Dani and Nathan felt destined to be together when they met in high school. They married after a few years, looking forward to a happy life. However, just two years into their marriage, Nathan changed.
Dani wasn’t sure if having a newborn daughter was the reason for the change, but Nathan was a great father, so it didn’t seem likely.
Nathan became self-conscious about Dani’s appearance and suggested she take better care of herself. “Dani, you’ve let yourself go,” he said. “You always dress so poorly. Do you think that will keep the spark alive?”
Despite working from home and spending a lot of time with little Ellie, Nathan accused Dani of being a bad mother.
“You’re always behind the computer screen,” he said. “Are you paying enough attention to Ellie? It doesn’t seem like it. Every night when I get home, she’s by herself.”
Dani tried everything to please Nathan, but he was never satisfied. Seeing her marriage fall apart, she decided to let it go because she couldn’t fight against what was only in Nathan’s mind.
One day, Nathan told Dani they had to move because of a job opportunity. Dani agreed to move to a different city since Ellie was in the first grade and she worked from home. She secretly hoped the change would improve their marriage.
After Ellie started at her new school, Dani noticed her daughter behaving badly at home. One day, she found Ellie crying in her room.
“Honey, what happened?” Dani asked, concerned.
“Miss Allen is not the mom I want! You should be my mommy,” Ellie cried.
Dani felt a chill. Miss Allen was Ellie’s teacher.
“Why would she become your mother?” she asked.
Through her tears, Ellie began to tell her mother everything she had learned in the past few days. As she talked, she seemed to feel a weight lifting from her shoulders.
When Dad picked me up from school yesterday, Miss Allen asked me to wait outside while she talked to him. I didn’t hear everything, but I did hear her say she would be a better mother to me. Dad laughed at that.
Nathan was having an affair.
That night, after making sure Ellie was asleep, Dani gave Nathan a drink.
“Okay,” she began. “Miss Allen seems really good with Ellie.”
His eyes brightened. “Really? I knew Ellie liked her.”
“Enough for Miss Allen to be her new mother?” Dani asked. “What’s going on? And please don’t lie to me.”
Embarrassed, Nathan looked down at the ground but admitted seeing Ellie’s teacher. They had started their affair soon after meeting. That wasn’t all. He had another affair with a woman in their old town who started demanding more from him than just being his mistress. This was why he decided to move and change jobs.
Dani then realized her marriage was over. In the following days, she moved Ellie to a different school to protect her from getting involved in her father’s affairs and to ensure she felt loved and safe.
Dani moved to a new home and filed for divorce. Nathan can visit his daughter whenever he wants.
Do you think Dani made the right choice?