Reddit Stories - Partner INSISTED that the mark on her neck RESULTED from COLLIDING with a

Episode Date: November 1, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #relationships #conflictresolution #partnerissues #neckinjury #accident  Summary: Partner INSISTED that the mark on her neck RESULTED from COLLIDING with a mysterious object. Doubts arose when conflicting stories emerged, leading to a heated debate about truth and trust.  Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, relationships, conflictresolution, partnerissues, neckinjury, accident, trustissues, mysteriousobject, truthdebate, conflictingstories, heatedargument, relationshipdrama, markonherneck, mysteriousmark, truthandtrust, relationshipconflict, partnerdisagreementBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Partner insisted that the mark on her neck resulted from colliding with a wardrobe at the office during overtime, prompting me to enlist the services of a detective. The information uncovered by the investigator had devastating consequences. Marriages and two careers overnight. My girlfriend and I have been together three years. Lately, she's been working late constantly, and a lot of things just aren't adding up. I'm starting to get a really bad feeling about it.

Some things just feel off lately. She started guarding her phone like Fort Knox. She used to leave it around, now it's always on her, silenced, and face down. There are frequent last-minute overtime evenings or late work meetings popping up, often multiple times a week. This was never a thing before. Little inconsistencies have crept into her stories. For example, she said she was stuck late helping on a project deadline, but a co-worker friend

mentioned the project was finished last week. When I asked her about it later, she just mumbled something and changed the subject. She's been more distant at home. We barely have date nights anymore because she's exhausted, and even our usual Netflix and chill routine has dwindled. I initially thought maybe she was just stressed or tired from work, but my gut says it's more than that. And then tonight happened, the biggest red flag yet. She came home around 11.30 p.m., supposedly from the office, and I noticed a faint purplish mark on her neck, right near her collarbone. It definitely looked like a hickie. When I pointed it out, she immediately brushed it off, like, oh, that. It's from bumping into a cabinet at work. I just stared at her, because come on.

A round bruise on her neck from a cabinet? I asked how on earth a cabinet hit her there and she got really defensive. She insisted it was just an accident while cleaning the supply room, and then acted offended that I didn't believe her. I didn't push it further right then. I was this close to calling BS, but I backed off because I honestly don't have any proof and I didn't want to spark a huge fight without evidence. She went to take a shower, conveniently avoiding more questions, and I'm now sitting here with my mind racing. That mark 100% looked like a hickie to me. Her story makes no sense, and combined with all the sketchy late nights. I'm really starting to think she might be cheating on me. The worst part is I don't even know who it could be. She does have a

work best friend, I'll call him Mark M., around our age. I've met him a few times at happy hours and group hangouts and he seemed like a nice, normal guy, he's married, even introduced me to his wife at a company party once. I never thought anything of their friendship, but now this nagging feeling in my gut is wondering if something could be going on there. He's the person she's always mentioning from work, and I realize now a lot of these late nights she's attributed to working on projects with Mark. Of course, it could be someone else entirely or I could be paranoid. But I don't think I am. I haven't looked through her phone or done any spying yet. I really don't want to be that guy, but I also don't want to be an idiot with my head in the sand.

I feel stuck because if I accuse her and I'm wrong, I'll look like a jealous jerk. But if I ignore this and she is cheating, then I'm the fool. So yeah, I'm turning to you all for advice. How do I handle this? Do I confront her outright about my suspicions? Do I try to gather proof first, and how? I've never dealt with anything like this before. The cabinet hickie excuse is just ridiculous and I don't buy it at all, but she's doubling

down. I don't have concrete proof of cheating, just a bunch of red flags. Any suggestions on what to do next? I love this girl and the idea that she might be running around with someone else, maybe even that coworker friend, is making me feel sick. I'm not about to accuse her without evidence, but I also don't want to ignore my gut. I could really use some outside perspective here. Update 1, the overwhelming advice was, get solid proof before doing anything.

A lot of you suggested things like checking her phone, showing up at her work, or even hiring a private investigator. I decided to go the pie route, since I wanted something I could 100% count on and I honestly didn't trust myself to stay rational if I tried to catch her on my own. I found a licensed private investigator through a friend of a friend. We met and I gave him all the info, my girlfriend's work schedule. her routines, the specific days she'd claimed to work late recently, and yes, I mentioned the coworker Mark that I had a hunch about. The Pi agreed to follow her on a couple of those

