When Jennifer’s fiancé, Chris, postpones their wedding for a last-minute business trip, she’s heartbroken. But on her birthday, the day they were meant to marry, Jennifer spots him in town. Suspecting betrayal, she confronts him, only to uncover a life-altering secret that Chris has spent years keeping quiet.
Six months ago, when Chris got down on one knee in the park where we had our first date, I thought nothing in my entire life could feel more perfect.
A smiling couple | Source: Midjourney
We set the date for late fall, on my birthday, no less. It felt right, like everything in my life had been leading to that moment.
Chris and I were two halves of a whole, and as cheesy as that sounds, I mean it. He was the methodical planner, thriving on spreadsheets and five-year goals, while I was the impulsive dreamer, chasing creative projects and wandering wherever life led me.
Together, we found balance.
A stack of wedding invitations | Source: Midjourney
Or so I thought.
But then something happened that made me question everything.
A month before our wedding, Chris’s boss threw us a massive curveball. Chris had to attend a crucial business trip.
On the same day as our wedding!
An older man sitting at his desk | Source: Midjourney
“It’s just three days, love,” Chris said, holding my hands. “I know how disappointing it is, but at the same time… this is huge for my career, Jen. There’s a promotion on the line, and it could mean big things for us. We could move into our dream home sooner, we could extend our honeymoon for longer… I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”
I was devastated. I mean, who wouldn’t be?
But what could I do? Reluctantly, I agreed to postpone the wedding for a few weeks. I tried to put on a brave face, telling myself that it was just a small delay along our journey.
An upset woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
“Fine,” I said. “And I’ll make all the calls to the vendors and send out messages to all our guests. You focus on work and the trip, and I’ll do the rest. Okay?”
“I knew you’d get it,” he smiled.
Then my birthday arrived, the day we should have been saying ‘I do.’ Instead of getting all dressed, spending time getting my hair and makeup done to perfection, I found myself wandering aimlessly through the city.
A woman walking down a street | Source: Midjourney
My bridesmaids had wanted to spend the day with me, knowing that Chris would be away, but I didn’t want to see them. I didn’t want to see anyone.
“Why are you acting like the wedding is canceled, Jen?” my friend Avery asked. “It’s not. It’s just been postponed.”
“I know that,” I said. “But… I can’t help the way I feel. It’s just… never mind.”
“You can talk to me, Jen,” she said softly.
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“Yes, but I don’t even know what words to use. I’m feeling deflated, I guess. That’s all. I want to be alone. But I’ll come over tomorrow, I promise.”
I cut the call and left home in my boots. The crisp autumn air bit at my cheeks as I clutched my coffee, trying to ignore the gnawing ache in my chest.
The streets blurred as I walked, my thoughts spinning. I missed Chris. I missed him terribly. And I missed what the day should have been.
A person holding a cup of coffee | Source: Midjourney
Eventually, I ended up on the outskirts of town, where a fancy boutique hotel caught my eye. Deciding I needed a drink, something stronger than coffee, I stepped inside the warm lobby.
The soft hum of voices and clinking glasses greeted me as I made my way to the bar. The bartender had just started making my drink when something, or someone, caught my eye.
There he was.
Chris.
The exterior of a hotel | Source: Midjourney
In a suit, standing at the reception desk, talking to the concierge.
My heart stopped.
I blinked, sure that I was imagining things. Chris was supposed to be 500 miles away on his business trip. So, what the hell was he doing here?
Before I could think, I slapped a note on the bar, paying for my untouched drink. I stormed toward the staircase where he had disappeared. My boots echoed against the polished wood as I raced upstairs, my pulse pounding in my ears.
A note on a bar counter | Source: Midjourney
“Chris!” I shouted. “What is happening? Why are you here? What are you doing here?!”
He turned, startled, his face turning pale before my eyes.
“Jen! Wait!”
“No!” I said, my voice giving my feelings away. “You lied to me, Chris! You’re supposed to be on a business trip. Are you… are you cheating on me? Is that what this is?”
A man wearing a suit | Source: Midjourney
His hands shot up in defense.
“No, Jen, I swear it’s not that. Just… please, come with me. I’ll explain everything.”
I followed him down the hall, my anger simmering under the surface. He stopped outside a door, pulling a keycard from his pocket.
“What’s in there? Who is in there?” I demanded.
A man holding a hotel keycard | Source: Midjourney
“Just… trust me.”
The door swung open, revealing a simple hotel room. My stomach churned as I scanned the space, expecting to see some other woman. Instead, it was empty.
Chris gestured to the armchair by the window.
“Sit down,” he said softly.
“Explain, Chris,” I said, suddenly exhausted. “Now. Please.”
