My tale begins a year ago. We were about to celebrate Father’s Day, and I wanted to do something special for my dad, Bob. He was a retired teacher who was 68 years old and had a nice smile. He was also good at gardening.

I’ve known Bob to be nice to me ever since I married his son Jake seven years ago. Emily was 5 years old, and Lucas was 3 years old. Our little family felt complete. I thought a small gift that meant a lot would be great. This small act revealed a secret that almost destroyed my marriage.

My husband Jake was 34 years old. He ran a local hardware store and was a loving, hardworking man.

We fell in love in college, and it was like a storybook. It was good and bad, like any couple. We’ve been having a hard time lately, and I honestly don’t know why.

For Bob’s birthday, I decided to make a personalized photo album with pictures of his grandchildren, Jake, and me. I chose the best pictures for hours and added notes and stickers to make it unique. As I worked on the album, I felt bad that I hadn’t done anything about the problem between Jake and me. But I put those thoughts aside and thought about the gift instead.

It was Father’s Day, so we had a barbecue with Bob. The weather was great, and the kids couldn’t wait to see their grandfather. After dinner, I gave Bob the photo album and watched as he looked through the pages.

Bob smiled and said, “This is great, Laura.” I appreciate it very much.

I replied, “I’m glad you like it, Bob.” I felt good about what I had done.

As the night went on, Bob and Jake talked on the porch. I joined them so I could enjoy the quiet.

Then Bob said something that absolutely shocked me.

“You know what? Jake, I like how you dealt with Laura. You did the right thing even though it was hard. Whenever Jake looked at me with worry, I got a knot in my stomach.

“Tell me what you know.” I asked with a shaking voice.

Bob looked at me with eyes that were showing confusion. “Oh, I thought Jake told you,” I told him a few years ago to stand his ground when you two were fighting. It seemed like it would make your marriage stronger.

I felt guilty and angry all at the same time. “What issues? Tell me, what did you say?”

Jake slowed down and took a deep breath. “Dad told me to be firmer about some things, like our money and my time.” He believed you were controlling too much.

I did not believe what I heard. “So all of our fights and the times you didn’t care about how I felt were because of your dad?”

Jake made a slow nod. Because I believed it would benefit us in the long run.

My eyes were getting teary as I stood up. “I truly believe this.” I thought we were just going through a phase, but it turned out you were following your dad’s advice!”

Jake reached out and said, “Laura, please.” “I was sorry if I hurt you.” Feeling good about what I was doing.

Nevertheless, was he really?

Bob looked between us and saw how bad things were. Oh, Laura, I just wanted to help. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.

I blurted out, “Well, you did.” “You almost failed to save our couple.”

After a fight, I ran inside, leaving Jake and Bob on the porch. I could not handle how angry and hurt I felt. I needed some time to think about everything.

I tried not to talk to Jake for a few days after that. I was very angry, but I also felt betrayed. What kind of crazy advice did he take without even talking to me about it?

In the kitchen one night, Jake came up to me. “I need to talk to you, Laura.”

As I took a deep breath, I nodded. In response, “Yes, we do.”

Jake took a seat at the table and looked at me with a sad face. “I did not mean to hurt you.” I thought that what Dad said would help us. Unfortunately, I can now see that I was wrong.

With each step, I sat down across from him, feeling less angry and more sad. “Why did you not tell me about it?”

He told her, “I was scared.” “I did not wish to look weak.” I felt like I needed to be stronger to keep things level.

I told him, “Jake, marriage is about working together, not being in charge.” We should decide what to do together, not based on what someone else says.

He put out his hand and said, “I know.” “I am really sorry, Laura. “I love you and truly fear losing you.”

I looked into his eyes and saw that he was telling the truth.

“Yes, I love you too, Jake.” Nevertheless, we need to fix the broken trust.

It wasn’t easy to fix our relationship again. We started seeing a marriage counselor, who helped us talk to each other more clearly and see things from each other’s points of view. Jake learned to be more honest about how he felt, and I learned to listen without making assumptions.

After a very hard session one day, we sat in the car and held hands. “I’m sorry for everything,” Jake said in a low voice. You can count on me to always be honest with you from now on.

I squeezed his hand and told him, “I believe you.” “However, it will require time.”

He answered, “I know.” “And I’ll do anything to get it done.”

We began to get along again after a few months. We got to spend more time together and talked about our worries and hopes. Bob said sorry again, saying he felt bad for getting in the way. I gave him a chance because I knew he was just trying to help in his own way.

Jake planned a surprise weekend trip for our eighth wedding anniversary.

I realized how far we had come as we watched the sun go down by the lake. Jake said with a teary voice, “Thank you for not giving up on us.”

I put my head on his shoulder and smiled. “Our thanks for your service.”

Our marriage had been put to the test, but we were stronger after it. The journey hurt, but it taught us how important it is to trust, talk, and love each other no matter what.

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