When I married Jake, I believed in his promise that he was “building our future” from his home office—while I juggled two kids, a part-time job, and endless household chaos. He’d vanish behind the door, claiming critical meetings, and I’d tiptoe around screaming children and dropped dishes, trusting that his grind would one day pay off.

That illusion shattered the day a fallen frying pan clanged on the tile. Jake burst out screaming about noise, and I heard another voice giggling from inside his “office.” Confronting him, I found not work but an anime avatar named SuzyLovely88—an online scammer he’d been pouring money into under the guise of a “client.”

Humiliated and enraged, Jake packed his bags mid-fight to chase his digital fantasy—only to learn the woman he adored didn’t exist. His scammer greeted him at the meetup, leaving him exposed and begging his mother for help. I realized then that his priorities had been pixels over family for far too long.

So I chose myself and our children. I kicked Jake out, filed for divorce, kept the house and custody, and started rebuilding. Now, exhausted but empowered, I’m doing the real work of raising my kids in the real world—confident that our future will be amazing.