After Noticing Something Odd In The Photo Of His Wife, A Man Files For Divorce
Nowadays, our lives are being documented and shared with our loved ones and the world. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok…the list goes on! It’s become easier than we ever could have imagined for people to feel closer to each other and connected despite the distance. However, there’s more than meets the eye in some pictures, especially in one that is seemingly innocent. Taking a closer look could reveal something far different than the photographer’s original intention.
A woman in Portugal experienced the same thing when she sent the photo above to her husband. Upon zooming in, he noticed something alarming…and suspicious. This particular something caused him to prompt a divorce from his wife.
They Were A Couple Who Appeared To Have It All
An ideal match, Iris and Thomas seemed perfect together according to their friends. Iris was gorgeous and talented and had just finished her fashion school studies. Thomas was ambitious and attractive and fully dedicated to his job. Unfortunately, he wasn’t home much because of it and didn’t spend a lot of time with Iris.
It wasn’t easy on the couple. Despite their situation, everybody in their close circle didn’t think anything bad could happen since they were a seemingly perfect match. However, a dangerous threat was looming for this couple.
Who Really Was Iris?
Not only was Iris beautiful, but her fashion talents and style added to her attraction. She had her degree and possessed a keen interest in the fashion industry. It seemed like the world was her oyster.
Her friends (who were happy for her) wanted to see her share all of her ambitions and excitement about her career with the man she loved. Iris, however, restrained herself from finding a partner because of one major thing,
Iris Faced A Big Challenge
Iris was obviously very beautiful, but she was also very introverted. Men would often buy her drinks and want to take her to dinner, but crippling social anxiety prevented her from doing any of these things. She remained single because it was so challenging to form new connections.
Feeling bad for Iris, her friends decided to help her find true love. They proposed she try out an alternative which they thought would be much easier.
She Tried Out The World Of Dating Apps
It was through a dating app that quite a few of Iris’ friends met their partners, so they wanted her to try it out. Using the app, they told her, would help her to release her anxieties and get to know the person a bit more before meeting them in person. Chatting with a person first would help ease her social anxiety.
Iris began swiping away, but there was a big issue she would find herself facing. Dealing with this particular issue wouldn’t be easy for her.
Dating Apps Posed A Harsh Reality
In no time, inappropriate messages from random men were flooding her inbox on the dating app. Even though her friends found much success on these apps, it was an unpleasant experience for Iris.
Iris was becoming worn down by all of the unwanted attention, so she was just going to give up. Then, surprisingly, a message popped up that caused her to reconsider quitting the app.
Everything Changed When Iris Met Thomas
Thomas, a handsome man, had messaged Iris with something sweet. After a couple of exchanges through messaging, he began messaging her all day long. Soon enough, the messages turned into hour-long phone conversations., and it was only a matter of time before they chose to take the next step. They were ready to meet each other in real life.
Thrilled and excited to meet Thomas for the first time, Iris didn’t know what to expect. Neither did Thomas.
It Truly Was Love At First Sight
Thomas and Iris were immediately attracted to each other and it only took one moment. Her social anxiety all but disappeared because Thomas was so easygoing. It didn’t take long until they were spending nearly every free moment with each other.
They had never experienced such intense feelings for a person before. It was undeniable that they were deeply in love with one another. When Thomas made the move to show how committed he was to Iris and their relationship, he made a surprisingly bold move.
Surprise getaway
Unbeknownst to Iris, Thomas had been secretly planning a romantic trip to somewhere warm and tropical where they could enjoy some uninterrupted alone time.
Iris was over the moon when she learned where they were going, and the two were more in love than ever as they jetted off to paradise.
Little did she know that there was another surprise just around the corner…
Thomas proposes
Upon landing at their tropical island destination, Iris and Thomas dove right into vacation mode. They spent their days soaking up the sun on the beach and their evenings checking out all the romantic spots around town.
On their last night in paradise, Thomas asked Iris to go for a walk on the beach. When they got closer to the water, she noticed bright lights that spelled out a question she had been waiting a lifetime to be asked…
Will you marry me?
Overjoyed at the sheer romance of the proposal, Iris cried and shouted yes. The couple had only been together for a year, but they both felt like they had known each other their entire lives. The timing couldn’t be more perfect.
Iris and Thomas soaked in all the joy of their engagement, and they couldn’t wait to return home and share their exciting news.
A perfect wedding
Iris and Thomas decided to have a small and elegant wedding with only their closest family and friends. It was a beautiful ceremony, and everyone felt the love in the room watching these two people become one.
