A Fortune Teller Convinced Me to File for Divorce – Then I Overheard Her Say, ‘She Totally Fell for It’

I never believed in fortune-telling. Chalk it up to a childhood steeped in practical advice and hard realities. “Make your own luck,” my dad always said, and I took it to heart.

But when Claire, my best friend since college, stared me down with those big, imploring eyes and insisted I needed a change, I caved.

Things with Mark, my husband, had been… tense, to put it mildly. More arguing. Less connection. A general sense that we were orbiting different planets. Claire claimed Madame Selene was a game-changer.

“She’s legit, I swear!” she said, waving her wine glass for emphasis. “She knew about my job offer before anyone else. I didn’t even tell Brad.”

I rolled my eyes but agreed, mostly to stop her nagging. The next day, I trudged into Madame Selene’s shop, a gaudy little place squeezed between a nail salon and a pawn shop.

It felt out of place like a relic from a different era, with its peeling paint and hand-painted sign that read, Fortunes Told, Truths Revealed.

The scent of incense punched me in the face the moment I opened the door, a cloying mix of sandalwood and something sweet but sour underneath, like regret bottled up for too long.

“Welcome, child,” a woman draped in scarves and jangling jewelry cooed from behind a heavy velvet curtain. Her voice was thick, and honeyed, like she was used to luring people into her web. I winced.

“Uh, hi. My friend said you’re… good?” My voice sounded unsure even to me, and I instantly hated how weak I felt in her presence.

Selene stepped forward and gestured to a chair across from her, her bangles clinking like wind chimes. “Sit. Let us see what the universe reveals.”

The moment I sat, she leaned forward, her dark eyes glittering in the candlelight as she stared into the crystal ball on the table.

“Your husband is hiding something,” she said, her tone low and conspiratorial.

My stomach clenched involuntarily. “What?”

“A betrayal.” Her words were sharp and deliberate, each one landing like a stone in the pit of my stomach. “I see… an affair. Lies. Heartbreak.”

I laughed, too sharply, trying to cover the gnawing unease creeping up my spine. “Okay, this is ridiculous.”

She didn’t flinch. Her eyes bored into me with unnerving certainty. “Check his phone. You’ll see.”

Her confidence was like a cold hand around my throat. I stumbled through a half-hearted reply and fled the shop, the doorbell jingling mockingly behind me.

Outside, the street felt too bright, too loud, too full of strangers who didn’t know my life had just been tipped on its side.

I tried to shake it off, telling myself she was just a fraud preying on people’s insecurities. But her words followed me like shadows as I headed home.

Every late-night work call, every vague excuse from Mark began looping in my mind. His quiet sighs when he thought I wasn’t looking. The way his phone was always face down on the counter.

By the time I reached the park near our house, I was shaking. What if I’d been blind all along? What if Selene was the real deal and Mark truly was having an affair?

A sudden jolt of panic shot through me. My bag. I’d left it in her shop. Swearing under my breath, I turned back, my steps quick and uneven as the knot in my stomach tightened.

The last thing I wanted was to see her again, but I couldn’t leave my bag there.

When I reached the door, I stopped short. Voices drifted through the crack, low and muffled at first. Then Selene’s voice rang out, cutting through the still evening air like a knife.

“She totally fell for it,” she said, smug and laughing. “She’ll file for divorce any day now.”

My heart slammed in my chest. My hands trembled as I edged closer. Through the narrow opening, I could see her holding a thick stack of cash, her grin wide and gloating. She wasn’t alone, but I couldn’t see who she was talking to.

My stomach churned violently. Was this a setup? But why, and who could be behind it? The answer hit me a moment later.

It had to be Claire. She had insisted I see Madame Selene, but why would she want me to think Mark was cheating on me?

A sickening suspicion churned through my guts. I thought I might throw up right there on the sidewalk, but then I heard footsteps rapidly approaching the door from the other side.

I stumbled back, ducking behind a trash bin. My breath hitched as someone stepped out. I peeked around the corner, expecting to see Claire.

It wasn’t her.

