My name is Nicola, and I need to tell you about the worst homecoming of my life.
A month ago, I gave birth to triplets. Three beautiful girls.
The delivery was brutal.
I’m talking hours of labor, complications, an emergency C-section, and a hospital stay that felt like a year.
But we made it.
The delivery was brutal.
The day the babies and I came home felt like a triumph.
I expected balloons, maybe, or a box of chocolates.
You know what I got instead?
My husband, Sam, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.
“Finally, you’re home! You could’ve given birth faster. The apartment has gotten filthy.”
The day the babies and I came home felt like a triumph.
I stood there, holding two car seats while balancing the third on my hip, and I swear I thought I’d misheard him.
But no.
“I’ll keep out of the way so you can get to it.”
He didn’t even glance at our daughters. He just turned around and walked back to the couch, eyes glued to his phone.
I swear I thought I’d misheard him.
I hobbled inside, juggling the babies, and oh my God!
The smell hit me first — the same smell you encounter when you walk past a dumpster.
I hurried to the nursery and placed the triplets in their cribs. It took forever because they all decided to fuss at different intervals, but I eventually settled them.
When I finally got them quiet and walked into the living room, I froze.
The smell hit me first.
Everything was everywhere.
Plates crusted over with dried food (and flies) were on the table, the couch, and the floor. There were crumbs ground into the carpet.
A hill of empty takeout containers had formed in front of the TV.
And there, on the coffee table, was used toilet paper.
I was stunned.
A hill of empty takeout containers had formed in front of the TV.
More than that, actually, I was furious, and I had absolutely no idea what was happening.
“Sam!” I shouted.
“What?” he asked from the couch, all lazy and bored, like he genuinely didn’t understand why I might be upset.
“What is this?”
Sam lifted a dirty T-shirt lying next to him with two fingertips and shrugged.
I had absolutely no idea what was happening.
“This is all the mess you made,” he said. “I told you, you should’ve come back sooner, because nobody’s been cleaning the apartment.”
The nerve of him!
I was speechless.
I took a deep breath to respond, but one of the girls started crying in the bedroom.
“Nobody’s been cleaning the apartment.”
I immediately rushed to her.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
“Can you not hear the baby?” I snapped over my shoulder.
As I rocked the baby, trying to calm her down, I felt like I could explode.
I thought things couldn’t get any worse, but then my phone buzzed loudly on the dresser, waking the other two girls.
I immediately rushed to her.
Suddenly, I was pulled in every direction, trying to soothe each one while my mind raced with anger and confusion.
Finally, when I got them settled again, I grabbed my phone.
Sam had posted a new photo on Instagram.
It was our dirty, disgusting living room.
The caption read: “MY SLOBBY WIFE HASN’T CLEANED THE APARTMENT IN A MONTH. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN THIS IS GOING TO STOP?”
Sam had posted a new photo on Instagram.
In the time it had taken me to settle the girls, the comments had blown up.
Strangers were calling me lazy and useless, and those were the kinder comments. The really bad ones brought tears to my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall.
I refused to be humiliated like this!
I put the triplets to bed one more time, and then I went into the living room.
Strangers were calling me lazy and useless.
I went over to Sam and gave him a soft hug.
“I’m sorry, honey. I’m taking you out to a celebratory dinner tomorrow. To celebrate our reunion.”
It took everything in me to keep my voice soft.
“It’ll be an unforgettable evening,” Sam replied with a smile.
I smiled back. Yes, Sam. You have no idea how unforgettable it’s going to be!
It took everything in me to keep my voice soft.
I spent the next day making phone calls.
That evening, I moved through the apartment quietly and methodically. The triplets were fed, changed, and asleep. My sister had agreed to watch them the moment I told her what I was up to.
Sam was upbeat, dressed nicely in a button-down shirt I hadn’t seen him wear in months.
I handed him a folded cloth.
I spent the next day making phone calls.
Sam laughed. “What’s this?”
“A blindfold. I have a surprise planned for you.”
He smirked, clearly flattered by the attention. “Wow. Okay. Getting fancy now?”
Once we reached the car, I secured the blindfold gently but firmly over his eyes.
The car ride was quiet except for Sam’s oblivious chatter.
I secured the blindfold gently but firmly over his eyes.
We reached our destination after a short drive.
I helped him out of the car and guided him up the walkway. My heart was pounding, but my hands stayed steady.
The door opened. There was a murmur inside. Not loud, but unmistakably people.
Sam tensed. “Wait. Where are we?”
I helped him out of the car and guided him up the walkway.
I untied the blindfold.
Sam blinked.
He was standing in his sister’s living room.
His parents, my parents, some extended family, and close friends were all seated, waiting.
Sam scanned the room. “Okay. Very funny. What is this supposed to be?”
He was standing in his sister’s living room.
I stepped forward, hands folded in front of me.
“I asked everyone here because I’m worried about you, Sam.”
Sam frowned. “Worried about me? Why?”
I exhaled slowly and led him to the chair positioned in the center of the room, facing the TV. He sat, and I took my place by the TV.
