wife
For a few seconds, I couldn’t breathe. My name was up there, in bold letters for the entire town to read.
What the hell was she talking about?
There was no “her.” There had never been anyone else. Especially now, when she was carrying our baby.
What the hell was she talking about?
I turned and sprinted back inside. My hands shook as I grabbed my phone and keys. Mr. Hayes, my boss, caught me at the door.
“Nolan? What’s going on?”
“I need to go. Please, just—just let me take the rest of the day,” I said.
“Nolan? What’s going on?”
He took one look at my face and nodded. “Go. Take care of it.”
I didn’t even thank him properly. I just ran.
By the time I pulled into our driveway, my chest felt like it might burst. My clothes, my tools, even my guitar, all of it was scattered across the lawn. I slammed the car door and ran to the porch, pounding on the front door.
I just ran
Sienna came out, eyes swollen from crying.
“What the hell is this?” I asked, pointing at the mess.
“You know exactly what this is,” she snapped.
“I don’t!” I shouted. “Why would you do this, Sienna? Why would you put that billboard up for everyone to see?”
“What the hell is this?”
“Stop lying!” she screamed. “I knew something was off, and now I have proof!”
“What proof?” I demanded.
She pulled out her phone, opened a video, and shoved it in my face. A man, my height, my build, wearing my jacket, sat in my car, kissing a woman I’d never seen before.
“I knew something was off, and now I have proof!”
I stared at it, numb. “That’s not me.”
“Don’t insult me, Nolan. It’s your car. Your stuff. Your face!”
“Who sent you this?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“That’s not me”
“It does,” I said. “Who sent it, Sienna?”
She shook her head. “You lost me, Nolan. You lost us.” Then she turned and went back inside, slamming the door behind her.
I stood there in the cold, surrounded by my life dumped on the ground. Then I gathered what I could, threw it in the back seat, and drove to my mother’s house.
“You lost me, Nolan. You lost us.”
Mom opened the door. “What happened?”
“Sienna kicked me out,” I said, dropping my bags.
Her eyebrows arched. “What did you do?”
“Nothing. Someone set me up.”
“Sienna kicked me out”
“Why would anyone do that to you?”
“I don’t know. But she won’t even listen.”
Mom crossed her arms. “I never liked that girl. She’s difficult. But don’t worry, we’ll make sure that baby grows up with us.”
“Why would anyone do that to you?”
I stared at her, disgusted. “How can you even say that?” I shouted.
And then, mid-yell, something clicked. I realized who might’ve done this.
Right after the conversation with Mom, I couldn’t stay in that house another second. I grabbed my keys, walked out before she could say another word, and drove straight to Sienna’s house.
I realized who might’ve done this
When I pulled up in front of our house and knocked, the door opened a moment later. Sienna stood there in the doorway, arms crossed, face unreadable.
“What do you want now, Nolan?” she asked.
“I know who set me up,” I said, taking a step closer. “It was Tara.”
“It was Tara”
She gave a short, humorless laugh. “My best friend? Really? Why would she do that?”
“Because she wants to tear us apart,” I said. “You’ve seen how she acts around me. She’s been trying to get between us for months.”
Sienna shook her head. “Not every woman in the world wants you, Nolan.” Then she turned and went back inside.
“My best friend? Really? Why would she do that?”
Days passed. I stayed with Mom, hoping Tara would text me, that she’d slip and reveal something, but nothing came.
I started to wonder if I was wrong. Maybe I really was losing my mind.
One afternoon, Mom came into the living room holding her phone. “Nolan, my internet stopped working again. Can you fix it?”
Maybe I really was losing my mind
I took the phone, ready to explain that she’d probably just turned off the Wi-Fi. And sure enough, that was exactly it.
I was about to hand the phone back when I saw a new message pop up on her screen: Money received. Thanks again.
Curiosity stopped me cold. I shouldn’t have looked, but something in my gut told me to. I opened the thread, and what I saw made my stomach twist.
Money received. Thanks again.
The messages were between Mom and some man whose profile picture looked disturbingly familiar: my height, my build, even my haircut.
They’d been talking for weeks.
They’d planned everything: renting a car identical to mine, taking my clothes, filming the fake video, and sending it to Sienna.
They’d planned everything
I felt the blood drain from my face. My hands shook as I took screenshots, sending them to my own phone, then to Sienna.
I stormed into the kitchen. “It was you!”
Mom looked up, startled. “What are you talking about?”
“It was you!”
“You set me up!” I shouted. “You paid someone to pretend to be me, to kiss some random woman, to destroy my marriage!”
“I don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I read the messages! I saw everything!” I yelled. “How the hell could you come up with something like that when you can’t even turn your Wi-Fi on?”
“You set me up!”
“I did it for you,” she said calmly. “That woman isn’t right for you. She would’ve ruined your life. I saved you.”
I stared at her, stunned. “Saved me? You destroyed everything! I love her, Mom. I want to raise our child with her!”
“She’ll leave you one day,” she said coldly. “She’ll take everything. The house, the baby, your peace, and you’ll see I was right.”
“That woman isn’t right for you”
I couldn’t take it anymore. “You’re insane,” I said. “Completely insane.” I grabbed my jacket, slammed the door, and didn’t look back.
When I pulled up to our house again, Sienna was already outside.
She looked at me, her face wet with tears, and before I could say a word, she ran into my arms.
“You’re insane”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I should’ve trusted you. I can’t believe I listened to her… or did that stupid billboard.”
I held her tight. “It’s over now. It doesn’t matter.”
“I think it’s the hormones… and the fear. You were gone so much, and I convinced myself you didn’t love me anymore.”
“I’m so sorry”
I brushed a tear from her cheek. “I’d rather die than hurt you, Sienna. You and the baby, you’re everything to me.”
She pressed her forehead against mine. “Promise me we’ll be okay.”
I kissed her gently. “We will. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’d rather die than hurt you”
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