THE REFLECTION in the mirror haunted me.
I stood there for hours gazing, and still I couldn’t recognise myself; I couldn’t accept that the person that was looking back at me was really me. What had I really become? The kind-hearted, caring and sweet woman-of-substance faded in the mirror. I reached out to grab hold of her, but my hands only grasped at air. I had to accept that the revengeful and manipulating woman that stared back from the mirror was really me.

I was in love with my husband ever since I was fifteen, and I was going to love him until the day I died. That was the conviction I lived by. I thought of myself as the woman of any man’s dreams. I cooked, cleaned, washed, worked and was always at his side. I did this all and was still a wonderful mother to our two children. I did anything he asked me to do– no matter the circumstance, I was going to be that supporting woman standing one hundred per cent behind her successful man.

While caught up in this fairytale of a perfect life, I ignored the signs that my husband was cheating. I didn’t want to accept that the life my friends envied me for was all a lie. Besides, I had no clue that Darnell was unhappy with me, or wasn’t satisfied anymore. I couldn’t find anything wrong in the twelve years we shared so far. I heard the rumours, but I just brushed them aside as people just talking because they couldn’t have what I had. I held my head up until that night it all came crashing down.

Darnell came home tired from work, ate dinner, had a shower and went straight to bed. Then his cell-phone rang. He didn’t budge. I listened to the phone ring three more times and then a message came on. I’d never invaded Darnell’s privacy before, but something inside of me pushed me to read that message. I almost dropped the phone. The message was from a girl named Latoya Dainty. It said: “D, baby, thanks for always giving me just what I need. Love always. Kiss.” My heart raced, and my body felt cold. I couldn’t believe it! I turned to wake Darnell up, but decided to find out more. So, using his phone, I replied: “I am so happy I can be so fulfilling. Love you too.” To which Latoya replied: “If only I can be with you all the time, then my life will be perfect.” In tears, I responded: “Me too.” She didn’t reply. I deleted the messages and went to bed, never telling Darnell what I had just found out. I couldn’t believe I was sleeping every night next to a liar. I couldn’t find a reason for his deception. I felt hurt, betrayed, angry, used. But what fuelled me most was my drive to seek revenge on my husband and his mistress.

It was hard the next day, but I carried on as if nothing was amiss. The beast I once called my husband kissed me goodbye and left for work. Instead of going to work that morning, I decided to seek out Latoya Dainty. I looked up her name in the phonebook, and as luck would have it, there was only one Latoya Dainty listed. I called the number and a young lady answered. I pretended that I was calling from the phone company to enquire about an overdue bill. The young lady, who later identified herself as the babysitter, told me that Latoya was not at home; that she had already left for work. I asked if Mr. Dainty was home, and the babysitter said that he also was at work. I asked if I could have a workplace number for her, and the name of her workplace. I froze as the babysitter mentioned ‘Loncar’s Law Firm’. All sorts of crazy thoughts ran through my head as I hung up the phone. I couldn’t believe it! Darnell was having an affair with a co-worker! I felt sick inside. I didn’t deserve to be cheated on, especially with someone from his workplace. So many times I went there, and they were all so nice to me. I wondered which one of the many smiles that I received from his female co-workers was really meant to be a frown or some form of mockery; or which one of the females that formed pleasant conversations with me, really meant to tell me: “Hey, I am sleeping with your husband, and he’s giving me everything I need.” I was going crazy, I thought, but I had to get myself together. I wanted to meet my husband’s mistress, so I headed straight to Darnell’s workplace.

The atmosphere was welcoming as usual: Smiles and pleasant greetings, but this time, I looked at name tags. As I approached Darnell’s office, I saw her sitting at the desk in front of his office. She was his secretary. The nerve of this girl to tell me: “Good day, Mrs. Nicholas!” I had to pause for a moment to think of a suitable response. All I wanted to do was snatch her and beat her with the stapler on her desk, but I constrained myself and merely replied: “Good day.” I went ahead to see Darnell; made up some excuse about why I didn’t go to work; spent a few minutes, and then left. As I was leaving, Latoya said to me: “Leaving so soon, Mrs. Nicholas? Hope you have a great day.” “Huh, girl stop talking to me before I scramble you! I thought to myself. But I just replied with a smile and continued out.

Later that night, I told Darnell that I was going over at a friend’s house, but instead I went over to Latoya’s house. I watched from my car as she sat with her husband and children watching television. I couldn’t believe this! Here she sat with her husband and kids, watching television as a happy family, and was secretly invading mine. How could some women be so vindictive and cruel, I thought. She already had her family: Why was she still looking towards my husband?

Revenge became my obsession, and I was destined to achieve it. For the next few weeks, I followed my husband whenever he went out at nights, and, sure enough, he went to hotels to meet Latoya. I took pictures whenever I could. Even though rage simmered inside of me, I never mentioned anything to my husband. Instead, I decided to play it even. I followed Mr. Dainty around for a few days until I ‘accidentally’ bumped into him one day at a restaurant. I apologised for being clumsy and offered to buy him lunch as compensation. He accepted.

We had a great lunch. I talked about the bakery I had seen him going to every afternoon  I followed him as my favourite bakery, and that I loved ice-cream cones as I always saw him buy one on his way home. He was surprised to have that and so many other things in common with me. He told me that my husband was a lucky man, and that is when I played the victim. I confided in him I was feeling lonely and unloved by my husband and how I wish I could have a man to just listen to me. I even shed a few tears. He reached over and held my hands and sweetly caressed them, and told me how he understood how I felt, as he was feeling the same way in his home. I should have told him then the reason  his wife was treating him unfairly. But I held back, as what I had in mind was much more reckoning.

We exchanged numbers, and from then on, Lennox Dainty and I would have lunch together at least once a week at our ‘favourite’ restaurant. We soon started having an affair, and even though my motives were cruel, I enjoyed every moment we shared. Of course, I would still visit his house in the night to see his reactions with his wife. As he confided in me more, I gave him ‘advice’ on how to deal with her. Of course, none would be beneficial to her, and in no way help their marriage, but he did everything I told him.
I read messages on Darnell’s phone from Latoya complaining of how she was being treated by her husband. I would just smile and go to sleep happy.

My plan was working, but that was only part of it. I made anonymous phone calls to Darnell’s workplace, telling his boss that he was leaking company information to another top law firm, and that he
was working on cases for them. Of course, they did an investigation, and with the ‘evidence’ provided, concocted by me of course, Darnell was fired and discredited. I ensured that it was hard for him to find another job in the city. Darnell had to solely depend on me. All finances were in my control… and so was he. One day, a package from an ‘anonymous’ sender was delivered to Lennox at work. It contained photos of Latoya and Darnell at the various hotels. A print-out of text messages between Latoya and Darnell was also there.

I smiled inside as Lennox confided in me that he was divorcing his wife and seeking sole custody of his children. He said he would ensure that Latoya gets nothing from him, as he had proof she was having an affair. He thanked me for giving him confidence in himself again and loving him. For more than one reason, I was more than happy to oblige. He understood when I told him that I had to end the affair because my husband and I would be moving to another city. We had our final night of passion and parted ways.

I am now happy again in my marriage, as my husband now behaves as the man I first fell in love with. I called Lennox to check up on him, and was quite happy when he told me that he followed through on his intentions with Latoya. Even though I had to get low and totally out of character, my reward was great. The woman staring back in the mirror was truly not me, but situations can bring out the worst in us. Latoya should have known that I was the wrong wife to mess with.