I turned to face everyone.
I led him to the chair positioned in the center of the room.
“Thank you all for coming tonight to support Sam. This might be disturbing for some of you, but please remember this evening is not about us — it’s about helping Sam.”
“What are you talking about?” Sam cried out.
I turned on the TV and started casting to it.
Gasps filled the room.
I turned on the TV.
Now, it may seem like I’d come up with this plan in the blink of an eye, but it had taken careful planning.
My first instinct had been to humiliate Sam the same way he’d humiliated me, but once my initial anger passed, I realized that would be pointless and petty.
I needed to teach Sam a lesson, and his Instagram post was the perfect tool for doing just that!
I realized that would be pointless and petty.
The Instagram post appeared first.
Then I clicked through photos of the apartment showing the plates that looked like petri dish experiments, the trash overflowing in the can, and, most horrifying of all, the bathroom.
“This is what I came home to after being discharged from the hospital.”
I gestured to the screen. “I was confused at first about why the apartment was in such a state, but when Sam created that Instagram post, I finally understood.”
I clicked through photos of the apartment.
I swept the room with my gaze. “I don’t think Sam has the basic life skills to take care of himself.”
Sam let out a sharp laugh. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. Look at this.”
I scrolled back to the Instagram post and read the caption aloud. “‘My slobby wife hasn’t cleaned the apartment in a month. Does anyone know when this is going to stop?’ Do you all see the problem?”
“I don’t think Sam has the basic life skills to take care of himself.”
Sam crossed his arms. “Yeah… the problem is that you’re trying to blame me for your mess.”
I shook my head and spoke to the room.
“While I was recovering from giving birth to triplets, Sam did nothing to maintain our home. The only possible explanation for this is that he lacks the skills to do basic domestic chores.”
“I know how to clean!” Sam said, annoyed now. “I’m not an idiot.”
I shook my head and spoke to the room.
I gave him a sympathetic look. “It’s okay to admit it, Sam. We’re here because we love you and want to support you.”
Sam curled his hands into fists. “I told you, I know how to clean.”
I sighed softly. I was prepared for this. “When was the last time you cooked a meal?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Did laundry?”
“It’s okay to admit it, Sam.”
He shrugged.
“Tidied up? Vacuumed? Did dishes?”
He frowned but didn’t answer.
“So, you insist you can clean, but you’ve got no proof to back it up,” I said. “What I’m hearing here is… I don’t just have a filthy home. I have a husband who doesn’t function without me.”
The words landed heavily.
Sam’s mother spoke first.
“You’ve got no proof to back it up.”
“Sam… you know how to clean, don’t you? When you were little, I showed you—”
Sam bristled. “Of course I do!”
“Then why would you live like this?”
His father leaned forward slightly. “Sam, be honest with us. Did you even try to take care of your home while Nicola was in the hospital?”
The room murmured in quiet, uncomfortable agreement.
“Then why would you live like this?”
Sam looked around, realizing he was losing control of the narrative.
“It’s her job!” He pointed at me. “She’s supposed to take care of our house, not me.”
That’s when the moment shifted. Friends and family exchanged glances.
“So, you’re saying you chose to live like that?” I asked. “That you expected me to come home after a difficult labor, with three babies to care for, and clean up the apartment?”
Friends and family exchanged glances.
“Well…” Sam rubbed the back of his neck.
Sam’s father stood, his face set in a grim expression.
“Sam, we raised you better than this. Posting that about your wife… after she gave birth? Blaming her for a mess you created and left for her to clean up… that’s shameful.”
Sam’s shoulders slumped. He was no longer arguing. He was exposed.
I turned off the TV. It was time to deliver the final blow.
He was no longer arguing.
“We have three daughters now,” I said. “If you won’t do these things for yourself, how are you going to do it for our kids, or is that all on me, too?”
The room went quiet. All eyes were on Sam.
He didn’t reply.
I nodded. “I see… well, if I’m responsible for everything, then why should I keep you when all you’re doing is giving me additional work and stress?”
All eyes were on Sam.
“How can you ask that?” Sam cried. “We’re married… we have a family…”
“That you’re not prepared to do anything for.”
I crossed my arms. “This is what’s going to happen now. I’m taking the girls, and we’re going to stay with my parents. If our family means so much to you, then you’ll do the work to save it. You’ll clean our apartment, and you’ll correct what you posted. Publicly.”
Sam nodded. He had no ground left.
“We’re married… we have a family…”
Later that night, as I settled the triplets in the spare room at my parents’ house, I checked my phone.
A new post from Sam showed him cleaning our home.
The caption read: “I was wrong. I disrespected my wife when she needed me most. The mess was mine, not hers.”
I exhaled. Did I know if this would fix things? No.
I checked my phone.
Did I know if Sam would actually change, or if this was just damage control? No idea.
But here’s what I did know: I wasn’t going to be humiliated again.
And if you’re wondering whether I felt bad about ambushing him like that, here’s my answer: not even a little bit.
Sometimes you have to make people uncomfortable before they’ll actually listen.
I wasn’t going to be humiliated again.