evenings. Well, I just got the Pye's report back, and it's pretty much the worst-case scenario. He caught everything. The highlights of what he found. She and Mark have been meeting at hotels. On two of the nights she told me she was working late, the Pye followed her from her office to a hotel across town. He got time stamps and photos of them checking into a room together. One of those nights was the very Tuesday she claimed to have a late client meeting. Instead, there's a photo of her and Mark in the hotel parking lot, with his arm around her. There were dinner dates too. Another time, the pie saw them meet up at a restaurant after work. They had a cozy dinner in a corner booth, then drove in Mark's car to yet another hotel. The pie snapped a picture of them making out

next to his car in the parking lot. So much for just co-workers. It's been going on for months. Based on the evidence, different dates, the pies notes, etc., this affair didn't just start last week. It looks like it's been happening regularly for at least four months. Possibly longer, but there's solid proof of meetup spanning the last eight weeks. So yeah, I have all the proof I needed and then some. When I saw the photos, my heart just sank and my blood boiled. It's one thing to suspect, but seeing it spelled out in images was brutal. On the plus side, it meant I could confront her with zero wiggle room for BS. Confrontation went down last night.

I waited until she got home, around 7 p.m., normal time for once, and I told her straight up, we need to talk now. She looked a bit alarmed by my tone. We sat down in the living room and I just came out with, I know you haven't been working late. I know you've been seeing Mark outside of work. At first she played dumb, what are you talking about? Mark is just a friend. I expected that.

That's when I pulled out my phone and showed her one of the Pye's photos, the clearest one of her and Mark kissing by his car. Her eyes went huge and she went silent, like she'd seen a ghost. I said, do you want to explain this to me? She started with It's Not What It Looks Like. Classic cheater line. I told her it looks like exactly what it is, her meeting up with Mark, a married man, at a hotel and making out with him. Unless she has some insane explanation like they were rehearsing a play

or it's her long-lost twin in the photo, there's no wriggling out of this. At that point, the floodgates opened. She started crying and apologizing. saying she was so sorry that I had to find out this way. But then she kept insisting that it was only an emotional affair. According to her, yes, she developed feelings for Mark and they were hanging out outside of work, but she swears they never slept together. She claims they did kiss, can't deny the photo, but allegedly it didn't go further than that physically. She kept saying we just needed a private place to talk, that's why we got a hotel room, nothing happened.

and that my friends was the dumbest shit I have ever heard to date. I told her I do not believe that for a second. Two grown adults do not carry on a secret affair for months, sneak away to hotels, make out in cars, and then draw the line at just talking. It's absurd. She tried to maintain that lie for a bit, but eventually she admitted that it only happened a few times.

Which basically confirms that it did happen, she was a complete mess at this point, crying, saying she never meant to hurt me, that I've been an amazing boyfriend, blah, blah, blah. Then she started trying to explain why it happened. According to her, she and Mark just grew close working together and he understood her and they clicked. She said she'd been feeling lonely because I've been so busy with my own work, for context, I have been extra busy the last few months, which is true, but not to the point of neglecting her from my perspective. She basically tried to put some of the blame on the fact that I wasn't around as much or that I was emotionally distant. I shut that down real quick. I told her nope,

her feeling a bit lonely is no excuse to start sneaking around with Mark. She had plenty of options, talk to me about how she felt, suggests couples therapy, hell, even break up with me if she truly wasn't happy. But cheating and lying for months is not how a mature adult handles things. She made that choice, and that's on her. She then tried to pivot to saying Mark had been having problems in his marriage and she was supporting him and one thing led to another. Again, not an excuse for what she did. I asked if Mark's wife knows any of this.

She said no, he always told her he'd handle his situation in his own time. In other words, he was stringing her along with promises that he'd leave his wife, I'm guessing, by this point, I'd heard enough. I told her straight up that she broke my trust and I don't see any way back from this. She kept begging me to please, please not make any decisions right now and to give her a chance to prove she can fix this. She actually asked if we could do couples counseling. I laughed a bit and said, Are you serious? You want me to go to counseling with you while you're still lying to my face about sleeping with another man?

No chance. I was honestly calmer than I expected, probably because I had to be. had days to stew on this while the pie did his thing. Mostly, I was just tired. I told her I'm going to crash at a friend's place for a bit because I can't even look at her right now. I packed a quick bag, told her not to contact me unless it's something important, and I left. So that's where things stand. I'm at my buddy's house for the last day or so, trying to process all of this. I haven't officially broken up with her in a clear-cut we are done statement, but it's honestly where my head is at.

I just need a little time to cool off and plan stuff. We share an apartment, finances, etc. I'll update again when I've sorted out the next steps. To everyone who told me to trust my gut and get evidence, thank you. You all were spot on. This sucks, but at least I know the truth now and I'm not going to live in denial. Update 2. Well, I've had a bit of time to collect myself, and there's no easy way to put this.

