How Far Is Too Far?
There are bad breakups, then there’s whatever this poor guy Matt went through, which was nothing short of a heartless betrayal. Now when it comes to breakups I think we are all entitled to our fair share of anger and frustration. We have our periods of grief, closure, and sometimes even forgiveness. But this is not the case for all people Some prefer that good ole dish that is best served cold: revenge. Now, let’s all be adults here. People can’t go around terrorizing and stalking their exes, but what our dear pal Matt did, was nothing short of a masterstroke in revenge.
But did Matt go too far? You might have to be the judge of that. As you’ll soon discover, Matt’s story is not only one of betrayal but resilience. Out of the ashes of a stone-cold breakup, illness, and financial turmoil, he pulled himself up from calamity to support his daughter…and in the end…get the sweet last word on that failed relationship. It’s a tale of family, scandal, and incredibly petty text messages.
“It’s been four long years ago,” says Matt. “So the sting has been gone but my revenge has certainly been had.”
~
A Seemingly Solid Relationship
When Matt met Hannah he thought he had struck gold. They were both young professionals and single parents, with two daughters, ages 11 and 16, that got along exceptionally well. Though they lived in the same neighborhood and in separate houses, the two took things slow at first. A loving, family-oriented relationship began to blossom, one where all members cared and supported one another. Even when Hannah was diagnosed with a neurological disease that left her wheelchairbound, Matt’s love for her never wavered.
Soon the two started to talk about not only marriage but even building a house together. Something big and roomy, not only to accommodate for their two kids but also ADA approved so Hannah could get around in her wheelchair. The American Dream was materializing in front of Matt’s eyes and it made him profoundly happy and proud. Years after his last wife died, leaving him widowed, Matt was now building a new life and family of his own.
To consolidate their finances and assets, Hannah decided to put her home on the market to generate funds for the new home. Matt in the meantime began some renovation and landscaping projects on Hannah’s home in order to increase its resale value. Being a contractor, Matt was very handy at this work and also used his own subcontractors to get the work done. All in all, he put about $30,000 in construction loans into the home. Things were coming together well! Almost too well.
As with all revenge stories, there has to be some kind of downfall or catch. Unfortunately, for Matt, this was just the beginning of a dream’s end. Like a raincloud, misfortune settled upon Matt’s life.
Along Came Misfortune
It all started with a sick day. Six months after completing the renovations to Hannah’s house, and in the middle of finalizing plans for their new home, Matt felt a slight pain in his abdomen. In the midst of so many big and beautiful things in his life, Matt thought nothing of it. But that’s when the vomiting started…and the blood. Matt couldn’t eat, couldn’t keep anything down, and was throwing up blood. For someone who ate cleanly and went to the gym regularly, it was a shock to both himself and Hannah.
That’s when Matt noticed his abdomen growing swollen and tight, like a knot. Not having a clue what it could be, he took time off from working and went to the doctor. It was also around this time that Hannah’s neurological disease began flaring up as well and the stress of her current job was taking its toll on her health. To relieve the cognitive stress on herself, Hannah made the decision to step down from her job and take a less-demanding and lesser-paying position, about a $20,000 annual pay cut.
It was a move that both relieved and worried Matt with his sudden condition; relieved for Hannah’s happiness, but worried about their overall financial security. But hey, they were a family now, right? No matter the hardship he and Hannah could weather the storm together.
~
The News That Changed Everything
After a month or so of tests and biopsies, the doctors had made a shocking discovery. A golfball-sized tumor had been discovered in Matt’s abdomen. Scared and not knowing what to expect, Matt began chemotherapy and radiation immediately. As expected, the procedures made Matt incredibly weak and ill. He had to rely on Hannah more often for help. She spent more time over at his place to assist him and give much needed emotional support. It seemed as if the cataclysm had only galvanized their love and relationship, bringing Matt and Hannah closer together.
At this point, Hannah and her daughter were practically living with Matt, so he floated the idea of putting her house on the market already and having her move in with him. She was reluctant, but Matt explained to her that with his great supplemental illness insurance and the money from the sale of the house, they could easily weather this financial storm together. Matt also said that the decision would cushion Hannah’s lost income. The plan was risky and required some chance, but if Matt and Hannah worked together they could do it. That’s what couples are supposed to do, right? Stick together through thick and thin.
Immediately after that discussion though, Hannah became eerily distant and aloof. It was like a switch went off in her head. All of a sudden, Hannah wasn’t around anymore; their daughters stopped seeing each other and she always had excuses for not coming over. She even stopped driving Matt to his treatments. The moment Matt needed her most Hannah suddenly disappeared.
~
One Heartless Text Later…
Fatigued, alone, and quite frankly feeling a bit betrayed, Matt was at his wit’s end when Hannah suddenly reached out to him one night.
“That’s when she dropped the bomb,” Matt retells, “A sentence that will forever be burned into my psyche: ‘I love you, but I can’t see myself taking care of someone this sick in the long-term, and I don’t think we should see each other any longer.'”
BOOM.
And just like that, Hannah broke up with her cancer patient boyfriend of four years, via text. YEP. You read that correctly. Hannah cut the cord with Matt over a TEXT. The same guy who had helped her through her neurological illness took care of her daughter like his own, and even proposed to build a house to accommodate her disabilities; that same, sweet guy, Matt.