While their loved ones were happy for them, some doubts settled in after Iris and Thomas got back from their honeymoon…
Start of a marriage
After the wedding and honeymoon were over, Iris and Thomas moved into an apartment together. They wanted to experience as much of the world as they could, and they were both looking forward to married life.
While they were still in love, making this picture-perfect marriage a reality was harder than they thought…
Their careers
Iris was able to work from home and spent a lot of her free time decorating their new place. Thomas had to be in the office, and he was determined to earn enough money so that he and Iris could live a good life.
One day, he got a phone call from his boss. He thought he might be getting a raise at first, but instead, he got some unexpected news…
Fired
Thomas’ boss gave him the unfortunate news that the company was experiencing setbacks, and they had to let a few people go. Thomas was one of those few.
Feeling defeated, he took some solace in believing that this was as bad as it would get and that he would soon bounce back. But his problems were just getting started…
Financial issues
Iris had spent a lot of money furnishing their new home. So when Thomas was no longer bringing home a big paycheck, their finances took a major hit.
Fortunately, the couple had some savings to fall back on, but it wouldn’t last forever. Thankfully, some of their luck was about to turn around…
New Job
Thomas spent a lot of time on the hunt for a new gig. After many unsuccessful interviews, he remained determined — and it paid off. Finally, he landed a position with an insurance agency.
Even though he couldn’t wait to share the good news with Iris, he was a little worried about how his wife would handle one of the job’s requirements…
On the road
As an insurance agent, Thomas was required to spend a lot of time traveling. While it earned him a great deal of money, his new position left Iris alone at home more often than not.
Still, she was supportive of his new career. Because of that, Thomas wanted to surprise her with some good news…
Back at home
When he took the job, Thomas assured Iris that the constant travel would be temporary. He would be able to stay home more once he got a promotion. And after six months of hard work on the road, Thomas received word that he was going to be promoted.
Iris was overjoyed and relieved. She knew she couldn’t endure much more of her husband being gone. However, there was soon another unexpected request from Thomas’ company…
Filling in
One of Thomas’s colleagues had become sick. This employee made a lot of long business trips, and his boss knew that there was only one person with enough experience to fill in: Thomas.
Unfortunately, this meant that Thomas would be away more than ever before. Iris was upset but knew that they didn’t have a choice. He had to say yes.
Back on the road
After two years of marriage, Iris and Thomas were only seeing each other on the weekends. During the weekdays, Thomas was on the road working, and Iris was alone at home.
These conditions weren’t ideal, but there wasn’t much the couple could do. Every time Thomas left for work, he felt incredibly guilty for leaving his lonely wife behind…
Making moves
Thomas was excelling at his job and slowly started to climb up the ladder of his company. Iris remained constant in her support, and with his steady income, focused on updating their home.
While things seemed to be looking up for Thomas, his success came with a few speed bumps…
Too much ambition
Iris and Thomas did their best to stay in touch. But sharing their lives over social media only added to the loneliness they both felt.
Still, they persevered. Thomas held on to the idea that he would eventually rise to a rank in his company that didn’t require him to travel. But his work ethic only got in the way…
Growing apart
After a few years of living this way, Iris and Thomas grew further and further apart. Instead of the happy couple who felt like they had known each other for decades, they now felt like total strangers. Iris gave up supporting her husband’s career goals, and Thomas was too burnt out to spend quality time with his wife.
They were both bitter, and while Thomas was away on a business trip in Paris, he received a message that changed everything…
Unhappy
Iris was unhappy. She messaged Thomas that she couldn’t go on being in a marriage like this and that something needed to change.
Thomas knew right then and there that he had let his ambition get the best of him. So he made an important decision…
Career change
In an effort to save his marriage, Thomas decided that he would find a job closer to home. By this time, he had gained enough experience that he was sure he could land a better gig with less travel.
He felt good about his choice, but something unexpected was about to threaten the couple’s future.
Making it happen
Thomas had decided not to tell Iris about his plan just yet. He was applying to new jobs and going on interviews, but he wanted to wait until he found something solid to surprise his wife with the good news.
But not telling his wife of his plan would cause more harm than good…
Iris’ strange behavior
After weeks of interviews and applications, Thomas found a new position. There was just a week left before would see his wife and tell her in person that things were going back to normal.
However, Iris was feeling more neglected than ever. Thomas began to notice that she was acting strange and distant…
The fight
Tired of feeling alone in her marriage, Iris blew up at Thomas. She blamed him for all their problems and her unhappiness.
Thomas — who had been working tirelessly to get out of this situation — was defeated. So he decided to go to a bar and distract himself with a drink. But he didn’t realize exactly what that distraction would lead to…
A beautiful stranger
Thomas soon locked eyes with a beautiful woman sitting across the bar. The two began talking and fell into an intoxicating conversation that lasted hours. He hadn’t felt this excited in years.
