Wife Waits 10 Years To Open Wedding Gift From Husband’s Ex

Opening It After Years

They could not suppress their gasps when they finally opened it after so many years. They had been dreading opening the package ever since they had received it. Sometimes, a morbid curiosity prompted them to question what it may hold, and they always feared the worst.

However, nothing in the world could have prepared them for what they discovered when they opened the box and looked inside. It was much worse than they thought.

Complicated Relationship

The relationship between James and Liz had been challenging. They put a lot of time and effort into getting to where they are now—married, happy with each other, and unaffected by any external danger, with one exception.

That box had been sitting on one of their wardrobes’ lowest shelves for ten years. Every time they remembered it was there, an uncomfortable feeling overcame them since it had been an unwanted presence in their lives all that time.

Let The Past Rest

After all, the past belongs in the past and should stay there. They couldn’t bring themselves to open it, but they also couldn’t bring themselves to dispose of it.

But eventually, they were unable to suppress their curiosity any longer. They considered it to be kind of a joke and believed that opening it would be funny. But when they did, they couldn’t help but be appalled by what they discovered inside.

Previous Marriages

Liz and James had been wed for ten years at this point. Each of them was in the process of getting divorced from their previous spouses when they met, so this wasn’t their first marriage.

Some claim that it’s difficult for a relationship in which one or both partners has recently gone through a breakup since there is a lot of tension and baggage left over from the previous relationship. However, James and Liz had been successful. Yet it wasn’t easy.

Mind Games

Liz already had a divorce and lived separately when they first met, although James did not. He was in the midst of his divorce’s most trying time.

The fact that his wife—now his ex—was pleading with him not to leave wasn’t pleasant to see. She had been using all kinds of awful tricks, mind games, emotional blackmail, and other things simply because she was desperate to get him back. James was unsure about it for some time.

He Had No Other Choice

But he was set in his ways already. He could not return to that relationship that was pure torment. Even the children would benefit from being as far away from her as possible. And to think that once upon a time, he thought of her as his true love!

She was the one who gave them the box. She gave it to them as a wedding gift. She said she heard about it through the grapevine despite not being invited. When it happened, James couldn’t even believe what he was hearing.

Moving On

For years, that woman had made his life a living hell: persistent psychological and emotional abuse, deception, and manipulation.

But in the beginning, everything was different. And the memories from that time, when he first got to know his ex-wife, felt like a dream to James when he thought about them. She had done a great job maintaining her facade until she dropped it.

The Beginning

The majority of women would have jumped at the chance to date James. He was responsible and intelligent and made good money working at an oil rig. Moreover, he was humble and didn’t boast about his wealth.

He paid cash for a beautiful condo after saving enough money. James felt he was missing only a wife to share his happiness with. He was oblivious that the following women in his life would attempt to destroy it.

He Felt Like She Was Special

Every season, one of James’ coworkers would have a different girlfriend.  Although James respected them, he wasn’t cut out for that life. He longed to settle down and find someone truly special.

He may be highly patient, but it doesn’t make him indecisive.  One day, when they saw the stunning woman holding James’ hand, his friends couldn’t believe what they saw.

Mesmerized And Enchanted

James had been mesmerized and enchanted by his now ex-wife when they first met. Andrea was a stunning woman who had the looks of a movie star. Given her beauty, she could have easily been featured on the cover of Vogue.

When they saw James’ stunning new fiancée, his coworkers were left speechless, but not for the same reasons James was.

Suspicions

While most of James’ friends were happy for him when he found Andrea, others had their suspicions. 

One friend in particular – named Josh – thought she was the most selfish, attention-seeking woman he’d ever seen. James couldn’t have known this at the time, he couldn’t see the future. (verticalresponse.com) But warning signs soon started appearing.

A Mistake

Sometimes, Andrea’s self-centered side would show. She explained that it was due to a bad childhood, including parental divorce. 

James was trusting and understanding, so he dismissed her behavior. Andrea was very excited to get married and move into James’ apartment. In the beginning, their relationship couldn’t have been better – so they took what seemed like the natural next step and got married. It was the biggest mistake of James’ life. 

Something Going On

After three blissful years of marriage, James started getting bank statements he couldn’t explain. Andrea had his card so she could get the necessities while he was at work. 

But the grocery bill exceeded $300! And another $200 just a few days later. She couldn’t have been eating through $500 in just a few days. She must have been getting cash-backs from the store and pocketing them. James had a very bad feeling.

Strange Behavior

James had suspicions now. His wife’s behavior made him feel like she might have been unfaithful. With his money and his condo, she could easily cheat on him while he was away.

With the high likelihood of Andrea cheating on him, James decided to come up with a plan. He came home early to find something shocking. That’s when things got worse.

Betrayal

James remembers that terrible day like it was yesterday. Andrea hadn’t expected him home for a couple more days, so when James entered his house – that he worked very hard for – he caught her completely by surprise. 

For James, it confirmed the worst suspicions he had of the woman he once thought was “the one.” He felt like his life had crumbled around him.

