The Price of Pettiness<\/b><\/p>\n
My ex-husband, Dan, and I were married for eight years. We had two kids and a cozy little house I inherited from my grandmother. I thought we were happy\u2014until I found out Dan was cheating.<\/p>\n
I forgave him once. The second time, I didn\u2019t even wait for an excuse. I filed for divorce before he could pretend to be sorry.<\/p>\n
The process was cleaner than I expected. The house was mine, our finances were split 50\/50, and Dan insisted I take full custody because he didn\u2019t want “the responsibility.”<\/p>\n
After everything was finalized, he promised to move out by the weekend. I took the kids to my mom\u2019s house to give him space.<\/p>\n
When we returned, I walked into a nightmare.<\/p>\n
The wallpaper\u2014our floral wallpaper\u2014was gone. The walls were shredded, jagged patches of drywall exposed like open wounds.<\/p>\n
I found Dan in the kitchen, his hands gripping another strip of wallpaper, yanking it down with force.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d I asked, my voice shaking.<\/p>\n
He barely glanced at me. \u201cI paid for this wallpaper. It\u2019s mine.\u201d Another rip. More drywall exposed.<\/p>\n
I felt sick. \u201cYou\u2019re destroying your kids\u2019 home.\u201d<\/p>\n
He shrugged. \u201cI paid for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The kids peeked around the corner, eyes wide, fear written all over their little faces. My heart broke. I didn\u2019t want this to be their last memory of their dad in this house.<\/p>\n
I inhaled deeply, forcing down the anger clawing at my throat. \u201cFine. Do what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gathered the kids and walked out. Let him ruin the walls. I knew life would prove him wrong.<\/p>\n
### **Six Months Later**<\/p>\n
I had repainted the walls, making the house my own again. The kids and I were doing well\u2014better than ever, really. Dan had disappeared from our lives, as I expected he would.<\/p>\n
Then, one evening, my phone rang.<\/p>\n
Dan.<\/p>\n
I almost let it go to voicemail but answered out of curiosity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to share important news,\u201d he said, his voice oddly tight.<\/p>\n
I leaned against the kitchen counter. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a pause. Then, he exhaled sharply. \u201cYou know that wallpaper I ripped down?\u201d<\/p>\n
I tensed. \u201cOf course I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u2026 I took it with me. Shoved it in a garbage bag and threw it in my garage.\u201d<\/p>\n
I rolled my eyes. \u201cDan, why are you telling me this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause\u2026 I was cleaning out the garage today. The bag split open. And, uh\u2026 there was something underneath the wallpaper.\u201d<\/p>\n
A strange chill crawled up my spine. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated. \u201cHidden inside the wall, behind the wallpaper\u2026 there were envelopes. Stacks of them. Full of cash.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath hitched. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was old. Some of it dated back decades. I took a few bills to a collector. Some are worth thousands.\u201d He swallowed hard. \u201cLucy\u2026 I think your grandmother hid her savings in the walls.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gripped the counter. \u201cHow much are we talking?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dan cleared his throat. \u201cI stopped counting at fifty grand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room tilted slightly. My grandmother had always been frugal, but this?<\/p>\n
Dan let out a dry, humorless laugh. \u201cGuess I *really* paid for that wallpaper, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed. Almost.<\/p>\n
Instead, I smiled. Because for once, karma had done the work for me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Price of Pettiness My ex-husband, Dan, and I were married for eight years. We had two kids and a cozy little house I inherited from my… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25681,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-25680","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n