Wife Becomes Suspicious of Husband's Late Working Hours, So She Hides a Camera in His Office — Story of the Day

I got tired of my husband using his allegedly hectic work as an excuse to stay out late, so I secretly put a hidden camera in his office then caught him red-handed with a redhead.

Jerry and I have been married for a long time. Twenty years to be exact. We lived modest, comfortable lives, and we loved each other very much. At least, that was what I was led to believe in the years it took him to win me over.

See, I wasn't initially sold on the thought of getting married because I am from a broken home, but somehow, while our courtship lasted, with his goofy smile and charming manners, Jerry slowly changed my mind.

We met in college, and while I was wild and extroverted, he was reserved and internal. It was a match made in heaven; he grounded me, and I was a breath of fresh air for him.

Since we got married, I have had no cause to doubt Jerry's loyalty to me. That is until he started returning home late from work, tired as can be.

Whenever I asked him what had held him up at work, he would give a vague reply and quickly change the topic. After that, I just knew something was up.

Jerry hated lying to my face, so he only ever gave vague replies when he was hiding something. It was an obvious tell, and it made me very curious about his lateness.

So one day, after he returned from work late again, I picked up his phone and, against my better judgment, went through his call log and text messages. He had received six calls from an unknown number in one day.

I also checked his clothes pockets to see if there was anything suspicious in there; however, they were empty, save for a receipt that revealed he ordered for two at a restaurant close to his workplace. I was onto something.

Of course, I kept mute about my findings. If Jerry was sleeping with someone else, I wanted definite proof before confronting him. He could have been eating with a colleague or friend, and the calls could have been from anybody.

Later that week, Tisha, a friend of mine who worked as a police officer, called me. She had news. "Nancy, don't freak out but I just saw your man walking around the city with a gorgeous red-haired bimbo," Tisha said.

"What? Are you sure?" I asked her.

"What do you mean by that? Of course, I'm sure. Would I lie to you?"

"No, you wouldn't. You're as real as they come," I told her. "Thanks for looking out for me, I'll check it out."

The call was proof enough to convince me that my husband was stepping out on me, which was why he always got home late from work. I decided I would not confront Jerry since I was certain he would deny it. I wanted to catch him in the act first.

To that end, I went to a tech store and purchased a mini camera. What better way to catch him red-handed than with video footage.

After I purchased the camera, I drove to his office when I knew he would be on his lunch break. That meant his office would be vacant, and I could install the device.

Jerry was a contractor nursing his own firm. It meant he worked with a lot of men who would let him know his wife was around as soon as they saw her, so I knew I had to be unrecognizable.

I wore sweatpants, a hoodie, sunshades, and a clinical face mask when I entered the firm. I knew the place well enough to avoid security, but when one group confronted me, I had to reveal my identity to keep from getting tossed out.

Of course, I got them to promise not to tell Jerry, claiming I wanted to surprise him, and they happily agreed. When I reached his office, his spare key, which he left in my care because he was always careless with his original one, got me inside.

There I installed the hidden camera. It took all of three minutes, but it felt like an eternity as I feared Jerry would walk in. He didn't, and I got out as fast as I could.

At home, I kept an eye on the video feed from the camera. It showed Jerry working hard for hours and hours. I was just beginning to doubt myself when the redhead appeared in the footage.

As Tisha said, she was beautiful. Olive skin, full lips, and a full figure. How was I supposed to keep up with that? A short while after she arrived, they left together. I checked the time and saw it was a quarter past four. Here was proof that he left work early enough.

That evening, I threw Jerry's suitcases out of the house and banned him from setting foot inside again. He put up a confused facade the whole time and even tried to justify his behavior which only infuriated me more.

I said terrible things to him, things I knew would hurt him, and they did. I saw him stiffen and felt his quiet anger as he left. "Good riddance to bad rubbish," I thought. But despite my tough act, I secretly hoped that Jerry would return to ask for forgiveness. He didn't.

One day, the doorbell rang, and when I opened it, the redhead I'd caught on camera stood there looking at me. She did not look very happy. "What do you want?" I asked, my voice dripping with venom.

"I finally got Jerry to talk about what happened to you two, and it's why I'm here," she replied.

"Well, it's all thanks to you, have you come here to gloat?" I asked, not willing to be put off by her calm demeanor.

"The truth is, I'm an architect and Jerry is just my friend. I'm working with him to make his dream of building a new home for you both come to pass," she replied.

"He can handle the building as a contractor but he still needs an architect to draw up plans, which is why we've been meeting," she continued. "I understand you think we have a thing but I don't see how that's possible since I'm already married to a man I love."

"You're a married woman? I asked, suddenly feeling ashamed.

"Yes. I love my husband and I'm currently carrying his baby. Jerry loves you and wants to build a new home for you. It was supposed to be a surprise," she said.

We spoke for a few more moments, and after she left, I looked around and realized how my jealousy had put my marriage in jeopardy.

As I looked at more footage recorded by the camera I installed in my husband's office, I saw that he had been sleeping in his office while working on our house and doing his job. It was why he was always late.

Filled with guilt, I reached out to him later that day, and we finally had a mature conversation about all that had happened. I could still hear the quiet anger in his voice, but he promised to move back in.

It took some time to get him to forgive me, but he never stopped working on our home. Finally, a year later, when he carried me into the building upon its completion, he professed his love for me, and I responded by doing the same. It was proof that all was well at last.

What did we learn from this story?

• Jealousy ruins relationships. Nancy's jealous imagination almost ruined her 20-year-old marriage when she confronted and threw her husband out of their apartment. She wanted to catch him in the act so bad that she succeeded and almost lost him in the process. It could all have been avoided had kept herself from falling into a jealous haze.
• Communication is key. Nancy almost lost Jerry because of her allegations. It could all have been avoided had she simply spoken honestly to him about his late working hours and how it bothered her. Instead, she suspected him and came to regret it later.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a wife who asked her husband's assistant to spy on him for her, and it wasn't in vain.

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