When I was a little girl, my mother taught me…

After two months away caring for my mother, I was eager to return home to my apartment and my husband, Michael. Fresh from a shower, I was stunned to hear the front door unlock. Expecting Michael, I was instead met by a young woman holding a key.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“I live here. Who are you?” I shot back.

She claimed Michael had given her the key, but when I revealed I was his wife, she paled. “He told me he was single.”

Determined to uncover the truth, I led her to the kitchen, where Michael was calmly eating cereal. She pointed at him and said, “That’s not Michael.”

Turns out, Michael’s brother, Nick, had been impersonating him to impress dates. Furious but amused, we set a trap.

Michael invited Nick over for dinner. When he arrived, Sonya—now properly introduced—threw water in his face. Confronted, Nick admitted he used our apartment to avoid bringing women to his place.

Michael made him pay rent, return Sonya’s gifts, and suffer well-deserved humiliation. Sonya stayed for dinner, and despite the chaos, I gained a new friend—and my first real meal in months.