The End

James could feel his heart crumble into a million pieces as he walked into his bedroom. The woman he wanted to marry and grow old with, was indeed cheating on him. But James kept his cool. 

He didn’t lose his temper, he just told the guy to get out. He then told Andrea to get out too. He handed her the key to a hotel room, $50 for cab fare, and told her to leave. But Andrea wasn’t leaving.

Kicking Her Out

Andrea kept screaming, crying, apologizing… Proclaiming her love for him in one breath, and cursing him with the next. This fiasco ended with James telling his security guard to call the cops. 

Luckily, James’ parents had convinced him to sign a prenup before he got married. Andrea wasn’t on the title deed, so once the police arrived and verified who owned the home, they removed her. That should have been the end of it, but Andrea was vindictive.

Taking Everything

James had taken away a lot of the comforts Andrea had become used to. He served the divorce papers on her. His cash, his card, and his home. Andrea had to face the music: James wasn’t going to provide for her any longer. 

He took all of Andrea’s things and had them placed in a storage unit for her to collect. But Andrea wasn’t going to just sit around and be snubbed in that manner. She wasn’t going to let him leave her in the dark. She was going to hit James where it hurt.

Retaliation

James’ pride and joy – aside from his condo – was his white Chevy Monte Carlo. Several weeks after the breakup, James returned home from another stint at the oil rig. 

Instead of finding his car in tip-top condition, he found something much worse. Four flat tires, a smashed windshield, and a can of red paint had been poured over it! All of James’ friends wondered who would do such a thing. But he knew the answer.

Toxic Marriage

After the divorce, his ex-wife’s facade turned off like a switch. The sweet, kind woman James thought he knew had become a bottomless pit of misery and bitterness who did everything she could to drag everyone down with her.

James was close to losing hope – thinking that after that experience, he would never be able to believe in love again. But that was when he met Liz.

They Were Careful At First

She was in a similar predicament: just going through a divorce from a failed marriage and close to giving up any hope in love she ever had. And when they first met, they took their time to figure their feelings out; they weren’t really ready to jump into a new relationship right after a divorce.

But after some time of dating casually, everything seemed to be as good as it could get. Both James and Liz were surprised by each other’s level of insight, emotional maturity, and ability to sail smoothly through their conflicts and disagreements as a couple. And that wasn’t all.

Perfect Match

They seemed to be a perfect match in every possible aspect. It wasn’t just about what they had in common, but also about how they were compatible and complemented each other even in areas where they differed.

As time passed, James understood that his former marriage had been born out of lust; he was young, and he had married a person he didn’t really know that well. Now, he felt like what he had with Liz was real love. So they decided to get married.

Stalking Ex

However, it seemed like James’ ex-wife wasn’t willing to let go of the past and let them start their new life together as easily. Even after all was said and done, she would still creep in every once in a while and contact James with the strangest excuses.

And days after Liz and James’ wedding, during their honeymoon to be specific, James had received a call from her. Bewildered, he picked up the phone. He would regret it later.

Ex-Wife’s Words

James’ ex-wife was clearly trying to sound polite over the phone. But it was forced, and one could feel the hatred and resentment in her tone and words. She sounded really phony when she congratulated them on their new marriage and made an excuse about having been too busy to go to their wedding.

They hadn’t even invited her! And when James heard that she had sent them a wedding present to their new place (how did she even find where they lived?), a chill went down his spine.

What Could It Be?

And sure enough, when they came back from their honeymoon, the box was there. They didn’t even open it. They just wanted to let the past stay in the past and not let any shadow from their previous relationships creep into their new lives.

So the box had stayed closed in the bottom of that wardrobe for years. Until that day, ten years later; they decided to finally open it and see what was inside. They hadn’t heard from James’ ex-wife for years. What’s the worst that could happen?

What In The World…?

And when they finally opened it, they couldn’t believe their eyes. What was going on in his ex-wife’s mind when she thought that would be a good idea?

Her wedding present was an album of photos from when James and his ex-wife were young! Their trips together, the day of their wedding, pictures of them around the house… But why did she do that?

What Was She Trying To Do?

James’ ex-wife looked like a supermodel back in those days – before her bitterness began to show on her face. Was she trying to show James that their time together hadn’t been all bad?

She had also taken great care to compile all the best photos of herself in the photo album. Was she trying to make Liz jealous? 

Inappropriate Behavior

There’s nothing quite as intrusive in a new relationship as a clingy, jealous ex – especially when they display such disrespectful and inappropriate behavior. 

After all, James and Andrea had a history together that his new wife knew hardly anything about. Was the strange gift a threat to Liz’s happiness? No. The answer was simpler than that. 

She Couldn’t Move On

That’s just how toxic James’ ex-wife was: she made it all about her. Even when James moved on and married another woman, she just didn’t want to let him forget her.

The photos did make him feel strange… he started wondering what would have happened if he and his ex were still together. Then, he turned and looked at Liz.

Bygones

James knew that era of his life was long past, and he just saw his relationship with Andrea as a series of mistakes. He and Liz just laughed at his ex-wife’s mysterious thought processes, closed the album, threw it away, and returned to their own happy lives.

In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.