The interior of a hotel room | Source: Midjourney
He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“Jen, I’ve been working on something for a long time. For years, actually. It’s about your mother.”
I froze.
“My mother?” I echoed. “What?”
He nodded, his voice trembling slightly.
An upset woman holding her head | Source: Midjourney
“I know you don’t talk about her much, but I know how much it’s hurt you, love. Not knowing why she left you at the hospital… not knowing where she went or why.”
I swallowed hard, the familiar ache of abandonment rising in my chest.
“For three years, I’ve been trying to find her,” Chris continued. “I hired private investigators, scoured records, even contacted labs to trace potential matches. And… I think I found her.”
A man holding his head | Source: Midjourney
My heart thudded in my chest.
“There’s a woman,” he said. “Her name is Margaret. She’s staying here at the hotel. I didn’t tell you because… well, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to get your hopes up in case it wasn’t her. I didn’t even know how to bring it up. But a few weeks ago, we got confirmation that her story matches yours. She’s been looking for you, Jen. My PI told me.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“You’ve been doing all this for me? And you didn’t tell me?”
A private investigator sitting at a desk | Source: Midjourney
He stepped closer, his voice gentle.
“I wanted to protect you. And… I wanted it to be a surprise for your birthday. If it was her, I mean.”
I sank into the closest armchair, my legs too shaky to hold me.
Two hours later, there was a knock at the door. My stomach flipped as Chris stood to answer it.
A woman sitting in an armchair | Source: Midjourney
When the door opened, a woman stepped inside.
She was tall and graceful, with streaks of gray in her dark hair. Her eyes, a piercing shade of green, locked onto mine, and I felt like the air had been punched out of my lungs.
We stared at each other for a long moment, neither of us speaking.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“Jennifer?”
A smiling older woman | Source: Midjourney
My name on her lips sounded strange, foreign yet familiar.
I stood slowly, my hands trembling.
“You’re… my mother?”
Tears filled her eyes as she nodded.
“I think so. But… we should go to the lab for a DNA test, just to be sure.”
A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
“No,” I said, my voice firm despite the storm of emotions swirling inside me. “I don’t need a test. I know it’s you.”
It sounded stupid, I know. But I could see it all over her face. It was clear, if this woman wasn’t my mother, then she was still closely related to me.
She smiled softly, her tears spilling over.
“You look just like my mother,” she said. “I’ve been looking for you for so long.”
I blinked, confused.
An older woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
“You’ve been looking for me?”
She nodded, sitting down across from me.
“It’s a long story,” she said, her voice shaky. “Forty years ago, when I gave birth to you, there was a terrible mistake at the hospital. The nurse mixed up the babies… and I… I left with someone else’s child.”
My head spun.
“What?”
A newborn baby girl | Source: Midjourney
She shook her head.
“I didn’t know the truth until years later, when my daughter, well, the daughter I thought was mine, died in a car accident. A DNA test revealed she wasn’t biologically related to me. I was devastated. And that’s when I started searching for my real daughter. For you.”
My throat tightened.
“But… my mother left me at the hospital. That’s what my foster mother told me.”
The exterior of a hospital | Source: Midjourney
Her face crumpled.
“I know. I think the woman who was supposed to take you home ran away when she realized the mistake. I’m so sorry, darling. You were abandoned because of what happened, and it’s all my fault. I passed out after I gave birth to you, I didn’t know any better when I came to.”
Tears streamed down my face as I tried to process everything.
Chris wrapped an arm around me, his touch grounding me.
A woman in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney
“You’re not alone anymore,” he whispered.
Looking at the woman in front of me, my mother, I felt a strange mix of pain and hope. After years of wondering, I finally had answers. And on my birthday, of all days.
“It’s the best gift I could have asked for,” I said softly.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
Two weeks later, we finally celebrated our wedding. My mother sat in the front row, tears shining in her eyes as Chris and I said, “I do.”
And for the first time in my life, I felt whole.
A smiling bride | Source: Midjourney
When Jake insists on cooking Thanksgiving turkey for the first time, Jen is skeptical but supportive until the result is a culinary disaster no one at the table can ignore. But the real shock comes when she discovers the recipe isn’t Jake’s. As tensions simmer and doubts creep in, she’s forced to confront the cracks in their marriage. This Thanksgiving, the turkey isn’t the only thing leaving a bad aftertaste.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
During the Divorce My Husband Gave My Fur Baby to an Animal Shelter, Unaware It Would Leave Him Penniless
When my husband dumped my golden retriever, Bailey, at a shelter during our divorce, I was devastated. Little did he know, that cruel act would cost him dearly and unravel his carefully-hidden secrets.