“It broke me,” Matt admits, “I won’t lie. This was the first woman I had ever opened up to and planned a life with since my wife died when my children were 1 and 3. However, I tried to be mature about it. I forced myself to understand her position and to accept what I could not change.”
Even when given the short end of the stick, Matt still practiced humility. The very next day he calmly grabbed Hannah’s things, packed them neatly into boxes, and even while still in the throes of chemo, drove, and carried them over to Hannah’s house. The very house he had spent $30,000 of his own money to renovate. To avoid any contact he decided he would unload the boxes on Hannah’s back porch. As he rounded the corner with the first parcel that’s when he saw her.
There was no awkward eye contact or small talk, however, it was something much worse. From the back porch, Matt could hear and see Hannah intimately making love with another man in the living room. Even more surprising was that Matt recognized and knew the man that was with his wife. It was a man that Hannah had introduced to Matt as a lifelong friend. In fact, Matt and Hannah had gone out on double dates and even vacations with this man and his then-girlfriend.
The sight knocked the wind out of Matt. He had to sit down and think. He couldn’t be impulsive, he had to handle this like an adult. Matt got up, walked back to his car, and sent a text to Hannah explaining that he would leave her things on his porch to pick up at her convenience. He has never mentioned to her the incident that he witnessed that day.
~
The Rage Deepens
They say only time heals old wounds, and for Matt, that seemed to have been the solution. About eight to nine months have passed at this point and Matt seems to have kept a level head. After finishing chemo and radiation therapy, for the time being, his strength and confidence were slowly coming back. That’s when a long lost secret of his last relationship reared its ugly head once more, dragging him back into the drama. Remember the man that was sleeping with Hannah? Well, after running into that man’s ex, Matt had learned that she cheated on him after learning that he was sleeping with Hannah around the same time Matt had finished drawing up the plans for their new dream house.
Then just like that, all the cool and collected calmness that Matt had harbored for the past year left him in an instant. He remembered back to his life several months ago. All of the plans he had made with Hannah. From the renovations to supporting her financially during her illness; she had no problem accepting his charity but whenever the tables were turned and he needed her help, she vanished. Not only that, but she was cheating on him the entire time!
~
Hannah Really Just Did That To Herself
After learning news of his ex’s infidelity, Matt was understandably mad. There was a rage inside him but he didn’t know how to let it out. Well, lucky for Matt the plans of his revenge were already in motion, in fact, the seeds of vengeance had been sowed months ago. After running the numbers on some much-neglected paperwork, Matt rediscovered the invoices on the $30,000+ of renovations on Hannah’s home. Renovations, we might add, that Matt had been financing but was still in fact in Hannah’s name!
That’s when Matt made another discovery. Since both he and Hannah were undergoing medical procedures plus the drama of the breakup, no one had paid the loan for 19 months! So now we’re talking close to two years’ worth of not only interest but also late fees which amounted to a hefty additional $10,000 plus attorney fees! Hannah had not only foolishly bit the hand that fed her, but just ruined herself financially in the process!
Matt must have sat back in his chair, looked around his life, dignity still intact, his home still his, and chuckled to himself at this realization. Hannah had just royally messed up her life.
~
“Good Luck To You And Goodbye”
But just when you thought Matt had inadvertently gotten his revenge, there’s still more to this karmic story! Fast forward another year or two and guess who Matt runs into at the grocery store, other than the infamous Hannah? Except for this time, Matt hardly recognized the woman that he once loved for four years.
“There she was,” Matt recalls, “She looked as if she had aged 20 years since I saw her last and she was still in that wheelchair.”
Time and stress had taken its toll on the conniving Hannah, now the only one who could laugh now was Matt. Except for Matt, being a decent guy didn’t do that. He chatted cordially with his ex and learned a few more nuggets of information. Unsurprisingly, Hannah couldn’t afford the dream house or even the renovations to her own home, so she was forced to sell it and moved in with her oldest daughter, and three other relatives. Yikes.
Matt, being polite, excused himself, bid Hannah adieu, and went about his day. But as with most run-ins with Hannah, this wouldn’t be the last he would hear from her.
A few days later, Hannah’s daughter called Matt personally and brought up the topic of her mother and asked if she could hang out sometime. Once again, Matt gave a vague, cordial answer, then thanked her for the call. Weeks later, Matt received another phone call, this time from Hannah himself. Matt keeps it cordial, polite, and light-hearted, never hinting at the emotional trauma and stress that Hannah had caused her. He ends the phone call and hangs up, only to get a text from Hannah immediately after.
Geez, this lady can’t take a hint!
This is where Matt’s masterstroke in revenge comes to its T. Finally addressing the elephant in the room, Hannah breaks down. She apologizes for leaving as she did, for the hurt, and the turmoil that she may have caused. She must have been hoping to make amends with the man that once loved her, but little does Hannah know that Matt is aware of her affair.
So there it is. From dumped to back on his feet, Matt has his ex right there in the palm of his hands. Well, literally, via text, when he gets a stroke of genius for the perfect reply.
“I can’t see myself taking care of someone so sick in the long-term. Remember the box on your back porch? Did you think that (life-long friend) brought that over to you from my house? Good luck to you. Goodbye.”
And just like that, Matt closed the book on a four-year struggle of scandal, betrayal, and infidelity. His problems began with a simple, heartless text, so he ended it just as Hannah had started it.
“I sometimes feel guilt over this,” Matt admits, “but not much, and not often.”
~
