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A woman standing near a car | Source: Shutterstock
A woman standing near a car | Source: Shutterstock

My Husband Gave Me His Old Car, but His GPS History Led Me to Another Woman's Home – Story of the Day

Yevhenii Boichenko
Aug 19, 2025
03:04 P.M.

On my 55th birthday, my husband gave me his old car as a “gift.” I brushed it off as another act of stinginess — until his GPS history showed dozens of trips to the same address. I decided to follow it, unaware that I was about to uncover a truth that would shatter my marriage.

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On my 55th birthday, my husband, Edward, strolled into the kitchen like he was carrying gold. In his hand was a set of keys. He dangled them in front of me before letting them fall into my palm with a clink.

“There you go, Laura,” he said. “Happy birthday.”

For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

I stared at them. They were heavier than I expected, cold against my skin.

“Whose car?” I asked, though I already suspected the answer.

“Yours now,” he said, smiling widely.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

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“I bought a new one. You can have the old one. Still runs fine.”

That was Edward. Always proud of giving me things that cost him nothing.

Clothes from second-hand racks.

Flowers plucked from neighbors’ yards after sweet talk.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

Plates with cracks, passed down from his mother’s cupboard.

A man who thought every corner was made to be cut. And I, his wife, had to smile through it all.

“Thanks,” I muttered, the word scraping my throat like sandpaper.

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That night, curiosity pulled me into the car.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

The leather seat was stiff, holding the shape of Edward's body, smelling faintly of his cologne.

I ran my hand across the dashboard, feeling the tiny scratches where his rings had rubbed.

Then I noticed the GPS screen.

I tapped it. A list of recent destinations appeared.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

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Not one or two, but dozens.

And the same address kept repeating like a drumbeat. Street after street, all the same.

My stomach turned tight. I touched the screen again, as though maybe it would change.

But it didn’t. My heart thudded. Curiosity fought with fear, and fear lost.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

***

The next morning, I drove.

The house stood tired, its porch paint peeling, its windows dull. I knocked.

The sound echoed too loud in my chest.

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The door opened, and there she was — a young woman with dark hair in a messy bun.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

In her arms, a baby squirmed, letting out a small cry.

Her eyes widened.

“Yes?”

“Does… does Edward live here?”

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

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The baby wriggled. She shifted him against her shoulder, her face tightening.

“Edward is my husband,” she said firmly.

The air punched out of my lungs. My hands trembled. My husband.

We stood frozen at the doorway, two women bound by the same man’s lies.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

The baby whimpered, and she rocked him gently, her lips pressed together like she was holding back words and tears.

“I’m Laura,” I said finally, my throat dry, the sound of my name almost foreign. “Edward’s wife. His real wife.”

Her face drained of color. For a moment, she looked like she might fall.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

“No… no. He told me he divorced years ago,” she stammered. “He said you were bitter. That you chased money. That’s why he left.”

I let out a laugh, sharp and bitter, a sound I hardly recognized.

“Money? That man’s idea of a gift is an old pair of socks or flowers stolen from the neighbor’s yard. If I were chasing money, I would’ve run the day I met him.”

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

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She looked down at the baby, then back at me.

Her eyes were glassy, her hands tightening on the child’s blanket.

“I thought… I thought we were building a future. He said he was investing in something big. All the trips, all the late nights. He said they were for us.”

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

The words hit me like stones. I felt my chest ache as the truth settled between us, sharp as broken glass.

“How long?”

She swallowed hard. “Five years.”

Five years. The same years I had waited at home with cold dinners, the same years he said he was working late for our future.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

My stomach twisted. The baby fussed louder, and she bounced him, her eyes never leaving mine. The silence was thick, pressing down on us both.

Finally, she whispered,

“So what now? Do we fight over him?”

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

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I studied her — so young, with a child on her hip, believing the same lies I once believed. My anger wavered, slipping into something else. Pity. Recognition.

“No,” I said slowly, my voice steady this time. “He isn’t worth a fight. But we won’t let him walk away like nothing happened either.”

Her eyes changed then, sparking with fire.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

She straightened her shoulders, rocking the baby with one arm, strength flashing through her tiredness.

“Then let’s make him pay,” she said.

And in that moment, I knew we would.

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Minutes later, we sat at her small kitchen table, the surface scarred with years of use.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

A faint lamp above us hummed, throwing soft yellow light across our faces. The baby slept in a crib near the window, his tiny chest rising and falling, his breaths the only sound for a while.

The room smelled of coffee and baby powder, warm and sharp at the same time.