Bailey wasn’t just a dog. She was my family, my lifeline through the storm of my marriage’s collapse. And when Adam tried to take her from me, he unleashed a chain of events he could never have seen coming.
A woman standing in her house | Source: Midjourney
Marriage is supposed to be a partnership, a bond where both people lift each other up. But with Adam, it felt like I was carrying the weight of two people. And his greed made it heavier every day.
When we first met, Adam was everything I thought I wanted. He was charming, thoughtful, and attentive. He even acted like he loved my dog, Bailey.
But once we were married, the cracks began to show.
A man sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
At first, they were small things like refusing to pitch in for groceries, brushing off household chores, and grumbling about expenses for Bailey’s vet bills. But as time went on, his true nature revealed itself.
He was more interested in hoarding money than building a life together.
“Adam, Bailey needs her vaccinations,” I said one evening, holding a bill from the vet.
“Do we really need to spend so much on a dog?” he replied, barely looking up from his laptop.
“She’s not just a dog,” I shot back. “She’s family.”
A close-up shot of a dog | Source: Pexels
“She’s your dog, Eliza,” he shrugged. “Not mine!”
That was Adam. Generous with words when he wanted something, but stingy with anything that required real effort.
When I filed for divorce, I thought I’d finally be free of his manipulative ways. But Adam wasn’t done being vindictive.
During the proceedings, he kicked me out of the house. The same place I’d helped maintain for years. And he even refused to let me take Bailey.
A man standing outside his house | Source: Midjourney
“PLEASE, GIVE ME BACK MY DOG!” I pleaded. “SHE’S MINE! SHE’S MY FAMILY!”
“I don’t care,” he said.
“You can’t keep her,” I cried. “She’s been with me since before we got married! This isn’t fair!”
“Too bad,” he said coldly. “She’s on my property now.”
I begged him to reconsider, but his heart was as cold as stone.
I couldn’t believe this was the same man who’d helped me take Bailey to the vet when I found her on the street. I remember everything about that night very well.
The night that changed my life and introduced me to Adam.
View from inside a car on a rainy night | Source: Pexels
The rain poured in sheets, soaking everything in sight as I hurried through the park on my way home. Then I heard it: a faint whimper.
I stopped, squinting through the downpour, and saw a small, trembling figure under a bench.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, crouching down.
A tiny golden retriever puppy, drenched and shivering, stared up at me with pleading eyes.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I murmured, gently scooping her up.
Her body was cold and frail, and my heart broke for her. I didn’t know what to do. I stood there in the rain with no idea how to help her.
That’s when Adam appeared.
A man standing in the rain | Source: Midjourney
“Need some help?” a voice called out, startling me.
I turned to see a man jogging toward me, holding an umbrella. His hair was plastered to his forehead from the rain, but he smiled warmly, his gaze flicking to the puppy in my arms.
“She’s freezing,” I said, my voice shaky. “I don’t know where to take her.”
Adam didn’t hesitate. “Come on, let’s get her to a vet. My car’s just over there.”
I hesitated for a moment, but the urgency of the situation and his kind demeanor convinced me.
“Okay,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
A woman standing in the rain | Source: Midjourney
He held the umbrella over us as we ran to his car, where I carefully settled the puppy on my lap.
During the drive, Adam chatted to calm my nerves, asking about the puppy and where I’d found her.
At the vet clinic, we worked together to get Bailey the care she needed. The vet examined her and gave her some warm blankets.
“She’s malnourished, but nothing a bit of love and care won’t fix,” the vet reassured us.
A puppy | Source: Pexels
Adam turned to me with a grin. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a new friend.”
I smiled back, relieved. “I think you’re right.”
After the visit, Adam drove me home. As we pulled up to my apartment, he turned to me and said, “If you need anything for her like supplies, advice, or anything else… just give me a call, okay?”
He handed me his number, and I thanked him for his help.
Over the next few weeks, Adam and I stayed in touch.
A woman using her phone | Source: Pexels
He checked in on Bailey, offering tips on puppy care and even stopping by to drop off supplies. It didn’t take long for our friendship to grow into something more.
When we started dating, he made it clear he adored Bailey. Or at least that’s what I thought.
He played fetch with her, snapped photos, and even talked about how much fun it would be to have a family someday. I was smitten, both with him and the idea of building a life together.
We got married the following year.
A couple holding hands on their big day | Source: Pexels
I moved into his house with Bailey, thinking I’d found my happily ever after. At first, everything seemed perfect. But as the months passed, I started noticing cracks in Adam’s charming facade.
With time, I realized he was not the man he’d pretended to be.
It’s not like I didn’t try to save our marriage. I did. I confronted him so many times, and he’d make empty promises to change, but nothing ever improved.
