For weeks, I had been watching my husband Henry rush out the door every time his ex-wife, Liz, called. A broken garage door, a leaky sink, even a squeaky banister no matter how small the issue, he dropped everything for her. Meanwhile, our own bathroom faucet had been dripping for a month. When I asked him to fix it, he always said, “This weekend, I promise.” But the weekend never came, because Liz always seemed to have another “emergency.”

At first, I tried to shrug it off. After all, Henry insisted it was “just business” since they still co-owned the house. But deep down, I started to wonder if she was manipulating him and if he was letting her. One night, when Liz called about her “flooded kitchen,” Henry grabbed his toolbox and headed for the door. This time, I stood up and said firmly, “I’m coming with you.” He froze, surprised, but didn’t argue. The drive was silent, and I could tell he was nervous.

When we arrived, Liz opened the door in a silk robe, her hair perfectly styled, lips shining with fresh gloss. She froze the second she saw me standing next to Henry. “Oh… I didn’t know you were bringing company,” she said, her voice tight. I smiled sweetly. “Surprise.” Inside, the so-called “flood” turned out to be nothing more than a small puddle under the sink water that looked suspiciously fresh, as though it had just been poured. Henry crouched to tighten a loose pipe connection, while Liz hovered too close and placed a hand on his arm. “My hero,” she whispered.

That was my moment. I pulled a folded paper from my purse and handed it to her. On it was a list of reliable plumbers, electricians, and gardeners and, at the bottom, a dating app suggestion circled in red. “If you keep calling my husband,” I told her calmly, “I’ll assume you can’t read.” Her face flushed crimson, her jaw tightening, but for once she had no words. On the drive home, Henry was quiet until he finally admitted, “I didn’t realize how it looked. You’re right she’s taking advantage of me. I’ll tell her she needs to stop calling.” And he did. Three months later, Liz had found herself a new man ironically, one of the plumbers from my list. As for Henry, he finally fixed our faucet, showed up for our anniversary dinner, and learned exactly where his loyalty belonged. Now, when the toolbox comes out, it’s only for our home and for me.