“I’m Maria,” she said finally, folding her hands together on the table.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

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Her fingers twisted at her ring as if it were choking her.

“I thought I was his wife. But I guess I was only his story.”

Maria's words cut deep. I nodded slowly.

“He’s told me stories for thirty years. Always excuses. Always cheap. Lies dressed up as promises.”

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

Maria’s eyes hardened, the soft shine in them replaced with something sharper.

“So what then? We embarrass him? Ruin his game?”

I sat back, picturing Edward’s smug grin as he bragged about his upcoming birthday party. He had been talking about it for weeks, calling it his “big night.” The thought made me smile, but not kindly.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

By the time I left her home that night, the air between us was alive, crackling with something new.

Not grief. Not pity. But purpose.

The hall glowed with candlelight, but it wasn’t the soft warmth of a celebration.

The flames flickered against long rows of tables, each one holding pieces of Edward’s past—pieces of my life with him.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

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It looked less like a party and more like a museum of shame.

On the first table lay sweaters, stretched thin at the elbows, smelling faintly of mothballs.

Gifts he had once handed me with pride, bragging that he’d gotten them “for a steal.” On the next, cracked dishes, each one labeled with a small card.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

“25th anniversary,” one said. Another read, “Christmas, 2012.” Trash that he had dressed up as love.

In the center, under the brightest light, sat the keys to his old car. Outside, the car itself waited, every inch of it marked with giant red words:

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CHEATER. LIAR. MISER.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

The walls told the loudest story.

Huge posters showed Edward in smiles and poses, arms around two different women at the same time in his life.

In one, me on our anniversary, his hand tight on my shoulder. In another, Maria, holding a newborn while Edward beamed as though fatherhood was new to him.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

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The dates written beneath each photo overlapped perfectly, the years crossing like wires sparking fire.

Guests trickled in, their footsteps slowing as their eyes scanned the exhibits. Confusion turned into wide-eyed shock. Murmurs spread. Some laughed nervously behind their hands.

Others frowned, whispering to each other as though standing in church.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

Maria stood beside me, the baby on her hip. She looked around the room, her eyes sharp, her back straight.

“This is better than I imagined,” she whispered, her lips brushing the baby’s hair.

I reached for her free hand and squeezed it.

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“Wait until he walks in.”

The double doors opened.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

Edward stepped in, wearing his best suit, his smile wide, his arms open as if waiting for applause. Instead, silence spread like a wave. Then whispers. Then a ripple of laughter that grew until it filled the room.

Edward's smile faltered. His eyes darted—first to the car outside, then to the posters on the walls. His face flushed dark.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

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“Your birthday party,” I said, stepping forward, each word sharp as glass. “A tour of your greatest hits.”

Maria shifted the baby on her hip, her tone calm but cutting.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

“Shall we show him around?”

The crowd leaned in, hungry now. The real party was about to begin.

We led him past the tables. I picked up a cracked teacup.

“Remember this, Edward? You gave it to me on our 20th anniversary. Said it was ‘family history.’ It was just trash.”

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Maria lifted a wilted bouquet. “And this? From a neighbor’s yard. You told me you spent a fortune.”

The room filled with muffled laughter and gasps. Edward’s face turned red, his mouth working without words.

Then Jack, my brother, stepped forward holding a folder.

“Edward,” he said coldly, “this is our final business contract. It ends tonight. Every cent you owe me is due. Your career ends here.”

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Daniel, Maria’s brother, leaned against the wall. “And when the IRS hears about your little side projects, you’ll wish all you lost was money.”

Edward stammered, sweat shining on his forehead. “I can explain...”

“No,” I cut him off. “We’re done listening.”

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

The baby cried, as if to seal the moment. Maria rocked him gently.

“You see,” she said, “your son will grow up knowing the truth about you. And so will everyone else here.”

The room buzzed with whispers, some sharp, some gleeful. Edward looked small, cornered.

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I stepped closer.

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For illustration purposes only| Source: Amomama

“This isn’t revenge. It’s the truth. And you’ve been hiding from it for years.”

The guests began clapping, some slow, some mocking. Edward covered his face, but there was nowhere to hide. I turned to Maria. She smiled through tired eyes. We had won.

Outside, the car with its painted words waited like a final chapter. Inside, Edward’s empire of lies crumbled.

And for the first time in years, I felt light. Free. The future was unknown, but it was mine.

Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

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If you enjoyed this story, read this one: When my father died, all I got was his dusty old VCR. I almost tossed it—until I pressed eject and found a tape. On it, he revealed the truth about a family betrayal, a stolen treasure, and a secret he’d hidden just for me. Read the full story here.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.

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