By the time I filed for divorce, I was emotionally drained. Leaving felt like my only option.
A woman standing with her hand on her head | Source: Pexels
And then he kicked me out, refusing to give Bailey back to me. What I didn’t know was that he’d already decided to get rid of her.
He took Bailey to a shelter and dropped her there. I couldn’t believe it when he told me that.
“How could you do this?” I yelled at him over the phone. “Are you being for real, Adam?”
He just laughed and hung up, unaware of how he’d soon regret his decision.
A man holding his phone | Source: Pexels
Over the next few days, I couldn’t stop picturing her curled up in a corner, wondering why I wasn’t there. I made it my mission to find my little girl, no matter what I had to go through.
I scoured every animal shelter within a hundred miles, calling, emailing, and visiting in person, armed with pictures of her sweet golden face.
Each day without her felt like another layer of heartbreak, but I refused to give up. When it became clear that the search was beyond my reach, I hired a private investigator, John.
A man taking notes | Source: Pexels
“Lost pets aren’t my usual line of work,” he said when we first met. “But I’ve got a soft spot for dogs. I’ll find her for you.”
Weeks stretched into what felt like an eternity. I tried to stay hopeful, but each passing day without news felt heavier than the last. Then, one day, my phone rang.
“Ma’am,” John said, “I found your dog!”
My breath caught. “You… you found her? Where is she?”
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“She’s safe, but that’s not all,” he continued. “There are some facts that will help you win this divorce and leave your husband with nothing. Listen to me carefully.”
I gripped the phone tightly, my heart racing.
He outlined his plan to help me get Bailey back and hinted at something much bigger brewing beneath the surface. But for now, his focus was on reuniting me with my fur baby.
A dog sitting near water | Source: Pexels
“The shelter’s an hour away,” he said. “They have her on record, but she’s been adopted. You’ll need to talk to them to get the details on the new owners.”
I didn’t waste a second. Grabbing my keys, I drove straight to the shelter, hope and anxiety swirling inside me.
When I arrived, the woman at the front desk handed me a file. Inside was a photo of Bailey, her soulful eyes staring back at me.
A woman looking at a photo | Source: Midjourney
“She was adopted last week by a couple,” the woman explained. “We can’t give you their address, but we can pass along a message if you’d like.”
“Please,” I said, my voice trembling. “Tell them I’d like to meet and explain everything.”
A few days later, I got a call from the couple. They agreed to meet me at a coffee shop, and when I arrived, my nerves were in overdrive.
A cup of coffee on a table | Source: Pexels
Sitting across from them, I poured out my story, my voice breaking as I recounted how Bailey had come into my life and how much she meant to me.
“She’s not just a dog,” I said, tears pooling in my eyes. “She’s my family.”
The couple listened intently, glancing at each other with knowing looks. Finally, the woman reached across the table and touched my hand.
“We can see how much you love her,” she said softly. “And as much as we’ve grown attached to her, we know she belongs with you.”
A woman talking to another woman in a coffee shop | Source: Midjourney
I was speechless. Gratitude and relief washed over me as they handed over Bailey’s leash and paperwork.
When I reunited with Bailey, her tail wagged furiously, and she barked as if to say, “What took you so long?”
I hugged her tightly, promising her that she’d never feel abandoned again.
But the surprises didn’t stop there.
During my phone call with John, he told me he’d uncovered a gold mine of deceit after digging into Adam’s finances.
A stack of coins | Source: Pexels
Turns out, Adam had been hiding assets during the divorce, including a luxury home he’d purchased under his mother’s name to keep it off the marital records.
I hired an accountant to review his financials, and the findings were damning. The down payment for the house came from our joint marital account, and the mortgage was being paid from our marital funds.
When we submitted all the documents and facts to the court, my husband called. “JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! Let me live my life!” he spat. But I didn’t listen to him. I just told him that I had turned on the voice recorder on my phone and he hung up.
A woman standing in a court | Source: Midjourney
The judge didn’t take kindly to his attempts at deception. He was penalized heavily, and I was awarded a significant portion of the house’s value.
Guess what did I do with the settlement? I bought a cozy little house with a big yard for Bailey.
She now spends her days chasing squirrels and rolling in the grass, while I just look at her with pride and gratitude.
Every night, as she curls up beside me, her steady breathing reminds me of what truly matters. Even when life unravels, love and a little resilience can stitch it back together stronger than before.
A woman with her dog | Source: Midjourney
If you enjoyed reading this story, here’s another one you might like: When Claire’s husband of eight years accidentally sends her a screenshot exposing his affair, her world shatters. But instead of crumbling, she teams up with an unlikely ally, his mistress, Mia. Together, they orchestrate the ultimate revenge…
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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