I broke up with her. It's done. I think it was basically done the moment I saw those photos, but I needed a couple days to get my affairs in order, no pun intended, and figure out how to actually leave myself. I went back to the apartment while she was at work, or wherever, with a couple of friends to help, and I packed up all my essential stuff. I've officially moved out and am staying with a close friend for now. We're both on the apartment lease, but I told her she can take over it or will work out ending it early, I honestly don't care, I just want it out of there. I took anything truly mine, furniture I bought, etc., and left her the rest. She didn't contest it, in fact, she wasn't there, which made it way easier for me.

I left my keys on the kitchen counter along with a short note basically saying, I'll come back for the rest of my stuff later. We're done. Do not contact me unless it's about logistics. Maybe not the most gentle note ever, but I think I'm past the point of worrying about niceties. Since then, she has been contacting me, a lot, actually, but none of it about logistics. She's been calling and texting every day, multiple times. At first I ignored most of it, but I did answer one of her calls late at night, mostly out of morbid curiosity. She was sobbing on the phone, saying she made the biggest mistake of her life and that she's so sorry. She said she doesn't even know why she did it, that she's felt so awful since I left.

She kept saying she loves me and that she'll do anything to fix this. I listened silently for a while, and then calmly told her it's over and she needs to accept that. That only made her cry more, and then she started talking about Mark, how he was just using me and nothing he said was real. She basically threw him under the bus, not that I care. According to her, Mark had told her all these sweet nothings like he'd leave his wife for her, that he and his wife were basically finished, etc. as she admitted that she fell for it and thought he genuinely wanted a future with her.

But as soon as everything blew up, he totally ghosted her. She said he's been avoiding her at work and he won't return any of her calls or texts now. I can't say I'm surprised. Of course a cheating married dude is going to run for cover when things get messy. He got what he wanted and now he's trying to save his own skin. She sounded absolutely miserable about it on the phone, like not only did she lose me, but she realizes this guy she blew up her life for isn't even there for her.

I'll be honest, a part of me internally was like, well, what the hell did you expect? But I didn't even have the energy to say that. I just told her, I'm sorry you're hurting, but you did this to yourself. I didn't do this to you, you did. She kept saying she knows and she's an idiot and she regrets it all. She even actually said, he told me he was going to leave his wife for me. I was so stupid to believe it, and I wish I could take it back.

I just replied, yeah, you were stupid. I hope it was worth it, because you threw us away for nothing. Probably not the kindest response, but I was not feeling particularly sympathetic at that moment. I did also add that even if Mark had left his wife, what did she think would have happen. That I'd just stick around as plan B? The whole situation is absurd. After that, I basically told her I had to go and hung up. She texted me a wall of text afterward. Basically an essay of apologies and self-loathing and more pleased to talk. I didn't respond. I've made myself clear. There's no fixing this. I think she's finally starting to realize that I truly am done,

but she's still trying every avenue. She even emailed me a handwritten letter, like took a photo of a letter she wrote, where she professes her love and says she'll never forgive herself and will wait for me if there's even a 1% chance in the future. It's all very dramatic. I haven't replied to any of that. On the practical side of things, we've communicated just a little about the lease and bills. She's agreed to take over the next month's rent while we figure out how to formally remove me from the lease. I think she knows she's in no position to argue after what she did. Luckily, we never merged finances or anything, so it's mostly just splitting up a few shared accounts, streaming services, phone plan, etc.,

which I've already started transferring. I made sure to change all my passwords too, just in case. So the untangling is going relatively smoothly, all things considered. Emotionally? It's a mixed bag, but I'm hanging in there. Anger has been outweighing the sadness for now, which frankly makes it easier to move on. I have moments where it really hits me, like, wow, three years down the drain just like that. But then I remember the image of her and Mark together, and any thought of missing her just

gets replaced by anger and disappointment. I'm leaning on friends and family, who have been amazing. I'm honestly blessed with the people in my life. My buddy whose couch I'm crashing on has been a saint listening to my rants and keeping his stocked with beer. My mom knows something went down, I told my parents a PG version of events, and she's been supportive too, albeit in full I never liked that girl anyway mode now. So yeah, I'm single now, crashing at a friend's place, and in the process of moving on with life. It's rough, but I'll survive. There's absolutely zero chance I'll ever take her back.

I told her that plainly. Cheating is an instant deal breaker for me, no matter how much someone begs. She made her choice, now she can live with it. Thanks again to everyone who gave me advice and perspective. It really helped me stick to my guns. I'll update again if anything noteworthy happens, the way things are going, the drama might not be over yet. But if not, I'll just say I'm glad I found out now and not later. On to better things. Side note, some of y'all suggested I let Mark's wife know about the affair. I haven't done that yet. Still debating it, part of me feels like it's the right thing to do.

