I Left My Wife in the Restaurant on Our 10th Anniversary – When Her Mom Heard Why, She Suggested I File for Divorce

As we sat down in the restaurant, I turned to Fiona with a question. She looked up, surprised, and said, “Oh, yeah. Just checking something real quick.” I tried not to show my disappointment. This was meant to be our special night, but she seemed far away. The waiter came with menus and smiled. “Would you like to start with our anniversary special? Maybe a bottle of champagne?”

“That sounds great,” I said, smiling at Fiona. “What do you think, honey?” But her eyes were still on her phone. “Hm? Oh, sure. Whatever you want,” she muttered. I sighed and ordered the champagne. When the waiter left, I reached out and touched Fiona’s hand. “Can we put the phones away? It’s our anniversary.”

Fiona looked up, a bit guilty. “You’re right, I’m sorry. It’s just this new video series—”

I stayed calm. “Another prank channel?”

“They’re so funny, Aidan! You have to see these—” she said, eyes bright as she described the latest prank. But I wasn’t listening. My mind went back to the past few weeks, and my stomach tightened.

It had started harmlessly. Fiona showed me funny videos, and we laughed. But soon, she began recreating the pranks at home. She once jumped out from behind the shower curtain, nearly giving me a heart attack. Another time, she put a fake spider in our daughter Nora’s lunchbox, making her cry. Then there was the “broken” glass prank that left our son Callum afraid to touch anything in the kitchen for days. Every time, Fiona laughed it off. “It’s just a joke!” she’d say. “Don’t be so serious!” But I saw the fear in the kids’ eyes and felt constant tension. It wasn’t funny anymore. It was exhausting.

The waiter returned with the champagne. Fiona kept talking, her hands moving as she described some YouTuber’s latest stunt. Suddenly, she stood up. “I need the restroom. Be right back.” I watched her leave, feeling uneasy. Something felt wrong.

A commotion started behind me. I turned and saw Fiona stumbling between tables, clutching her throat. “I can’t breathe!” she gasped, collapsing to her knees. “Help me!”

The restaurant erupted in chaos. People ran to help, shouting for assistance. I sat there, frozen, unable to process it. Then Fiona started laughing. “Just kidding!” she said, standing up. “It was a prank!”

The silence that followed was heavy. Everyone stared at us. Fiona grinned, not noticing the shock on their faces.

“Ma’am, that was very inappropriate,” the manager said, approaching. “You need to leave.”

I stood up, grabbed my coat, and said, “I’m leaving. Without my wife. Get an Uber home.” Fiona’s smile disappeared. “Come on, it was just a joke!”

I didn’t respond or look at her. I left quickly, driving away before she could follow. She needed to pay the bill anyway.

At home, I went to the kids’ rooms. “Pack a bag,” I told Nora and Callum. “We’re going to Uncle Declan’s for a bit.”

An hour later, I knocked on my brother’s door with two sleepy kids. Declan saw my face and opened the door wide. “Guest room’s yours,” he said, taking the bags. “Want to talk?”

I shook my head. “Not tonight. Thanks, bro.”

My phone buzzed non-stop with Fiona’s messages. I ignored them and tried to sleep. The next morning, I saw 37 missed calls and countless texts. “You’re overreacting.” “It was just a joke!” “How could you embarrass me?” “You owe me an apology.”

I threw the phone aside, angry. How could she not see her mistake? The phone rang again. It was Fiona’s mom, Greta. I hesitated before answering. “Aidan! What’s this about leaving Fiona at the restaurant?” Greta’s voice was sharp.

I took a deep breath. “Hi, Greta. It’s not what you think.”

“Oh? Then explain. From here, it looks like you left her on your anniversary. That’s low.”

I rubbed my forehead. “Fiona pulled a bad prank, Greta. She pretended to choke in front of everyone.”

There was a pause. “She did what?”

I explained the night and Fiona’s obsession with pranks. When I finished, Greta was silent. Then she sighed. “Oh, Aidan. I didn’t know it was this serious.”

“Well, now you do.”

“I… I don’t know what to say. If it’s that bad, I wouldn’t blame you for considering a divorce.”

Her words felt like a punch. Divorce? Was it coming to that?

“I don’t know, Greta,” I said. “I need time to think.”

After the call, I sat on the bed, head in my hands. Was this the end? I spent the day in a daze, caring for the kids. By evening, I made a choice. I called Fiona. “Meet me at the restaurant tomorrow at 7 p.m. We need to talk.” She agreed, sounding relieved. I hung up before she said more.

The next evening, I got to the restaurant early. My hands were sweaty as I held the envelope with divorce papers I had prepared. Fiona arrived, looking small and tired. Her eyes were red, hair messy. “Hi,” she said softly, sitting beside me.

“Hi,” I replied, throat tight. We sat in silence for a moment. Then Fiona blurted out, “Aidan, I’m so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you or the kids. I just got carried away with the pranks—”

I raised a hand to stop her and slid the envelope across the table. Fiona’s hands shook as she opened it. Her eyes widened.

“No,” she whispered, tears falling. “Please, Aidan, no. We can fix this. I’ll stop the pranks. Please don’t leave.”

I let her cry for a moment. Then I took a deep breath. “It’s a prank,” I said softly.

Fiona’s head snapped up. “What?”

“The divorce papers. They’re fake. It’s a prank.”

Her mouth opened and closed. I leaned in. “This is how it feels, Fiona. Your pranks make us feel scared, hurt, betrayed. Is this what you want for us?”

Her face crumpled. “No,” she sobbed. “God, no. I’m sorry, Aidan. I didn’t realize…”

I reached out and held her hand. “I love you. But this has to stop. No more pranks. Ever. Can you promise that?”

She nodded, squeezing my hand. “I promise. No more pranks. I’ll delete those videos. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

I exhaled, feeling a weight lift. “Okay,