I caught lorry-driver lover on a rat run
Tired of waiting for answers, it was time to sniff out the truth for myself
Reaching for my phone, my tummy flipped as a text popped up. I’d like to see you again. Me, too, I replied. Hayden, 51, had caught my eye on a dating site in February 2016. And in the flesh, he’d been every bit as perfect. Good looks, sense of humour, family values. Over our first coffee date, sparks had flown. Now he wanted to meet again, and I was thrilled. Hayden picked me up in his flash Audi, wined and dined me at a fancy restaurant. With his chiselled body and sparkling blue eyes, it made me wonder.
Is he too good to be true?
There were other reasons for my doubt. In the past, I’d had my heart broken by a real charmer. I couldn’t go through it again. But Hayden swept me off my feet. We spent hours on the phone, and things felt so easy, natural. When my kids, Josh, 25, Connor, 20, and Jessica, 16, and my mum Jackie, 71, met him, they all gave him the thumbs up.
‘How about we make this exclusive?’ he asked one evening. ‘I’d like that,’ I said. A lorry driver, Hayden worked long hours.
He stayed with me on weekends, kipping at his in the week.
It worked well for us.
When we were together, things were perfect.
Hayden showered me with gifts, everything from home appliances and flowers, to designer handbags and jewellery.
But our connection was deeper than material things.
As we grew close, I confided my darkest fears.
I begged him, ‘Please don’t cheat on me.’
‘Of course not,’ Hayden promised me. In fact... Pulling out his iphone, Hayden showed me an app he had. Find My Friends. As it turns out, I already had the app on my iphone. He punched in his phone’s details. ‘You’ll always see where I am now,’ he told me. It was reassuring. Our relationship fell into a nice routine of date nights and weekends at mine. In October 2017, Hayden suggested we move in together. I couldn’t have been happier. After my run of bad relationships, I’d finally met The One. But soon, talking about moving in faded. Our romantic dates replaced by evenings in front of the telly. Gone were the endless calls, the thoughtful gifts. If Hayden wasn’t in the gym, he was glued to his work phone. He’d leave the room whenever it rang. ‘What’s going on with you?’ I demanded one day. ‘Nothing babe,’ he shrugged. ‘Just busy with work.’ Months passed and I found myself beginning to doubt Hayden.
Is he really just busy with his work?
I drove myself bonkers thinking it over and over. Lost a stone worrying about
As we grew close, I confided my deepest fears
what was going on.
Then, one evening, I remembered the app on my phone.
Checking it, I saw Hayden was at his place. Just like he’d said. That night, I slept well for the first time in weeks.
I used the app more and more, keeping track of Hayden’s movements day and night.
One day, the app showed Hayden was home. So I decided to surprise him. But when I arrived, he wasn’t at home. Just his phone. Deep in my bones, I knew Hayden was lying to me. I just needed proof. One morning, I couldn’t get hold of him.
When he finally called, I moaned, ‘Where have you been all this time?’
‘At work,’ he snapped. ‘You know that.’
Checking the app, I saw Hayden was telling me the truth.
But an hour later, the red dot started flashing.
Hayden was on the move...
It later came to a stop at an address I didn’t recognise.
Heart racing, I grabbed my car keys. I smelled a rat… Following the tracking device, I drove to a block of flats.
There was Hayden’s car.
Who’s my boyfriend visiting here?
Frantically, I pressed every buzzer by the door till somebody let me in.
Randomly, I started knocking on doors.
At the first one, a blonde woman answered, wearing a dressing gown.
She looked like she’d just got out of bed, hair a mess.
‘Is Hayden here?’ I said, trying it on.
To my surprise, she said, ‘Yes, who are you?’
‘I’m Kellie, his partner. Who the hell are you?’ I shouted.
‘I’m Sarah,’ she stuttered. ‘I’ve been seeing him for seven months.’
Just then, Hayden sheepishly appeared, doing up his trousers.
Turned out they’d met at the gym in November 2017. When he’d stopped talking about us moving in together. Now it all made sense. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘I had no idea about you.’
Hayden leant against the kitchen counter, the colour draining from his face.
Then Sarah explained she’d downloaded the tracker app as well. I’d heard enough. Before walking out, I turned to Hayden.
‘The only thing I asked was that you don’t cheat on me,’ I said, slamming the front door behind me.
As I drove home, tears rolled down my face.
I’d finally let my guard down and now this... I felt so stupid. Hayden begged for another chance, but I couldn’t move past his lies.
Chucking his clothes out the bedroom window, I was done.
I’m glad I caught him, but I’ll never forgive him.
Hayden was my Prince Charming and look how he treated me.
I’ll never trust a man again. I’m done with relationships.
Chucking his clothes out the window, I was done!