Hi everyone, this is Hannah.
This is a difficult story to share, but I feel like I need to do so.
I’m 38 years old, a mum of two wonderful children (aged seven and five), and I’ve been married to my husband Luke for nearly ten years.
We’ve had our challenges, as every couple does.
But what happened on our last trip to Mexico shook me more than anything else we’ve experienced.
Imagine this: we’re in Mexico, surrounded by stunning beaches and beautiful weather.
I was so looking forward to this trip.
I planned it all out meticulously because, let’s be honest, as a mum I rarely get a break.
This was supposed to be our time to reconnect, relax and just enjoy each other’s company.
But right from the start, Lukom was acting strange.
Every time I asked him to take a picture of me or with me, he refused.
‘I don’t feel like it,’ he said, or ’Can we do it later?’
I didn’t pay much attention to it at first.
Maybe he was just tired from travelling, right?
But then it happened again and again.
We were on this beautiful beach, and I was wearing this new dress I bought especially for the trip.
I was feeling good, which is rare these days after two kids and everything else.
I asked Luca: ‘Can you take a picture of me against the sunset?’
He sighed and muttered: ‘Not now, Hannah.’
I frowned and felt a small pang of disappointment.
‘Why not? It’ll only take a minute.’
‘I said I don’t feel like it,’ he snapped and turned away.
That was painful.
I mean, we’re on holiday and he can’t spare a minute to take a photo?
I felt awkward and confused.
Throughout the trip, I noticed that he was very protective of his phone.
He hid the screen every time I walked by and even took it into the bathroom with him.
My gut feeling told me something was wrong, but I tried to ignore it.
One afternoon when Luca was in the shower, I noticed his phone on the bed.
My heart beat faster when I picked it up.
I know it’s wrong to invade someone’s privacy, but I had to know the truth.
I quickly unlocked his phone and opened his latest messages.
And there it was, a group chat with his friends.
And what I read made my blood run cold.
He wrote, ‘Imagine guys, with her weight she still wants me to take her pictures!
Where does she even fit in the frame? She’s not the same as she was after she was born.’
Tears came to my eyes and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
This was the man I loved, the father of my children, who had spoken so cruelly about me behind my back.
I thought we were partners, that he loved me for who I was, and here he was, mocking me in front of his friends.
I put his phone back and sat there, shocked.
How could he? I felt devastated and betrayed.
Our marriage was far from perfect, but I never realised he thought so little of me.
I cried quietly so as not to wake the children.
After a while, my tears dried, and I felt something else: anger.
I wasn’t going to let him escape the consequences so easily.
I needed to do something to show him that his words had consequences.
And so an idea came to me.
I pulled out my phone and started going through the pictures I had taken while travelling.
I picked the best ones and posted them on Facebook with the caption, ‘Looking for a new holiday partner.
Am I really so unattractive that my husband won’t even take my photos?’
Almost immediately the post started gathering likes and comments.
My friends and even some acquaintances left supportive messages.
They praised my photos, called me beautiful and expressed surprise at Luca’s behaviour.
I didn’t mention what he said, but the message was clear.
When Luca got out of the shower, he noticed my mood had changed.
‘Is everything okay?’ – He asked, probably sensing the tension.
‘Everything’s fine,’ I replied without lifting my eyes from the phone.
I was still angry and hurt and couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye.
The next day, I was still shaken by Luca’s betrayal.
I couldn’t get the things he had said about me out of my head.
But then something happened that added another layer to this already complicated situation.
On the eve of our trip, I learned that my uncle, whom I had never met, had died and left me a significant inheritance.
I had planned to tell Luca about the news during our holiday, hoping it would be a pleasant surprise.
But after I found out what he really thought of me, I decided to keep it to myself.
This morning, the news somehow reached Luca through his mum, who had heard about the inheritance.
I was just about to pack our bags and finish our trip early when Luca walked in with a bouquet of flowers.
He had that shy look on his face that I’d seen a few times when he knew he’d messed up.
‘Hanna, I’m so sorry for everything,’ he began, holding out the flowers to me.
I silently accepted them and waited to see what he would say next.
He continued: ‘I know I was an idiot.
I shouldn’t have said those things.
But, honey, with your new money you can hire a trainer and lose weight.’
I couldn’t believe my ears.
Did he really think that apologising and offering to use my inheritance to change me for him would be enough?
Anger overwhelmed me and I replied, ‘Maybe I will, Luca.
But not so you can look at me.’
The expression on his face was priceless.
He expected me to just forgive him and carry on.
But I was ready.
I had achieved my goal.
‘Luca, I’m filing for divorce,’ I said, my voice firm despite the storm inside me.
His eyes widened, and for a moment he was speechless.
Then, to my surprise, he began to cry.
‘Please, Hannah, don’t leave me alone,’ he begged.
‘I had already told my friends that I was planning to buy a new SUV to go off-roading with them, and now without your money, all my plans are ruined.’
I was stunned.
It became clear to me how little he valued me.
He didn’t care about our relationship or our family; he cared about what my money could do for him.
I looked at him with pity and determination.
‘You seem to love my money more than you love me.
You can find another way to buy your SUV, but not with my money and without humiliating me.
Goodbye, Luca.’
I walked away from him feeling a strange mixture of relief and sadness.
This was not how I had imagined my life, but it was time to take control of my happiness.
I spent the rest of the day organising my return journey and starting the divorce process.
The support from friends and family was unstinting.
Every comment and every message helped me regain my confidence and belief in my worth.
It became clear to me that I didn’t need anyone like Luca to validate my beauty or worth.
I was good enough just the way I was.
I decided to move on with my life, focusing on my children and myself.
In the following days, I started exercising, not because Luca suggested it, but because I wanted to feel healthier and stronger.
I took up new hobbies, spent more time with friends and even considered going back to school.
One day I met Luca at the shopping centre.
He shocked me with a semi-flirtatious compliment.
‘Hi. I almost didn’t recognise you, Hannah. You look different. How are you and the kids?’
‘We’re fine,’ I replied, not wanting to continue the conversation.
‘Hanna, I wanted to ask you if…’
‘I have to hurry, Luca.
I need to go somewhere else. I’m sorry,’ I said before walking away.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his usually calm and confident face fill with confusion and pain.
But it didn’t bother me anymore because now I was free to live my life by my own rules and be comfortable in my own skin.
Instead of grieving over a failed marriage, I was ready to look forward with strength and self-love.
What do you think?
Did I do the right thing, or was my reaction a bit exaggerated?
What would you have done in my shoes?
