Hello! I’m Tara, and like a good daughter, I decided to surprise my mom for her birthday. It’s the little things, right?

She loves daisies, so I picked up a fresh bouquet from the flower shop where I work.

And with the sweet scent of flowers filling the car, I drove over to her house. I knew Mom would still be at work, but I had my own key, so I let myself in.

But when I swung open the door, flowers in hand, I was immediately confused.

Why were there men’s shoes by the door?

Mom’s been a widow for years, and a sudden dread settled in my stomach. Did I catch her dating a new man? That would be so awkward!

I slowly walked further into the house, and then I heard it: a deep, rhythmic MALE snoring coming from my mom’s bedroom. Who was that?

I never imagined that she would ever move on. Her love with Dad was simply too powerful, but perhaps, it was time.

Stop. Did that mean she didn’t go to work? Did she spend the day with her new man?

What a luxury!

With a sneaky smile, I cautiously crept towards the bedroom door and gently pushed it open. I didn’t want to see her new man. Well… maybe. Not really.

I only wanted to see if she was also sleeping in the late afternoon. But unfortunately, I did see this man, and my blood ran cold.

There, sprawled out on my mom’s bed, was my ex-husband. MY EX-HUSBAND! Let’s call him Luther.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. It felt like a twisted, sick joke. My mom’s secret late afternoon rendezvous was my own ex!!

Had she been seeing him behind my back? Was this the reason she was so against me getting back together with him?

The nerve of them both!

I felt betrayed, angry, and hurt. I couldn’t even bring myself to say anything or scream my lungs out like I wanted to.

So, I backed out of the room as quietly as I had entered and shut the door.

I set the daisies on the kitchen counter, feeling like they were out of place somehow. And for the next several minutes, I paced the living room, trying to figure out what to do.

Should I wake him up? Should I leave and pretend I never saw anything?

No!

I needed answers.

But I didn’t want to talk to him. Luther was my ex-husband, and technically not my family. He didn’t owe me anything and could sleep with whomever he wanted.

My mom, however, was another story.

The best choice was to wait for her to come home from work, so I could talk to her first or confront them both at the same time.

But one thing was clear: I wasn’t going to let them get away with this. Whatever “this” was, anyway.

I still couldn’t wrap my head around the situation. Could I be misunderstanding things?

Time seemed to go slower as my impatience grew. I started tapping my foot against my mom’s hardwood floors and biting my nails.

I wasn’t sure I could wait much longer.

But just as I was about to lose my mind completely, I heard the familiar sound of Mom’s car pulling into the driveway.

My heart leaped into my throat. It was time for the confrontation. Was I even ready?

Mom walked in with a beaming, warm face.

Upon seeing her, I remembered that was supposed to be here to celebrate her birthday, but my face held nothing but accusations.

“Honey, you came here to surprise? You shouldn’t have parked your car in front,” she chuckled, but her smile quickly faded as she took in my expression. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?!” I practically shrieked. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong! Why is my ex-husband sleeping in your bed?”

Mom’s eyes widened. “Oh my goodness,” she gasped. “It’s not what it looks like!”

“What is it, then?!” I was on the verge of losing my mind.

Luckily, Mom started speaking really fast and got to the point immediately.

She explained that my ex-husband had shown up at her doorstep last night, completely wasted and blubbering about how much he missed me.

What?

Apparently, he’d been under the impression that I still lived with her. When Luther and I first got divorced, I moved in temporarily with Mom.

I guess his error made sense.

Anyway, my mom didn’t have the heart to turn him away and let him crash on the couch, but he must’ve wandered into her room in his drunken stupor.

That meant Luther had been sleeping in Mom’s bed almost the entire day!

“Why did you even let him in?” I asked, outraged. “You’ve been telling me not to get back with him, despite my doubts.”

“Luther was heartbroken, sweetie,” Mom said, biting her bottom lip. “He said he made the biggest mistake of his life letting you go. I didn’t know that he was also feeling conflicted.”

I was dumbfounded, but my mom’s sincere words seemed to drain the anger out of me. In its place, I felt tired. Almost too tired.

This whole thing was all so absurd, so ridiculous, that I couldn’t help but let out a nervous laugh after thinking about it for a few seconds.

“I can’t believe Luther actually came here,” I mumbled, flopping on Mom’s couch.

“Well, if both of you are having doubts or regrets about the divorce,” Mom said gently. “Maybe you should sit and talk.”

Hear him out? After everything he’d put me through? I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that.

The reason we divorced was… complicated. But basically, his career got in the way of us building our future together. We also disagreed on when to have kids.

At the time, it felt smart to separate and forge our own paths apart before we started hating or resenting each other.

Maybe Mom was right. Maybe I owed it to myself, and him, to at least listen to what Luther had to say. But first, I had to wake him up.

“Mom, I’m gonna go wake him up,” I said and ran into the kitchen.

Then, I tiptoed back to my mom’s bedroom, armed with a glass of ice water.

My ex-husband was still sprawled out on the bed, snoring softly. So, I took a deep breath and poured the water on his face.

Luther woke up screaming and wrestling with the sheets on the bed like a lunatic. “What the—?” he shouted, wiping his face and looking around in confusion.

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead,” I said sarcastically and crossed my arms.

He blinked a few times, then his eyes widened in recognition. “Oh my god,” he groaned and finished wiping the water.

He frowned, stared around the room, and finally, realized where he was.

After steeling myself, I sat down on the edge of the bed. “Care to explain what you’re doing in my mom’s bed?”

“God, I’m so sorry about this,” Luther shook his head and straightened.

My ex-husband took a deep breath before he started speaking. He recounted the events of the previous night, and it was the same as Mom had said.

But once Luther was done explaining the details, he poured his heart out to me.

Luther admitted he was drunk and made a fool of himself, but he also talked about how much he regretted our divorce and how he wanted another chance.

“I know I messed up, not prioritizing you and our possible, future family,” he said while clearing his throat several times.

He wasn’t the only one. I was getting emotional too.

“I was an idiot, and I hurt you,” he continued and grabbed my hands. “But I never stopped loving you. I just needed some time to realize how much I screwed up.”

I listened to him as my heart softened with each word. His remorse was clear, and his regrets were no different from mine. Perhaps, we had been too quick to divorce.

“Please, is there any chance we can try again?” he asked, and his eyes were shining with the tears he wanted to shed.

“I appreciate you saying all that,” I said. “But trying again… I mean, it’s going to take a lot more than words to make up for everything we went through.”

He nodded. “I know. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

“Okay,” I sighed, clapping and standing from the bed. “I think we’ll have time to talk later. Tonight is my mom’s birthday, and we’re all going to dinner.”

My ex smiled up at me, and I knew for sure that all my feelings for him were still there.

And so, the three of us went to a fancy restaurant to celebrate Mom. It was a bit awkward at first, but as the night went on, we relaxed.

My ex-husband was such an important part of my family for years that this felt natural. Maybe, we could make it work.

And we did.

We went to therapy, we dated again, and we relearned how to communicate and trust each other. It wasn’t always easy, but we were committed this time.

A year later, we remarried in a small ceremony with our closest friends and family. It wasn’t the big wedding we had the first time around, but it was perfect in its own way.

And now, here we are, years later, happier than ever with two kids.

Click here to read another story: I planned to surprise my husband at work with lunch, but instead found out he was on vacation. Confused and suspicious, I followed him the next day and uncovered a shocking secret at my sister’s house. What I found left me questioning everything I thought I knew about my marriage and my family.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.