My Daughter Always Came Back from School Sad & Her Reason Made Me Divorce My Husband

When Dani realizes that her marriage with Nathan is on the rocks, she accepts that his new job opportunity may be the fresh start they need. But when they move, Dani learns the truth about Nathan.

For the past nine years, Iโ€™ve been in what I thought was a loving marriage.

Nathan and I had married young, straight out of high school. All we knew was each other.

โ€œWeโ€™ll grow together, Dani,โ€ he said. โ€œWeโ€™ll study and build up careers together.โ€

I believed him. And for the longest time, it seemed that Nathan stuck to his promises.

A young couple embracing | Source: Pexels

A young couple embracing | Source: Pexels

Two years into our marriage, we had Ellie, our daughter. Now, 7 and feisty, sheโ€™s the light of our lives.

But for the past few years, Iโ€™ve begun to watch my marriage fall apart in front of my eyes. Nathan criticized my appearance.

โ€œYouโ€™ve just let yourself go, Dani,โ€ he said. โ€œAlways in those frumpy clothes. Do you think that youโ€™ll keep the spark alive like that?โ€

He accused me of not being a good enough mother because I worked too much โ€” although I worked from home. Ellie was always around me, except she when was at school.

โ€œYouโ€™re always behind that computer screen. Do you even give Ellie enough attention? It doesnโ€™t seem like it. Sheโ€™s always alone when I come home from work.โ€

A woman sitting with a laptop | Source: Unsplash

A woman sitting with a laptop | Source: Unsplash

At first, I used to retaliate. I would speak my feelings to Nathan. But eventually, I just tired of fighting with him.

โ€œDo what you want,โ€ I said one evening as I went to put Ellie to bed.

Things took a turn when Nathan suddenly became more tolerable. He wasย nice. At first I attributed it to him getting a new job offer in another city.

I didnโ€™t mind the move. I could work from anywhere, and Ellie was only in the first grade.

โ€œItโ€™s a new start,โ€ Nathan said, helping me box up our lives.

Packing boxes on a table | Source: Pexels

Packing boxes on a table | Source: Pexels

We moved, hoping for that fresh start โ€” and for things to get better between us. Nathan enrolled Ellie in a new school that he had researched in the weeks leading to the big move.

He seemed to have everything in order.

โ€œIโ€™m serious about this move, honey,โ€ he said, giving Ellie an juice box. โ€œThis is going to be great.โ€

But a few weeks after Ellie started at school, she started coming home upset, refusing to tell me why.

Then, one day, I found her crying in her room.

Two juice boxes on a table | Source: Pexels

Two juice boxes on a table | Source: Pexels

โ€œHoney, what happened?โ€ I asked, worried.

โ€œI donโ€™t want Miss Allen to be my mother! I want you to be my mother!โ€ Ellie sobbed.

A chill ran through me. Miss Allen was Ellieโ€™s teacher.

โ€œWhy would she become your mother?โ€ I asked.

Ellie looked at me with large tears dropping from her face. She shook her head.

โ€œHoney, tell me,โ€ I pressed.

My daughter sighed deeply, as if the weight of the entire world rested on her little shoulders.

โ€œYesterday, when Dad picked me from school, Miss Allen told me to wait by the door while she spoke to Dad. I didnโ€™t hear everything, but I did hear her saying that sheโ€™ll be a better mom to meโ€ฆ Dad laughed when she said that.โ€

A child sitting on the floor | Source: Pexels

A child sitting on the floor | Source: Pexels

The floor might as well have fallen away from beneath me.

The accusations, the move, the sudden niceness โ€” it all clicked into a horrifying picture. My husband was having an affair.

That evening, after making sure that Ellie was asleep, I poured Nathan a drink.

He accepted it with a smile, oblivious to the storm brewing inside me.

โ€œSo,โ€ I began. โ€œMiss Allen seems really good with Ellie.โ€

โ€œReally?โ€ he asked, his eyes lighting up. โ€œI knew Ellie liked herโ€ฆโ€

โ€œEnough for Miss Allen to be her new mom?โ€ I asked. โ€œWhatโ€™s going on, and donโ€™t you dare lie to me.โ€

Two glasses and a bottle of alcohol on a table | Source: Pexels

Two glasses and a bottle of alcohol on a table | Source: Pexels

Nathanโ€™s face drained of color, guilt written all over him. His confession poured out, officially ruining our marriage.

He had been having an affair before we moved, but the woman wanted more from him. So, he broke it off when the new job opportunity came up. But it hadnโ€™t taken him long โ€” he and Miss Allen had been seeing each other for two weeks before Ellie overheard their conversation.

The next day, when I dropped Ellie off at school, I confronted Miss Allen about the affair. She denied everything.

I transferred Ellie to another school. She needed to be protected and cherished, not be caught in the middle of her fatherโ€™s extramarital affairs.

Children sitting in a classroom | Source: Unsplash

Children sitting in a classroom | Source: Unsplash

A divorce was inevitable, and I found that while it was painful, I was relieved. Nathan had destroyed us a long time ago, it was just time to end our marriage officially.

We are a few months into the divorce and Ellie is my focus โ€” with constant reassurance that she is loved unconditionally. Sheโ€™s forgotten about Miss Allen, and loves her new teacher.

Nathan is free to come and go as he pleases with Ellie, as she is the most important factor in our lives.


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