My ex-husband’s selfishness ruined our family, but I thought we’d put the worst behind us after the divorce. Then, one night, my daughter’s screams woke me up. What I discovered prompted me to shelter her and install security cameras—before my ex revealed his darker side.
A few weeks ago, my divorce from Liam was finalized, and as I was getting ready to go to sleep, I remembered everything he’d put me through. Honestly, I felt like I was trying to get a leg up on myself throughout the whole process.
Woman in her thirties in a bedroom at night with a thoughtful look | Source: Midjourney
Liam brought me nothing but years of irritation and pain. I’m not saying marriage should be easy, but living with him wasn’t just difficult; it was unbearable.
He had this incredible ability to make everything about himself. We were always relegated to the background compared to his gadgets, his schemes, and his so-called “investments.”
I’ll give you an example. About two years ago, when our daughter, Danielle, was 10, she begged me to take ballet lessons. I was willing to make it work by cutting a few costs here and there to keep her happy. Any parent whose child takes ballet can tell you that lessons and clothes are expensive.
Children in ballet class | Source: Pexels
However, just as I had everything arranged and was about to call the academy, Liam came home grinning like he’d won the lottery. He told me he’d used all our savings to invest in a cryptocurrency that his friend predicted would soon explode.
He swore we’d get rich. But of course, that didn’t happen. It was all a scam in the end, and I had to tell my daughter that ballet wasn’t an option for us right now.
As you can imagine, my husband just shrugged and said, “These things happen all the time. The next adventure will be our golden ticket!”
Man in his forties shrugging and smiling in the living room | Source: Midjourney
But I was tired of spending a fortune on senseless “investments” or seeing someone buy things as they pleased without thinking about what was best for the family.
Months after the scam fiasco, I found Liam watching trading videos and finally sat down with him for a serious chat.
“Liam, you can’t keep doing this,” I insisted. “You need to think about our family’s future. We could have an emergency. We need to get our finances right. On top of that, we also have Danielle’s college to think about.”
Woman in her thirties sitting on a sofa with a serious expression | Source: Midjourney
He wrinkled his nose and waved his hand dismissively. “I think about the future. We’ll be rich from one of these things. You just don’t believe in me.”
“That’s true,” I agreed. “I don’t believe in you. This has to stop or…”
“WHERE?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Well, in that case. Since you don’t trust me, let’s get a divorce,” Liam said, crossing his arms and leaning back on the couch.
Man in his forties sitting on a sofa, lips pursed and expression unflattering | Source: Midjourney
“Liam, please,” I sighed. “Be serious.”
“I’m serious,” he spat.
My mouth closed and I stared into his eyes, searching for any sign of remorse or understanding. But there was nothing. He wasn’t going to change. He wasn’t going to fight for our family. So why should I fight for him?
“Very well,” I replied, my resolve solidified.
Unfortunately, the divorce took longer than expected. Years, even.
Danielle was now 12, and the separation had been difficult for her, especially because Liam rarely called or visited since he’d moved out.
A 12-year-old girl looks sad as she sits in bed | Source: Midjourney
The fact that my daughter and I were able to stay in the same house that had belonged to my late grandfather was a small comfort. He had died suddenly years ago, and my mother had told me he had always wanted me to own it.
I should have felt relieved after my divorce was finalized. But as I drifted off to sleep that night, I realized how much my heart still ached thinking about Liam. I wished he had been the man he promised to be. But most of all, I wished he wanted to be a good father.
Hours later, Danielle’s piercing scream jolted me from sleep. My heart pounded as I bolted upright, every nerve on high alert.
Woman in her thirties waking up from her bed, looking scared | Source: Midjourney
“Mom!” she screamed again, her voice high-pitched and terrified. I ran down the hall to her room faster than I thought possible.
I saw a shadowy figure rushing towards me as I arrived at her door. Before I could react, it ran past me and slammed me against the frame. The impact sent a sharp pain through my shoulder, but I was more worried about Danielle.
I stumbled into his room and turned on the light.
She sat up in bed, trembling. “It was a man,” she stammered, her eyes wide. “He had a crowbar. I think… I think it was Dad.”
A 12-year-old girl sitting on her bed late at night, looking confused and scared | Source: Midjourney
I froze. “Are you sure?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm for his sake.
She nodded quickly. “I saw his face, Mom. It was definitely him. But his eyes… they were scary.”
My stomach plummeted. The thought of Liam sneaking into our house and scaring our daughter like that made my blood boil. But I couldn’t focus on my anger right now.
“Are you hurt?”
Woman in her thirties looking scared and sweaty in a child’s bedroom | Source: Midjourney
“No,” she whispered, her voice trembling. Tears welled in her eyes. “What the hell is going on? Why did he do that?”
I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight, desperately trying to protect her from the terror clawing at my own throat. “It’s okay, darling. You’re safe now. I’m here.” But was she really safe? And me?
My mind raced as I tried to figure out what to do next.
When the sun rose, we discovered that Danielle’s gold jewelry was gone. It was just a pair of earrings and a small necklace that her godparents had given her when she was born, but it still hurt to think that Liam had taken them.
A jewelry box overflowing with scattered coins | Source: Pexels
The thought of Danielle enduring another night like this filled me with dread. With a heavy heart, I called my mother, Helen, and asked if Danielle could stay with her for a while.
“Don’t worry, Gina,” Mom told me over the phone. “She’ll be safe here. Focus on sorting things out. I’ll come get her soon.”