As the night grew darker and the bar became less and less crowded, Thomas felt tempted by this mysterious woman…
Infidelity
Despite the fighting, Thomas loved Iris. But he hadn’t felt a connection like that in years. Drunk off the drinks and this unexpected spark, Thomas went back to this woman’s hotel room and stayed the night.
In the cold light of day, he was overcome with the guilt of what he had done and made a vow to never cheat on Iris again. Little did he know that his evening with another woman wouldn’t be the only thing threatening his marriage…
The secret
Instead of telling Iris about his infidelity, he told her that he was finally coming home for good and that this current trip would be his last. Iris was thrilled, and Thomas was looking forward to returning back to his wife.
As he attempted to put his transgressions behind him and focus on the future, his potential happiness was shattered after receiving a photo Iris sent him…
The photo
The picture Iris sent Thomas wasn’t much different than the ones she had been sending over the past couple of weeks. It was of her, casually sitting on their unmade bed.
However, when he looked a little closer, he noticed something in the photo that made him uneasy…
What Thomas noticed
At the edge of the photo, Thomas noticed what looked like a hand reaching out from underneath their bed. Shocked, he zoomed in on the small detail that Iris had forgotten to crop out.
Thomas was in total disbelief. He called to confront her about it, and what she revealed shocks him to his core…
Iris reveals the truth
Sobbing and apologetic, Iris tells Thomas that she’s felt increasingly lonely over the course of their marriage. The more time she spent apart from her husband, the more she began to look for affection elsewhere.
Thomas was heartbroken. But her secret life was far more involved than he could have ever imagined…
The other man
The hand Thomas saw under the bed belonged to an old friend of his. A man that Iris and Thomas had spent a lot of time with. When that man’s girlfriend left him, he started to reach out to Iris because he knew she was often alone at home.
Thomas was crushed, but even through his heartbreak, he knew what he had to do…
Forever changed
It seemed impossible that just an hour ago, Iris and Thomas had been in a happy place and making fun plans for the weekend ahead. With one photo, their lives and marriage were forever changed.
And the more Thomas looked at the photo, the more he realized that the woman in it was no longer someone he recognized…
The end of a marriage
Despite his own transgressions that Iris still knew nothing about, Thomas decided to divorce Iris. He knew forgiveness was not an option, and he felt too betrayed to rekindle their romance.
He fell into a deep depression and decided to take a break from work. And that vacation was just the turning point Thomas needed.
A new start
Thomas decided to book a trip to the city to try to distract himself and forget about Iris. He didn’t choose his destination for any particular reason. In fact, many of the places he loved to visit had lost their appeal after his divorce.
Even though he wasn’t super excited about this place, Thomas would later believe that choosing it was the best decision he ever made…
The discovery
Thomas had started his own marketing company and was working on getting it off the ground. Like any ambitious man, he took his laptop on vacation and attempted to get a little work done at a nearby coffee bar.
But when he closed his laptop for the day, he saw something remarkable…
A familiar face
A beautiful young woman had walked into the coffee shop, and he recognized her immediately. It was Angel, a childhood friend he had been grown up with. They had even attended the same high school.
He couldn’t believe she was there, sitting across from him at some random coffee shop in some random city.
A chance encounter
Thomas and Angel had dated in high school, but she had moved abroad in their senior year. The distance caused them to lose contact, and they hadn’t spoken until now.
Since he married Iris, Thomas hadn’t thought much about Angel. But now that she was standing there in front of him, his heart began to beat faster and faster.
Reunited
Thomas didn’t hesitate and decided to follow his feelings and talk to her. Angel was also sitting alone and smiled the moment she heard his voice.
She recognized it. It turns out, even after all these years, she still remembered him too.
Perfect timing
Angel, like Thomas, had also finished working. So the two decided to have a drink and catch up. Thomas told her about his recent divorce, and she was happily surprised. Angel still always had feelings for him and secretly wished they would one day reunite.
And the timing was perfect. Angel had also gotten out of a relationship recently and was ready to start dating again.
The spark remains
Time flew by as the two caught each other up on their lives and what they had been through over the past few years. Their pleasant conversation made Thomas forget about all the drama with Iris and his divorce.
Angel and Thomas stayed around until last call at 2 a.m. As they walked outside to go their separate ways, Angel asked Thomas an enticing question…
A second chance at love
Angel looked up at Thomas and asked him if he wanted to come back to her house for a nightcap. He didn’t hesitate and immediately said yes.
Together, the two walked hand and hand back to Angel’s house, both knowing deep down that this would be the start of something great.