Another part of me is exhausted and just wants to wash my hands of this whole mess. I might see how things play out a bit, but I haven't forgotten about her. She deserves to know the truth, I agree. I'm just trying to get through one day at a time here, update three. Time for another update, and oh boy, the drama did continue, just not directly with me this time. goodness. If the last update was the fall out of our relationship, this one is the fall out of their workplace situation. It's a mess, though a somewhat satisfying one. So, remember Mark avoiding my ex at work and basically ghosting her? That situation blew up spectacularly.

I heard about most of this through acquaintance who still works with them, let's call him Dan, as well as a bit from my ex herself via a final text she sent. Here's what went down. Apparently my ex did not take being cast aside quietly. She tried to talk to Mark at work multiple times, and he kept giving her the cold shoulder. Finally, about a week ago, she straight up confronted him in the office after hours. From what Dan told me, they ended up having a huge shouting match in one of the conference rooms. This is after most people had left, but a few were still around and heard everything. Mark was basically telling her to leave him alone and that she needed to move on.

She, on the other hand, was yelling that he promised to leave his wife for her and that he lied to her and used her. So yeah, their private dirty laundry got aired in front of a couple co-workers. Not a great look in a professional environment. Security actually had to escort them out because the argument was so heated. And of course, HR got wind of the whole thing almost immediately. The company doesn't officially have a rule against co-workers dating, though Mark is married, that's not a a work policy issue per se, but causing a scene at work is definitely a problem. The end result,

my ex-girlfriend got fired. According to Dan, management decided that her behavior was inappropriate and disruptive enough to terminate her. She was relatively lower on the totem pole and, to be blunt, easier to cut loose. Mark, as far as I know, did not lose his job. I'm sure he's in hot water and likely got a serious warning, but he's been with the company longer and I suspect tried to play it off as she wouldn't leave me alone and she went crazy. My ex actually texted me using Facebook. Apparently I hadn't blocked her there yet. Fuck me, after this happened.

A message basically saying she got fired because of Mark and asking if I'd talk to her because she's going through a really hard time. She literally wrote, I lost everything because of him and I don't know what to do. It's like she's still not fully connecting that her own choice is led here. Sure, Mark is a scumbet. too, but no one forced her to cheat or to freak out on him at work. I didn't give her much beyond a short response. I told her I'm sorry she's going through a tough time, but I am not

the person to comfort her. I suggested she lean on family or non-me friends. Basically, I shut down any notion of meeting up or talking further. I have sympathy for the fact that she's in a rough spot, but that's literally because of her. I wasn't cruel, I just maintained a boundary. She replied once more apologizing for everything and said she understands. And that's the last I've heard from her in a few days. I think she's finally going to leave me B now. In summary, here's where things stand for her. She destroyed her relationship, with me, her affair blew up in her face,

Mark bailed on her, and now she's destroyed her job as well. The trifecta of self-inflicted losses. To top it off, she had to move out of our apartment. Obviously after I left, she was on her own paying the rent, and without a job now, that wasn't going to last. She ended the lease and has moved back in with her parents two hours away. Dan told me her desk at work has been cleared out and someone heard she left town. She pretty much noped out of the city in shame. I don't revel in someone losing their livelihood, but I'd be lying if I said it doesn't feel a bit like poetic justice. She chose to have an affair

with a coworker and then chose to cause a meltdown at work when it fell apart. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, I guess. As for Mark, he's still employed, for now, but his life isn't exactly peachy either. From what I gather, everyone at the office knows some version of what happened. Rumors are all over. He's keeping his head down, but apparently a lot of colleagues lost respect for him. Dan says people gossip about how he cheated on his wife and basically ruined a co-worker's career. Even if management didn't fire him, he's definitely tarnished there. And frankly, I wouldn't be shocked if he quietly exits the job in the near future.

Office scandal like that tends to follow you, now, the big piece of the puzzle still unresolved, Mark's wife. To my knowledge at this point, she still hasn't been directly told by anyone about the affair. It's hard to say if she suspects something or if rumors have reached her. My exes blow-up at work didn't involve the wife directly, and I doubt Mark went home and fessed up voluntarily. So I'm guessing she's still in the dark, which really sucks. After seeing how everything went down, I've pretty much decided I will let Mark's wife know myself. I know I wavered on this in my last update, but seeing neither of those two cheaters have the decency to come clean to her.

