Every time his son came over, my husband asked me to leave the house to please his ex – until one day, I didn’t follow the plan.

Marilyn believed she was being understanding when she agreed to leave her own house every weekend so her husband, Scott, could spend time with his six-year-old son, Ben. At first, it seemed like a temporary arrangement. But after months of quietly packing her bags, something inside her snapped—and when she returned home unexpectedly, the truth hit her like a brick.

She and Scott had dated for two years before getting married. During that time, Marilyn grew close to Ben, a sweet and shy boy. His mother, Patricia, even seemed to accept Marilyn at first—chatting casually and once complimenting her:

“You’re really good with Ben,” she said, smiling as he showed off a LEGO spaceship. “It’s nice that he has someone like you around.”

But after the wedding, everything changed.

Patricia became distant, and one afternoon, Scott delivered an unexpected request.

They were both in the kitchen—he was fixing a cabinet handle, and she was preparing dinner.

“Sweetheart,” he began, “I think it would be better if you spent weekends at your parents’ house.”

Marilyn turned, stunned. “What? Why?”

“Patricia doesn’t want Ben around you anymore. She says it confuses him. If she finds out you’re here when he visits, she might cut my time with him. I just want to avoid drama.”

“But Ben and I get along great,” she argued. “We built a volcano together last weekend—he loved it! And he loves my cooking.”

“I know,” Scott sighed. “But Patricia’s changed since we got married. She doesn’t want Ben to think you’re his mother. It’s temporary. Please. You know how she gets.”

Reluctantly, Marilyn agreed. She didn’t want to be the reason Scott lost precious time with his son.

So that Friday, she packed a bag and drove to her parents’ house. Her mother opened the door with a frown.

“Why are you here, sweetheart? What’s going on?”

“I just thought I’d spend the weekend with you,” Marilyn lied with a weak smile.

Her mother didn’t press that night, but over breakfast the next morning, she asked, “Why are you the one leaving your house?”

“It’s just temporary,” Marilyn repeated, pushing eggs around her plate.

“Temporary for who?” her mother muttered, unconvinced.

Despite the discomfort, Marilyn continued the routine. Every weekend, she left her home as if she were a guest in her own life. Scott always reassured her that it was only until things settled down, and that she was the only woman he wanted. But deep down, Marilyn couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

Then, one Friday evening, driving toward her parents’ house, a thought popped into her mind: Why are you accepting this?

She pulled a U-turn and drove back home.

The house was unusually quiet. No cartoons, no laughter from Ben.

She stepped into the living room—and froze.

Scott was on the couch with his arm around Patricia, who was wearing Marilyn’s silk pajamas—the new set she had just bought.

“What the hell is going on?” Marilyn asked.

Scott jumped, hitting his knee on the coffee table. “Marilyn! You’re supposed to be at your parents’ house!”

Patricia didn’t even flinch. She ran her hand along the pajama sleeve and smiled. “Looks like someone went off-script.”

“Where’s Ben?” Marilyn asked, coldly.

“At my mom’s,” Patricia answered, calm and smug. “He always spends Fridays there. Didn’t Scott tell you? Darling,” she turned to him mockingly, “you didn’t lie to your wife, did you?”

The truth clicked.

“It was never about Ben, was it?”

Patricia stood up, grinning. “Nope. I told Scott if he wanted another shot with me, he had to give me the weekends to see if we could rekindle things. Sending you away? That was his idea.”

Marilyn let out a bitter laugh. “That’s funny—because he told me something very different.”

She pulled out her phone and played a recording from the previous week—Scott begging her to leave for Ben’s sake.

His face turned pale.

Not long after, Marilyn filed for divorce. She stayed in the house—her house—and rebuilt her life with dignity.

As for Scott and Patricia? Relationships built on lies rarely last.