2 weeks before my son’s 5th birthday, my ex called, asked me to pay for her flight, and let her stay with us. I wasn’t thrilled but said yes just for my son. I thought it was a good thing.

When she came, I overheard her on the phone and felt my blood boil: she hadn’t been shopping for a birthday present that morning. She had been at a job interview. Turns out, our son’s birthday was just an excuse for her.

I asked her about it. She kind of shrugged and said, “Yeah, I had a quick interview this morning. I didn’t think it was a big deal.” I asked her point-blank if she used me to get a free trip for the interview.

She tried to brush it off, saying, “I figured I could do both. See my son and take care of this opportunity. What’s the problem?” I was so angry that I told her to pack her things right away and go. She didn’t even try to say anything, just took her bag and left.

That night, my son asked where his mommy was. I told him she had to leave because of an emergency, and he cried so, so much that I started to question if I had made the right decision.

I agreed to let her stay for him, thinking it was the right thing to do. But now, I couldn’t ignore the feeling of betrayal. She did this to her own son. She doesn’t care about him, so why should it matter if she stayed another week? Or does it?