I never imagined that something so little could reveal everything I thought was solid in my marriage.
It was not such an argument that begins with shouting or betrayal. No, it started the simple anniversary of the selfie, which I sent on a business trip – something I thought would be sweet, a little token of love.
But what followed, broke my world in a way that I couldn’t predict. Suddenly, the man I thought I knew, the one I believed I believed I had all my heart accused me of something I didn’t do, and all over the picture that had no bad intention.
I thought it was a harmless gesture that became a catalyst of the spiral series of misunderstanding that threatened us to tear.
It happened at the weekend and I still work it. My husband, Frank, and I were married for five years and I thought our relationship was as stable as it could be. But that was before the disaster that took place in minutes.
The incredible reaction of my husband on my anniversary Selfie broke our marriage
Something happened to work on the weekend. Frank and I have married for five years and thought we had a stable relationship until this shocking event was developing.
The story began through the business path I had to take on the wedding anniversary. I knew it wasn’t ideal, but I informed Frank prematurely and looked good when I came back.
“No worries, Joann. Later we’ll match it,” he said with a relaxed smile.
I believed him, but when I was off my home in our anniversary, I felt guilty. To do it, I decided to take a selfie in my hotel room and hope to show Frank how much he loved him, even from a distance.
I sent a picture and expected a sweet and flirtatious answer. Instead, a few minutes later, my phone buzzed with a message that caused my heart to stop.
“Are you serious?
I stiffened. I have read the message several times and I hope I did not understand. The words were sharp and full of anger. I looked back in the photo and saw excessive shirts, sweatshirts and pants in the background – none of them was mine.
“Frank, wait,” I whispered on myself, and panic rising to my chest.
I wasn’t alone in the room. I was with Jess, a collaborator loving hip-hop, but Frank couldn’t know. When I took a photo, I didn’t even notice Jess’s clothes.
I immediately called Frank, my heart pounded, but it went to the voicemail. The same happened when I tried again. I felt helpless, everyone unanswered called a new wave of fear.
“It can’t happen to something so obvious,” I murmured, trembling.
I quickly sent a message, “Frank, it’s not what you think. Please call me. I have to explain it.”
I called him again and again, the rings seemed to last forever. In the end, he replied at the fifth attempt. His voice was cold and distant.
“Frank, what’s up? Why do you blame me?” I asked, panic, and anger crawled into my voice.
“Don’t play stupid, Joanna,” he cut me off, and his voice was filled with bitterness.
“I talked to Madison, your boyfriend. She told me everything. I felt like something was wrong, but this … proves.”
“Madison?” I was repeated, confused. “What are you talking about?”
He explained, “She told me you shouldn’t have a business trip this month. Then she mentioned Bryan from another department and said you were traveling with him. And now I see this photo with men’s clothing in the background. How could you do?”
I was impressed. “Bryan? I never met Bryan!” My frustration was cooked. “Madison just lost her job last week to spoil our project. Why would you believe her?”
Frank hesitant. “She wasn’t released? She told me you looked scattered the next day and that you were lying about the road.”
“He fired?” I interrupted. “It didn’t even mention! It’s just bitter because I reported her for almost destroying everything! Trying to cause trouble!”
Frank was silent, his shock tangible. Then he sighed, his tone now full of regret.
“I’m sorry, Joanna. I was supposed to believe you. Madison’s words and the photo just took me a spiral. I should have called you right away, but no. I panic.”
I nodded and felt the weight of the situation. “I understand it, but you believed Madison over me. It really hurts.”
“I know and I’m so sorry,” Frank said quietly. “I’ll do anything to fix it.”
We spent the next hour speaking through everything. Frank regretted jumping to the conclusions and I tried to help him understand the situation.
“I had never doubted you,” he said, and his voice was full of regret.
“Yeah, you shouldn’t have,” I replied, still frustrated, but willing to move forward. “But we have to work on trust. No more jumping to the conclusions, okay?”
Frank nodded and his expression honest. “I won’t. I love you, Joanna, and I regret to doubt you.”
“I love you too, Frank,” I said, and my emotions were still mixed. “We’ll go through it.”
When I returned home, we ended the call, saying that we would celebrate our anniversary properly, but I couldn’t shake my weight in my chest. It was a huge misunderstanding, but shaken by the establishment of our relationship. I was hoping we could fix it before creating some deeper cracks.
Conclusion
When the call was over, I was sitting there in a dazing and felt a combination of relief and persistent injury. The not shaken of our marriage with its core, but Frank was regret and we both knew that the reconstruction of trust would take time. I couldn’t just forget how quickly he doubted me, but I also understood that uncertainties could conceal judgment.
We promised that we worked it together with the renewed commitment of trust and communication. Our anniversary was destroyed, but perhaps this experience could be the catalyst of a stronger and honest relationship of the advancing forward. Only time would say if we could really recover and move around this moment.