My mother-in-law, Dana, stepped out of Madame Selene’s shop. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

Dana adjusted her coat and glanced around furtively before walking briskly to her car. The shock was like a slap to the face. What was she doing here? And why was she talking to Madame Selene? It took me half an hour to compose myself enough to retrieve my bag.

I spent the rest of the day in a haze of confusion and paranoia. Claire’s phone calls went unanswered. Mark asked if I was okay, and I lied through my teeth. But I couldn’t stop replaying what I’d seen.

Dana had always been… controlling. She disapproved of me from the start. Was she trying to sabotage my marriage?

Finally, I decided to take action. I invited Claire and my mother-in-law over for dinner, masking my motives under the guise of a family night.

The atmosphere was tense from the start. Claire chattered about work, oblivious to my scrutiny, while Dana sat stiff and disapproving, as always. Mark was his usual polite self, but I could see the exhaustion in his eyes.

As we sat around the table, I poured Claire a glass of wine, keeping my tone casual. “Claire, you’ve been to Madame Selene, right? What made you recommend her?”

Claire smiled, taking the glass. “Oh, Dana mentioned her once. She said Madame Selene is great for tough decisions. I figured it couldn’t hurt to suggest her.”

The room went silent. Mark’s eyes darted between us, confusion etched on his face. “Mom, you know a fortune teller?”

His mother stiffened, her smile tightening.

“I might’ve mentioned her in passing. I didn’t think Claire would take it seriously.”

Claire laughed lightly. “Why not? You said she helped you with your marriage trouble.”

My head snapped up, the words ringing in my ears. “Marriage trouble?”

My MIL’s face turned pale. “That’s enough, Claire.”

“No, I want to hear this,” I said sharply, my voice slicing through the tension. “What kind of ‘trouble’ did you talk to her about?”

Mark’s brow furrowed. “Mom, what’s going on?”

She stammered, her composed exterior beginning to crack. “I just… she gave me insight into some issues… it saved my marriage.”

“Really?” I snapped. “Because I overheard you speaking to Madame Selene the day I visited her. You paid her to say Mark was cheating on me and you manipulated Claire to send me to her. Why? What’s your angle?”

Mark’s face darkened. “Mom, is this true?”

Her silence was damning. She shifted uncomfortably, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. My heart raced as the realization hit.

“So, it’s true,” I said, the words heavy in the room. “You wanted me to think Mark was cheating. Why?”

Her glare finally turned on me, her facade crumbling.

“You’re not good enough for my son,” she spat, her voice cold. “You’ve always been a distraction, holding him back. I thought if I could push you two apart, he’d realize it.”

Mark stood abruptly, his chair scraping across the floor. “Mom, stop. This is insane. You tried to ruin my marriage? For what?”

Her face fell, and for once, she was speechless. The truth hung in the air like a storm cloud.

“Mom, you’ve crossed a line,” Mark said.

“Mark, please,” she pleaded. “I’m doing this for you.”

“No.” His voice was cold. “You did this for yourself. You’ve been meddling in my life for years, and I’m done.”

Their argument was brief but fierce and ended with Dana storming out of the house. After she left, Mark turned to me, his anger softening into something else — regret, maybe.

“I’m sorry,” he said, sitting beside me. “I’ve been so focused on work, I didn’t see what Mom was doing. But I swear, none of what Selene said was true. I’ve just been working hard to get a promotion.”

I believed him. It wasn’t a lightning bolt of certainty, but a quiet, steady truth that settled in my chest.

We talked for hours that night, peeling back layers of miscommunication and hurt. In the weeks that followed, Mark and I began rebuilding. His mother’s absence was a relief. With her influence gone, we found our way back to each other.

As for Madame Selene, I made sure the world knew about her little operation. Reviews online, calls to the Better Business Bureau, you name it.

The real victory, though, wasn’t exposing Selene.

It was reclaiming my marriage. We still had work to do, but for the first time in years, it felt like we were a team again. And that was worth everything.

Here’s another story: When Owen’s ex-wife demanded we get rid of our pets and furniture before their estranged kids could visit, tensions exploded. Her attempt to control our home was a step too far, sparking a battle over boundaries, family, and power. Will she succeed in driving a wedge between us?

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.