By the afternoon, Danielle had packed her bags and was getting into her grandmother’s car. I hated the sight of my daughter leaving her house, but it was for the best. I couldn’t risk Liam coming back while she was here.
A car driving away on a road | Source: Pexels
He pushed me… ME!
Anger and fear threatened to overwhelm me, but I couldn’t dwell on them. I had to make this house safe again. I called a security company and had a high-end alarm system installed. It consists of motion sensors and cameras that send notifications directly to my phone.
A security camera in a house | Source: Pexels
Luckily, I could afford all of this now that Liam no longer had access to my finances.
I spent all day following the installers to make sure everything was perfect. When they left, I tested the system three times to make sure it worked.
The first week, nothing happened. I threw myself into work and housework, anything that would keep my mind occupied. But the fear never really went away.
Woman in her thirties cleaning the kitchen with a worried look | Source: Midjourney
Danielle wouldn’t be coming home for at least a month. In hindsight, it had been a good decision, because about ten days after she left for her grandmother’s house, a little after 2 a.m., my phone vibrated with an alert: “Motion Detected – Front Door.”
I grabbed it and stared at the screen. The app showed movement inside the house, then in the garage. This meant the intruder had entered and gone through the kitchen to the laundry room, where we had a door leading to the garage.
I exited the security app and dialed 911, whispering to the dispatcher, “There’s someone in my house. Please send help.”
The dispatcher’s voice was calm and steady, but I barely heard it over the sound of my own pounding heart. “Stay on the line, ma’am. Officers are en route.”
Police officer using the intercom in a patrol car | Source: Pexels
I should have stayed hidden, but I wanted to face him, so I crept up the stairs, my phone clutched in one hand. The house was dark, but the light from the kitchen spilled dimly into the hallway.
I walked past the kitchen and into the laundry room. After a while, I heard the sound of something being moved in the garage.
Pushing the door open just enough to see inside, I saw a figure in black trying to knock the tool rack off the wall. A crowbar gleamed in his hand. What was he planning to do with that?
A man dressed in black and wearing a mask inspects a wall-mounted tool rack in a garage | Source: Midjourney
I ducked inside and called out, “Liam?”
The figure froze and turned to face me. It was definitely my ex. His face was partially obscured by a black mask, but I knew those eyes and that posture.
Instead of running off like last time, he started walking towards me, the crowbar raised like a weapon.
Instinctively, I rushed to the other wall, where we kept a button that opened the garage door. The low rumble distracted my ex, and soon the space was flooded with streetlight.
A house garage door that opens at night | Source: Midjourney
At that precise moment, two police cars roared into the driveway, their sirens piercing the night. The officers jumped out, guns drawn.
“Don’t move!” one of them shouted.
Liam stopped in his tracks, dropping the crowbar with a loud clatter. The cops moved quickly, tying his hands behind his back. One of them removed his mask, and there he was, looking more pathetic than ever.
“What were you thinking, Liam?” I asked, my voice shaking with anger.
He avoided my gaze. “Gina, it’s not what you think…”
Man in his forties looking down sadly as he stands in a garage with police cars behind him | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, really?” I snapped. “Because it sounds exactly like what I think it does. You broke into my house again! You already stole our daughter’s jewelry! What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I’m so sorry,” he stammered as the officers roughly dragged him down the aisle.
“Wait!” I demanded, focusing on my ex. “What were you looking for?”
He didn’t look at me as he confessed. “When I was packing, I saw a safe in the garage,” he mumbled. “I thought… there might be something valuable in there. I didn’t touch it at the time… But now I just… needed a little something to get me out of this.”
A wall safe in a garage at night | Source: Midjourney
A safe? I turned around, and there, on the wall where my grandfather’s tool rack already stood, was a safe. I had no idea it existed.
“You’re amazing, Liam,” I turned to stare at my ex as they put him in the police car. “Absolutely amazing. Of course, you’re already out of money. Pathetic.”
I shook my head and watched the cops take him away, leaving me standing in the garage.
The next morning, I called a locksmith to open the safe. If Liam thought there was something valuable inside, I wanted to see it with my own eyes.
A man in uniform holding toolboxes while walking up a driveway | Source: Midjourney
When the locksmith opened it, I held my breath. There were no gold bars, no jewelry, nothing flashy inside. Just a stack of neatly arranged bank documents.
Leafing through them, my jaw dropped. My grandfather had kept his entire fortune in several safes. And access to all of these safes was registered in my name.
My greedy ex had just handed my daughter and me the key to a fortune I didn’t even know existed.
A vault in a bank | Source: Pexels
Weeks later, I found myself in a courtroom, facing Liam. I was to testify against him to help the prosecution.
My ex-husband looked smaller than I’d ever seen him sitting there in his orange jumpsuit, and I didn’t feel an ounce of pity.
When the judge pronounced his sentence for attempted robbery, burglary, and possession of a weapon, I leaned forward, getting his attention.
“Thanks, Liam,” I said, my voice steady. “Thanks to your greed, I discovered I was rich. And you? Well… I hope you like prison food.”
Woman in her thirties smiling while sitting on a bench in a courtroom | Source: Midjourney
Here’s another story :When my ex-husband’s fiancée barged into my home and demanded that I change my last name, I was stunned and refused to budge. Then I made her an offer she couldn’t accept, which sparked a confrontation.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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