For over a decade, my husband, Tom, had gone on the same family vacation—to the islands, for a full week, every single year. And every year, I stayed behind with our kids.
I had asked, many times, why we couldn’t go. His answer was always the same. “My mom doesn’t want in-laws there. It’s just immediate family.” And when I pushed about the kids? “I don’t want to spend the whole trip babysitting.”A week before his trip, I couldn’t take it anymore. While Tom was at work, I picked up my phone and called my mother-in-law directly.
“Why don’t you allow Tom to take us on vacation? Don’t you consider us family?” I asked, my voice shaking with years of frustration.
There was a pause. Then she said, confused, “What are you talking about, dear?”
I gripped the phone tighter. “The trip. Every year. Tom says you don’t want in-laws there.”
Silence. Then—“My husband and sons haven’t taken a vacation together in over a decade. We stopped doing those trips when Tom got married.”
My breath caught in my throat. What?If Tom wasn’t with his family every year… then where had he been going?
I ended the call quickly, my mind spinning with confusion. What could he possibly be hiding? I knew Tom was the kind of person who hated conflict, but this felt like something far beyond just avoiding an uncomfortable conversation. My suspicions grew darker as I pieced together the small inconsistencies in his past stories about these “family vacations.”
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