This Woman Made Her Husband Sleep On The Couch. Then Tragically, The Next Day, She Found Him Dead
All Englishwoman Ashley Merle wanted to do was spend more time with her hardworking husband. But it ended up coming between them. After a lover’s tip over the contentious topic one night in 2017, she banished her spouse Mikey to sleep on the couch. But to her horror, the next morning she touched his sleeping face to find its stone cold. Ashley screamed and sprinted out of the house in shock. Her partner of almost ten years was dead. Ashley is a 33 year old mother of three from the small town of Wellington, Somerset in the southwest of England, UK. She already had a seven year old daughter, Morgan, when she started a relationship with Mikey back in 2007. Three years later, the couple were married and Mikey adopted Morgan in 2013. The family grew and twin brother and sister Mikey Jr and Lisa were welcomed into the world. But life was not plain sailing for the couple by any means, not with three mouths to feed. Ashley worked as a beauty therapist, while 36 yearold Mikey put in long shifts as a carpet cleaner. In fact, it was not unknown for him to work 16 hours in a row.
However, his punishing workload took its toll on him and eventually, the morale’s relationship. Indeed, it was not just occasionally that the goaloriented. Mikey would find himself working marathon sessions, and Ashley confirmed this to UK tabloid the Daily Mail in July 2017. He would work 16 hours shifts, seven days a week, just so he could save up enough to take us all to Disney every year, she explained. He was so worn out, but he would do anything just to see a smile. But actually, Ashley felt the breadwinner should have been taking things much easier. When the twins were still babies, their dad had injured his back doing weights. In 2014, a subsequent visit to his specialist revealed that he was suffering from spinal arthritis. His wife increasingly felt that Mikey’s Wellbeing was suffering as a result of his condition, coupled with his extraordinary workload, she recalled. The hours he was working were just getting too much. He was so exhausted all the time and he was running himself into the ground. His health was going downhill fast. Regrettably, one night in the middle of 2017, it all came to a head. Mikey returned home from a long shift on May 16, and Ashley thought he looked absolutely exhausted.
When he came home that night, he was a mess, the beautician told the Daily Mail. And then an argument ensued. I couldn’t stand seeing him like that, and I got angry, she added. I was sick of it. Ashley simply could not bear to see her overworked husband so broken, and she wanted to do something about it. All she wanted was to spend more time with him. But paradoxically, the argument drove a wedge between them that night, and what a cruel contradiction it turned out to be. Indeed, tempers grew so hot that Ashley insisted they spent the night apart to cool down. I had a go at him and told him to sleep on the sofa, which was stupid, she told the Daily Mail. So Mikey headed to sleep on the couch. But no one could have predicted what happened next. What Ashley discovered the following morning was utterly horrifying. People say never go to bed on an argument. Having done just that, the next morning, Ashley rose to greet her husband. She left her bedroom and saw Mikey on the sofa, but knew instantly something was not right. She later explained, he was lying exactly where I left him and his face was all discolored.
He looked grey, in fact, Ashley found to her fright that her husband was cold to the touch. The young woman’s instinctual reaction was to recoil in horror and then run from the room in shock. She yelled at Morgan that her father was gone and then ran out of the house, shrieking over and over, Mikey’s dead. Next, the intensity of Ashley’s increasing hysteria caused her to pass out, so concerned neighbors had to bring the poor woman back into the family home. Ashley later recalled the whole nightmare scenario as being completely surreal. But when the ambulance coup arrived, the harsh reality of the situation really hit home. The attending paramedics declared Mikey dead, at which point Ashley completely fell apart. She collapsed to the floor in a faint and vomited. The suddenly widowed woman found herself totally unable to process the information. But sadly, when she did begin to make sense of it, ashley was utterly distraught. At one thought, the fact that the couple’s last ever exchange had been an argument weighed heavily on her mind. I felt so guilty, she admitted to the Daily Mail. I was so angry with myself for making him sleep on the sofa.
Furthermore, Ashley was also to find out the reason Mikey had been working such long hours of late. Heartbreakingly. The husband had been saving up cash to treat Ashley to a surprise vacation in the Czech capital, Prague, for their 7th wedding anniversary. Of course, the Merles never got to celebrate their woolen anniversary anywhere. Mikey’s autopsy revealed that he had choked while he was asleep, but whatever caused that to happen was inconclusive. Nevertheless, Ashley’s fears that her husband’s worrisome workload would have serious consequences was vindicated indeed. She repeated as much to the Daily Mail.
I knew something like this was going to happen. I knew he was doing too much, but you can never prepare yourself for this, she said. Explaining it to the kids has been one of the hardest parts. They kept asking when Daddy was coming home. Now my little boy always asks if we can visit Daddy in heaven. It’s really hard. But now that Mikey has gone, the young mom, 14 year old Morgan, and the four year old twins have had to adapt to a new way of life. And it is fair to say that the process has given Ashley a fresh outlook.
Losing Mikey has changed my entire perspective on life, she maintains. Life is too short to go to bed angry and not to spend every moment you can with your family. And this is the major lesson Ashley has drawn from the whole Sari experience. She has since warned others to learn from the tragedy that befell her, even though it was devastating when her kid asked her where their dad was. The young mom managed to find some comfort from elsewhere in the family while grieving during the incredibly difficult period. Ashley leant on Mikey’s brother Chris for emotional support and the pair of them have grown very close. In fact, having been there for each other during an extremely testing time has resulted in the couple taking things to the next level.
Ashley and Chris’friendship has developed into a romantic relationship and according to a mutual buddy, they are now very happy together. It’s strange how from something so awful, something good can happen, the friend confided to UK tabloid The Sun. Chris has always been a huge support for Ashley and he’s great with the kids. It’s funny how these things work out. Nonetheless, that does not mean the widow is fine with her loss.
She said, Some days are easier than others and I think I’m doing okay. But then a day comes along where every little thing is a reminder. There can be no doubt that what happened to Ashley was utterly devastating. But everyone who knows her story will be reminded of something very important. You never know what is around the corner in life. So make the most of every last second and always keep your loved ones close.