Finding a hidden Christmas present should bring excitement and joy, but what if the tag turns up a name that shatters your trust? One woman’s discovery turned heartbreak into a bold act of revenge that is shocking and satisfying in equal measure.
Two days before Christmas, I found a hidden box in my husband’s wardrobe with a gift intended for his mistress. I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream. Instead, I planned the ‘perfect’ surprise that they would never forget.
I never thought I’d be the kind of woman who would get creative with payback, but life knows how to surprise. Just as it surprised me to find a small red gift box in my husband’s wardrobe. Now, sitting here with a glass of wine, I can’t help but smile at how beautifully my Christmas surprise turned out.’
The first sign that something was wrong came a month before Christmas. Jimmy started staying late at work… really late. The kind that makes you wonder if there’s a bed hidden somewhere in your husband’s office.
Then one day, out of the blue, he was home. Strange.
‘Hey, you’re here early! I took half a day off today. I’ve got a headache. How was the meeting with the client?’ – came his voice from the kitchen as I walked through our front door at 7pm. That’s considered early these days.
I dropped my keys into the ceramic bowl we’d bought on our honeymoon. ‘Yeah, the meeting went well.’
The house seemed empty, despite the Christmas decorations-the garland along the stairs, the wreaths on every door, and the huge tree in the living room, which I decorated alone while Jimmy worked late.
‘I made pasta,’ he called out. ‘Do you want some?’
‘Already ate.’ I headed upstairs, my footsteps heavy on the wooden stairs. ‘My head hurts. I think I’ll go to bed early.’
I lay awake that night, listening to Jimmy’s steady breathing beside me, wondering when exactly we’d become strangers sharing a bed. Five years of marriage, no children yet. We were ‘waiting for the right time.’
Now I wondered if it would ever come.
My mum had warned me about getting married early. ‘You’re only 23, Alina,’ she said. ‘What’s the rush?’
But I was so sure. Jimmy was different. He was special. He was…well, right now he was getting texts at two in the morning and his phone was lighting up the darkness of our bedroom.
Two days before Christmas, I finally tackled Jimmy’s home office and then set about cleaning out his wardrobe. Between the clutter of clothes, tangled charging cables, and abandoned sports equipment, something caught my eye.
It was a red gift box hidden behind several winter coats.
My heart raced. Maybe I’d made a mistake. Maybe he had a surprise planned. Maybe all those late nights were just him trying to afford something special for me.
Then I saw the note tied with a silver ribbon: ‘LOVE YOU, JULIE!’.
Here’s the catch: My name is NOT Julie!
The world didn’t stop spinning. My hands didn’t shake. Instead, I felt strangely calm when I opened the box and discovered a diamond necklace in there – the same one I showed him a few months ago during our anniversary dinner.
‘Look how beautiful it is,’ I said, pointing to the jewellery shop window.
‘Too expensive,’ he replied, barely glancing at his phone.
Apparently not too expensive for Julie, though!
I pulled out my phone and dialled the number of Mark, my furniture repair friend from college. ‘Remember when you said you owed me for helping you with your divorce papers? It’s time to pay for that favour.’
‘Alina? Is everything okay?’
‘Not really. How good are you at modifying gift boxes?’
Mark’s workshop smelled of sawdust and revenge when I walked in on him. He whistled, examining the box. ‘Are you sure about this, Alina? If we change it, we can’t…’
‘Absolutely.’ I held out to him the small canister that held my secret recipe for revenge. ‘Make this.’
‘It will go off as soon as someone lifts the lid more than an inch.’ He demonstrated the mechanism with careful hands. ‘Spring-loaded, just like you asked. It’ll hit anything within a three-foot radius. Industrial stuff.’
I smiled, imagining the scene. ‘Perfect!’
‘Care to tell me who it’s for?’
‘Let’s just say someone’s getting a special Christmas surprise this year.’
In the evening I returned the gift box to the place where Jimmy expected to find it. Now came the hardest part – the waiting.
Christmas morning came bright and cold. I have always loved the magic, anticipation and joy of Christmas. This year I felt a different sense of anticipation as I watched from the kitchen as Jimmy put on his coat, the red box tucked safely under his arm.
‘Going to the office?’ I asked affectionately, stirring my coffee. ‘For Christmas?’
‘Just for an hour,’ he mumbled without looking me in the eye. ‘Urgent client meeting, sweetie.’
‘Sure. Don’t overwork yourself.’
He smiled and walked away. I grabbed my car keys and followed him to Honey Bunz, our favourite restaurant.
Through the window, I saw her. JULIE. My husband’s mistress. She had perfectly styled blonde hair, red lipstick and a designer outfit. All the things I didn’t have.
Julie bounced in her seat like a child on Christmas morning when Jimmy walked up to her. ‘Oh, Jim, darling! You didn’t have to!’ She clapped her hands together, attracting stares from neighbouring tables.
‘Anything for you, darling.’ Jimmy’s voice came through the window he’d forgotten to close completely. He slid into the booth across from her and held out a shiny box. ‘I picked this out for you, my love.’