Yeah, she deserves to know. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just let her be lied to. I have all the evidence ready. I'm going to reach out to her soon. I actually found her contact on Facebook but haven't hit send yet. I will, though. That will likely be the final shoe to drop, and I'll update one last time once I've done it. I'm not doing it out of revenge, okay, maybe a tiny bit of petty satisfaction. I'm human, mostly I just feel she should know what kind of man she's married to.

She didn't deserve any of this. Mark doesn't deserve to get off Scott Free on the home front after the chaos he caused. On my end, I'm doing. Okay, actually. It's weird to say, but once I got past the initial shock and anger, I've been feeling more at peace. The more crap that happens to them, the more it reaffirms that I made the right choice to walk away. My life is actually drama-free now, and I'm appreciating that fact. I wake up, go to work, hang with friends, hit the day.

gym, play video games, whatever, and no knots in my stomach. No wondering what lie I'm being told today. It's a relief. I've started looking for a new apartment of my own. Crashing with my buddy has been great and I'm super grateful, but I'm itching to have my own space again. That's my next project, setting up a new home base for my new single life. In the meantime, I'm just taking it day by day. My friends have been dragging me out to socialize on weekends, which has been fun and reminds me that life goes on. Anyway, I'll be back with one final update once I've spoken to Mark's wife and let that situation play out. Almost there, folks. Thank you again for all the support and for following along this wild ride. It's been cathartic to share, and I genuinely

appreciate the straight talk and encouragement from this community. Update 4. Hey everyone, to tie up the loose ends with a final update. A bit has happened since the last post, and I'm happy to report that karma did indeed come full circle. Shortly after my last update, I went through with informing Mark's wife about the affair. A lot of you urged me to do it and I agreed she deserved the truth. I ended up sending her a message on Facebook. I found her profile through a bit of sleuthing. We have no direct connection, but I kind of knew her name from when I met her at a work event long ago. My message was respectful and brief. I said I was a stranger to her, but I had critical information about her husband, Mark. I mentioned that I had been in a

relationship with someone who worked with Mark, and I discovered they'd been having an affair. I offered to provide proof and left my cell number, suggesting a call might be easier to discuss. She called me the next day. That was one of the harder conversations I've had, telling a nice lady that her husband has been cheating on her with my ex. She was actually very composed at first, which kind of surprised me. I basically gave her the rundown, the time frame, at least four months that I know of, the fact that they met up at hotels, so yes, it was physical, and that I had photo evidence from a pie. She didn't cry on the phone or anything. She went quiet for a bit, then asked me to send whatever proof I had to her email. I emailed her all the incriminating

photos and even a screenshot of a text my ex had sent me ages ago mentioning she was out with Mark, just more context. When she got the evidence, that's when her emotions poured out. She thanked me through tears for telling her. She said I had a feeling something was off, but I never had proof and he swore everything was fine. She also told me this wasn't the first time Mark had crossed lines in their marriage. Apparently, there were a couple of prior incidents of inappropriate texting with female co-workers, but he'd always downplayed those and promised to change. This was the final straw for her. I mostly just listened and reiterated that I was sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I thought she should know. We ended the call on as positive a note as possible. I wished her

the best and she did the same for me. Well, that info hit Mark's life like a nuclear bomb, as it should. A week later, Mark himself actually sent me a text basically saying, I hope you're happy, You told my wife and now she's leaving me. Was this revenge? You've ruined my life, dude. L.O.L. I didn't engage with him beyond a one-line reply. No, you ruined your life. I just told the truth.

Now leave me alone. Then I blocked his number. Through the grapevine, Dan, and company, I've learned that Mark's wife indeed kicked him out and is filing for divorce. Apparently she's already met with a lawyer. She's not messing around. Good for her. I also heard Mark is on thin ice at work now too, not necessarily because he had an affair.

The company doesn't police that outside of how it affected the workplace, but because the whole ordeal and his now upcoming divorce have become a huge distraction. He's taking a bunch of personal days and seems to be a complete wreck at the office when he is there. There are even rumors he's looking to transfer or quit. In short, his personal and professional life are in shambles. I can't say I have any pity left for the guy. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, he earned this. As for my ex-girlfriend,

I don't have much new info on her since she moved away. I know through a mutual friend that she's living at her parents' place and trying to reset. She's apparently looking for new jobs in a different field, maybe because her old industry in our city is a small world and her reputation took a hit. We haven't spoken at all since that last text I mentioned in Update 3. I have her blocked on everything now. Last I heard, she's been pretty depressed about how everything turned out. I'm not gloating over that, I do hope she sorts herself out and maybe learns from this disaster. But that's no longer any concern of mine.