After 12 years of marriage and two kids, my husband decided I wasn’t good enough to accompany him to his high school reunion. So he paid a beautiful stranger to play his wife instead. What he didn’t know was that I’d already planned a surprise that would make his humiliation legendary.
I married Ben when I was 23 years old.
We were college sweethearts who thought love and determination could conquer anything life threw at us. Back then, he was working in an entry-level position at a tech startup, and I was teaching preschool for barely enough to cover gas money.
We lived in a studio apartment with furniture from garage sales and ate more ramen than any two humans probably should. But we were happy. God, we were so happy.
Things started changing in his mid-30s. Ben got promoted. Then promoted again. Suddenly there were new suits hanging in our closet, a luxury car in the driveway, and dinners at restaurants where the menus didn’t have prices listed.
After our second child was born, with another C-section that left me with a scar I tried not to hate, I started noticing the way he looked at me. Or rather, the way he didn’t look at me.
Ben’s eyes would slide past me like I was furniture he’d stopped noticing years ago.
I was juggling two kids under five, managing a household, and trying to pick up freelance graphic design work whenever I could squeeze it in between diaper changes and school pickups. My body wasn’t the same. I was tired all the time.
And Ben? He had a new favorite phrase that he rolled out whenever I mentioned needing something.
“We’re tight this month, babe.”
“You don’t really need new clothes. What you have is fine.”
I believed him. I actually believed that we were struggling financially, even though he kept buying himself things. New watch. New laptop. Weekend golf trips with his colleagues.
But me asking for a babysitter so I could get my hair done? That was frivolous spending.
He came home one evening in late September, his voice bright with excitement I hadn’t heard in months. “My 20th high school reunion is next month!”
For the next two weeks, that’s all he talked about.
Then, one night over dinner, he dropped the first real warning sign.
“You know,” he said casually, “most people don’t bring their spouses to these things. It’s really more of old friends catching up.”
I looked up from helping our youngest daughter cut her food. “Really? I thought reunions usually had plus-ones.”
He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “You’d probably be bored anyway. It’s not really your crowd.”
That stung more than I wanted to admit.
The following week, I found him trying on a suit. Not just any suit. A gorgeous charcoal Italian blazer with a price tag that made my eyes water.
$900.
“What’s the occasion?” I asked.
“Work thing,” he said quickly. “Big client meeting next month. I need to look sharp for networking.”
“Didn’t you say last week that we couldn’t afford to fix the dishwasher?”
He turned to look at me, his expression patient in that condescending way that made me feel small. “Claire, this is an investment in my career. The dishwasher can wait a few more weeks. We can wash dishes by hand.”
Right. We could wash dishes by hand. By “we,” of course, he meant me.
Two nights before the reunion, I noticed he was glued to his phone more than usual. He kept smiling at the screen, typing quickly, and then set it face-down on the table.
“Who are you texting?” I asked.
“Just my buddy, Mark. He’s helping organize the reunion.”
But there was something in his voice. Something off.
The next morning, after he left for the gym, I did something I’d never done before. I opened his laptop.
His email was still logged in.
I scrolled through the recent messages. Business emails. Amazon receipts. Spam. Then I saw something.
Subject line: “Confirmation – Event Date Package – October 14th”
From: Elite Companions Inc.
My hands started shaking before I even clicked on it.
The invoice was itemized. Professional. And terrifyingly clear.
Event date, one evening: $400 Wardrobe consultation: $100 Additional briefing session: $100 Role: Spouse Affection level: Light (hand-holding, arm-linking acceptable) Total: $600.00
Attached was a photo of a gorgeous blonde woman, maybe 27 years old, with perfect skin and a smile that probably cost $5,000 in orthodontics. Her name was listed as Chloe.
I clicked on the email thread.
Sandra had written back: “Perfect! Chloe will study this so she can answer basic questions convincingly. We recommend keeping interactions brief with anyone who might have met the real spouse.”
Ben’s response: “Won’t be an issue. I just need Chloe to look the part for a few hours. My wife isn’t really in her best shape right now. Don’t want to deal with the awkwardness.”
I read that line three times.
My wife isn’t really in her best shape right now.
My husband was ashamed of me. So ashamed that he’d rather pay a stranger $600 to stand next to him than bring his actual wife to his high school reunion.
There was another email. Subject line: “Talking Points for Saturday.”
It was a list. A goddamn list.
- Met in college (stick to vague details)
- Two kids, ages 4 and 6
- You work in marketing (keep it general)
- We live in Riverside Heights
- Married for 8 years (they won’t fact-check)
He’d written a script for her… for his fake wife.
I closed the laptop carefully, like it might explode.
Then I walked to the bathroom and threw up.
“We need to talk,” I said.
He set down his gym bag, already looking annoyed. “Can it wait? I’m exhausted.”
“No. It can’t wait.”
Something in my voice made him stop.
“I found the invoice,” I said quietly. “From Elite Companions.”
The color drained from his face. For a long moment, he didn’t say anything.
“It’s not what you think,” he finally said.
I laughed. “Really? I think you hired a model to pretend to be your wife at your reunion. Am I wrong?”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Claire, listen. It’s just optics. These people… they’re all successful now. CEOs, entrepreneurs, influencers. They’re going to show up with trophy wives and expensive cars. I just don’t want to look like I settled.”
“Settled.” The word hung between us like poison. “You think marrying me was settling?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean, Ben? Because from where I’m standing, you’re saying I’m not good enough to be seen with you.”
He sighed, rubbing his temples like I was giving him a migraine. “You’ve been stressed. You said you haven’t felt confident since the baby. I just thought it would be easier this way.”
“It’s one night, Claire. One night where I don’t have to explain why my wife looks exhausted and uncomfortable. Is that really so terrible?”
I stared at this man I’d loved for 12 years. This stranger, who was standing in my kitchen and telling me I was an embarrassment.
“Get out,” I whispered.
He left. I heard him go upstairs and close the guest room door.