‘Oh my God, it’s…?’ Julie’s eyes widened as she grabbed the box. ‘The diamond necklace from La Enchanted Diamonds? The one I showed you last month? The diamond ring from Botswana?’
‘Open up and take a look, sweetie.’ Jimmy leaned forward, grinning like a fool.
‘I’m trying. The knot seems too tight,’ Julie said.
‘Let me help you,’ Jimmy got up from his chair and walked over to her as they untied the ribbon.
‘Three…’ I whispered, not taking my eyes off the phone. ‘Two… one…’
SPLAT!
The explosion of green paint was magnificent. Julie’s scream hit a note that I didn’t even think was possible. ‘MY HAIR! MY PLACE!’ She jumped up, paint streaming down her face like melted ice cream. ‘JIMMY, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?’
Jimmy froze in place, mouth open, green paint dripping from his nose. ‘I…I don’t…’
‘Is this a joke?’ exclaimed Julie, wiping the paint from her eyes. ‘You think it’s funny, dickhead?’
The older woman at the next table snorted into her mimosa. ‘Well, I think it’s hilarious!’
‘Somebody take a video of this!’ – A teenage boy shouted.
‘It’s already trending!’ – replied another, typing furiously on his phone.
Julie grabbed her ruined designer handbag. ‘I look like the Grinch puked on me! That dress cost more than your monthly salary, you idiot!’
‘Julie, baby, wait…’ Jimmy stood up, smearing green paint everywhere.
‘You don’t have to babysit me! I’m done being your dirty little surprise!’ She tore towards the door, leaving a trail of green behind her. ‘And by the way? Your wife is too good for you!’
You’re right, sis!
I barely made it home before Jimmy burst through the door, his face and expensive suit smeared with bright green paint.
‘What happened to you?’ I gasped, trying to keep a concerned expression on my face. ‘You look like the Grinch!’
‘Some… some kids with paint balls,’ he muttered. ‘They were attacking everyone outside my office.’
‘At Christmas? How awful!’ I reached for the manila envelope on the counter. ‘Oh, by the way, this came for you today. Consider it my Christmas present, darling!’
Jimmy’s paint-covered fingers trembled as he opened the envelope. His eyes widened when he saw the divorce papers inside.
‘WHAT?’ He lifted his head, concern appearing on his green face.
‘Merry Christmas, darling.’ I pulled a diamond necklace out of my pocket. ‘By the way, your taste in jewellery has improved since our anniversary. Poor Julie. She missed it!’
‘You… you switched…’
‘Yes! I switched the gift box you so lovingly hid for your lovely hostess! How did you like the surprise? Did you like it?’
‘Alina, honey, let me explain. You don’t understand!’ He pitched forward. ‘Julie means nothing to me! She was a mistake!’
‘A mistake?’ I laughed. ‘A mistake is forgetting to buy milk. A mistake is mixing white and colour in the laundry. Buying your mistress the exact necklace your wife wanted? That’s betrayal.’
‘We can fix this!’ He held out his paint-stained hands to me. ‘I’ll do anything! Counselling, therapy, anything you want!’
‘What do I want?’ I stepped back. ‘I wanted a faithful husband. I wanted the man I married. Instead I got a liar who can’t even come up with a decent excuse to be caught. ‘Kids with paint balls? Really?’
‘Baby, please,’ Jimmy stepped forward and green paint dripped onto our pristine floor. ‘It’s nothing serious. Julie just…she didn’t mean anything by it. We never…’
‘Leave it alone.’ I held up a hand. ‘I’ve heard all the excuses. ‘She’s just a friend. ‘We’re just colleagues. ‘Those late nights were just work.’ You know what the worst part is? I actually believed you for a while.’
‘Don’t do this. Please. I’m sorry.’
I laughed. ‘You know what’s funny? I’ve been thinking for months that I’m not enough. That I needed to be prettier and smarter and better. But standing here and looking at you covered in paint, I realise that you’re the one who was never enough.’
‘Give me another chance.’
‘No.’ I picked up my packed suitcase from behind the couch. ‘But thanks for the necklace. Consider it my consolation prize. Oh, and Jimmy? Green really isn’t your colour.’
As I drove away, I took one last look at Jimmy in the rearview mirror-the pathetic green figure standing in our driveway. My phone buzzed with notifications. Apparently, someone had posted a recording of the paint incident online. The video had already gone viral.
From what I heard, Julie dumped him after a paint incident that went viral at the law firm where they worked. She couldn’t stand being labelled a ‘green lover’.
Jimmy had been trying to get on dating apps for a while, but it’s hard to find a date when you’re the infamous ‘green Christmas cheater.’
And me? I’m fine. The necklace looks great with everything I wear. Every time it lights up, I smile as I remember my particular Christmas payback: the day I wrapped my marriage with a bow and smeared green paint all over everything.
Here’s another story: I spent 23 years mourning my deceased wife after she died in a plane crash. But as fate would have it, she and I met again.
This piece is inspired by real events and people but fictionalised for creative purposes. Names, characters and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental and is not intended by the author.
