I Discovered My Husband Had Booked a Spa Trip With His Mistress – so I Showed Up As the Massage Therapist
Every Christmas, my husband and I took our kids on a trip—no matter how tight money was. It was the one promise we never broke. This year, he said we couldn’t afford it. I later found out exactly where that money went.
I’m Emma (40F). I was married to Mark (42M) for 11 years. We have two kids, Liam (10) and Ava (7). From the outside, we looked like a normal family. Our one sacred tradition was the Christmas trip—nothing fancy, just time together.
When Mark told me his company was doing layoffs and there’d be no bonus, I believed him. Telling the kids we weren’t going anywhere broke my heart. Ava cried. Liam pretended he didn’t care.
A few nights later, his phone buzzed. I saw a message about a “luxury spa weekend” and a couples package booked with his bonus—the bonus he claimed didn’t exist. The messages confirmed everything: an affair, lies, and our kids’ Christmas money spent on a mistress.
I didn’t confront him right away. Instead, I applied for a temporary massage therapist job at the very spa he booked.
That weekend, I was assigned to a couples massage. Mark and his mistress were on the tables when I walked in.
They never expected the therapist to be me.
The divorce was quick. I got primary custody. He lost much more than a vacation.
This year, when my kids asked if we’re traveling again, I said yes.
New tradition. Just us.
