We were drifting peacefully on our boat that Sunday morning when my husband’s tone shifted. He looked me in the eyes and said, “I had an affair.” My heart stopped. He’d never joked about our marriage before, so I believed him. I stood up, numb with rage, and without thinking, I pulled off my wedding rings and hurled them into the ocean. Ten thousand dollars’ worth of love and memory—gone in seconds.
His face turned pale. “It was a joke!” he shouted. I froze. He insisted it was a prank, but the damage was done. I screamed, cried, and called him every name I could muster. He called me an idiot. I called him cruel. And somewhere beneath the waves, my rings lay buried with my trust.
We’ve been fighting ever since. He says I overreacted. I say he crossed a line no joke should ever touch. I’ve apologized for the rings, but I don’t feel sorry. He made me believe he betrayed me. That moment of heartbreak was real, even if his confession wasn’t. And now I’m left wondering: was it ever a joke, or did he panic when he saw my reaction?
Reddit users rallied behind me. They said trauma isn’t a punchline, and heartbreak isn’t entertainment. Some even questioned whether he truly cheated and tried to cover it up. I don’t know what’s worse—the possibility that he lied, or that he thinks my pain is funny. Either way, I’m not sure I can laugh with him ever again.
