Emily, wait! I havent cheated on you, I swear! Do you want me to swear on my health? On my mothers life?
Kevin rushed down the stairs, shouting after his wife. He didnt care that a few nosy neighbours peeked through their doors, watching the domestic drama with a unhealthy curiosity. He also ignored the soft murmurs of other residents listening at their peepholes.
Emily burst from the entrance hall, leapt into a black cab and sped away. Kevin could only watch her disappear.
It had all begun three months earlier, when Kevins life started to unravel. A colleague with whom he had always kept things strictly professional had suffered a personal tragedya failed pregnancy and a swift divorce. After months of rehabilitation she returned to work, but she was a different woman.
Listen, I cant take this any longer. Shes been after me for a monthcalling at night, texting, even showing up at my flat, Kevin vented, his irritation mounting as he stormed into the directors office.
Mr. Bennett chuckled.
Sometimes a woman falls in love, what can you do? I dont see any crime here, he said.
But I did nothing! We only ever spoke about work. Now my marriage is falling apart because of Lydia, Kevin shouted almost to a point.
What do you expect from me? As far as Im concerned Lydia is fine at work; what happens outside the office isnt my business, the director shrugged.
Kevin hovered on the edge of despair. He had tried to ignore the situation, to pretend everything was normal, but the façade was cracking. Arguments with Emily grew sharper, and Emily began to doubt her husbands fidelity. She couldnt believe a woman could engineer such unmistakable texts, hints and photographs.
Emily, please, I swear I never cheated. It never even crossed my mind, Kevin pleaded.
You think all those messages sound like excuses now? Do you think Im as foolish as a seashell that cant add two and two? Emily replied coolly.
Its all deliberate. I block her number, she writes from another. Paul cant help because Lydias numbers look good on the reports. What can I do? How can I prove Im clean?
I dont know, Kevin. Honestly, Im tired. This has been going on for almost three months and I cant trust you any longer. There are too many coincidences, too many Lydia moments in our life
Stop it! Shes not mine. I dont need her!
I dont know, Kevin. I really dont know
Emily wondered why she could no longer trust him. She had once trusted him without question. The messages, the callseverything lined up like a pattern. How many times had a man openly cheated yet turned his wife into a jealous fool, convincing her that it was all her imagination? She didnt want to become that.
She remembered the night she caught Kevin nervously deleting messages. She never saw what was erased, but she glimpsed him removing some photographs. After that, he began staying late at work, his temper short and his mood closed off.
Maybe Im just paranoid? Emily asked herself.
Lydia acted like a seasoned strategist. Once she had been a gentle, quiet woman who married, went on maternity leave, and then suffered a miscarriage that landed her in hospital. Shed left her husband and drifted back to work, initially behaving as before. Then she started giving Kevin small gesturescompliments in the corridor, a fleeting smilenothing that crossed the line into outright flirtation. Kevin brushed it off.
Soon Lydia stormed into Kevin and Emilys life like a typhoon, tearing away years of builtup trust. They would accidentally meet her in the local supermarket, though she lived in a different suburb. She started going to the same gym as Kevin, intruding on his phone calls with comments like, Youre as cute as a kitten or I made you coffee, why arent you coming over?
One evening Lydia called from a new number, her voice sweet as she claimed a friends phone was dead. Kevin, could you come down? Im stuck and my batterys at two per cent. Please, I need you.
Emily shrugged, feeling she couldnt abandon a stranger in trouble late at night, even if she still trusted her husband. She watched from the window as Kevin descended the stairwell. Lydia threw herself around his neck the moment he appeared. Emilys doubts solidified.
Later that night Kevins phone buzzed. Emily, unable to sleep, read the message and felt a chill run down her spine:
Thanks for coming, otherwise shed have been watching you. Ill be a half hour late tomorrow as we agreed.
Kevin you were supposed to meet a friend tomorrow, Emily whispered, bewildered.
For the first time she replied:
Lets talk in the morning. Im going to sleep now. Ill call you.
His instant reply was almost affectionate: Got it. Ill be waiting. You know Im always here.
Emily sat stunned, unsure what to do. At dawn she decided to stay with her sister for a while, to think things through away from Kevin and Lydia. She began packing quietly.
Kevin awoke to the sound of keys. His phone lay on the pillow. Sensing something wrong, he leapt out of bed, rushed to the front door, and, desperate to stop his wife from leaving, returned to the flat, pacing like a hunted animal. The absurdity of the situation had reached its peak.
Emily ignored his calls. Her sister asked Kevin not to disturb her. Days stretched on endlessly. Kevin knew he had to act, to prove his innocence and win back his wifes trust.
A week later he finally mustered the courage to call Emilys sister and ask for a meeting.
Emily, please give me one chance. I know you dont believe me, but I have something that could change everything. After this meeting youll decide whether we stay together or part forever.
After much pleading, Emily agreed.
They drove in silence. Kevin kept an eye on the road, occasionally glancing sideways at Emily, who tried to read the dimming landscape outside.
Emily, I need to ask you something, Kevin said as he parked outside a modest terraced house. I want to blindfold you. Well walk a short distance. Trust me.
Emily looked at him skeptically but consented. Kevin guided her gently, supporting her elbow. Inside a building, the smell of fresh paint hit Emilys nose.
Are we on a construction site? she asked, uneasy.
Not exactly, Kevin whispered, removing the blindfold. Soft light illuminated an old school sports hallthe very place where their story had started.
In the centre of the hall, on a bench, lay a bouquet of white lilies. Emily froze.
Emily, do you know when I realized I loved you? Kevin asked.
She stayed silent, eyes wandering to the high ceiling.
It wasnt when we first started dating after graduation.
When then? she prompted.
I transferred to this school in Year Ten, remember? I missed a few days and ended up in PE class. I walked in not knowing anyone. In the corner, I saw youblushing after a volleyball match, a bun of damp curls on your head, laughing with that infectious grin. In that instant I knew I was falling for you forever.
Kevins voice trembled as he recalled the courage it took to approach her months later, the gratitude he felt each day for the chance that led him to that hall.
I never betrayed you, he whispered, taking her hands. All these years Ive been yours alone.
A tear slipped down Emilys cheek. She looked into Kevins eyes and saw the same sincerity that had drawn her in years ago.
Im ready to do anythingquit my job, get Lydia out of work, move to another cityjust to prove to you that I never fooled you.
They stood in the old sports hall, the place where love had first sparked, and understood that true love cannot be shattered by jealousy or meddling strangers.
In the end, they learned that trust, once broken, must be rebuilt with honesty, patience, and a willingness to face the past together. Only then can love endure any storm.
