I reached for my sleeping husbands phone to check the time and saw a notification that shattered my world.
«No, Mrs. Thompson, its impossible! I cant take leave nowwe have the quarterly reports, and the tax inspection is looming!» Emily nervously shuffled papers on her desk, avoiding her bosss gaze. «Please, ask someone else!»
«Who else?» The stern woman in the tailored suit leaned over the desk. «Marys on maternity leave, Sarahs off with a sick child, and Olivia would just mix up the paperwork! Youre the only one who can handle this branch audit!»
«But my sons ill, my mother cant come to help, and my husbands always away,» Emily felt a lump rise in her throat. «I physically cant go to Manchester for a week!»
«I dont care about your personal problems!» Mrs. Thompson snapped. «Either go on the business trip or hand in your resignation. Choose!»
Emily left the office feeling utterly powerless. In the corridor, her colleague Jessica caught up with her.
«Rough meeting?» she asked sympathetically. «I heard the shouting.»
«Understatement,» Emily sighed. «I dont know what to do. James is only just recovering from pneumonia, and Davids in Edinburgh for work. How am I supposed to manage everything?»
«What about your mother-in-law? Could she help with James?»
Emily gave a bitter laugh.
«Oh, sure. Margaret thinks grandchildren are solely the mothers responsibilityhers is just to criticise how I raise him. No thanks.»
Back at her desk, Emily mechanically sorted through files, but her mind was elsewhere. Thirty-eight years old, and still torn between work, her child, and home. And David was never around when she needed him most.
That evening, after putting James to bed, Emily collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted. Her head throbbed. She dialled Davids number, but he didnt answerprobably in another meeting. Fifteen years of marriage had taught her to expect his constant travel and late nights, but sometimes the loneliness was unbearable.
When he finally called back, his voice was weary.
«Hello, love. Sorry I missed your callits been madness here.»
«David, Ive been assigned a business trip,» she said bluntly. «A week in Manchester. James isnt well enough for nursery. Can you come home?»
A pause. Then
«Em, you know I cant. Weve got a deadline in two weeks. Id love to, but»
«But you cant,» she finished. «As usual.»
«Dont start,» he snapped. «Im not swanning about on holidayIm working my arse off to provide for this family!»
«So am I!» she shot back. «Yet somehow, I also raise our son, run the house, do your laundry, cook your meals»
«Not now, Emily,» he cut in. «Im dead on my feet. Maybe your mum can come? Or ask Hannah next doorshe could watch James after school.»
«Easy for you to say,» Emily whispered, tears pricking her eyes. «Fine. Ill figure it out. Like always.»
After hanging up, she stared blankly at the telly, hollow inside. When had their life become this? When had they stopped being a team and turned into two exhausted strangers barely sharing a roof?
The next three days blurred past. Emily delayed the trip by a week, convinced her mother to come from Kent to watch James. David was due back Saturday nightjust before she left for Manchester.
On Friday, Emily worked late, prepping documents. Her mother dozed in the lounge; James slept soundly. When her phone buzzed, she jumped.
«Em, its me,» David sounded guilty. «Bad newsIm stuck here another two days. Unforeseen issues with the project.»
«What?» Her stomach dropped. «David, I leave Sunday! We agreed!»
«I know!» he groaned. «But theres no choice. Either I stay and fix this, or we all lose bonuses. Thats thousands, Em.»
«And what about me? Am I supposed to drag our sick child to Manchester?» she hissed, keeping her voice low.
«Your mums already therejust extend her stay. Ill be back Tuesday, promise.»
«Mums seventy-one, David! She can barely walk with her arthritis!» Emily gripped the phone until her knuckles whitened. «Shes got a doctors appointment Mondaybooked two months ago!»
«Ask Hannah, then! Or hire a sitter for two days!» His patience frayed. «Figure it out, Em! I cant be in two places at once!»
«But I can?» Her voice cracked. «Im always the one juggling, fixing, solving! When was the last time you took charge of James? The house? Me?»
«I work like a dog so you both have everything!» he exploded. «So James wants for nothing! What more do you want?»
«To have you here,» she whispered, tears falling. «Just here, when we need you. But I guess thats too much.»
She hung up and buried her face in her hands. What now? Call Mrs. Thompson and refuse the triprisking her job? Leave James with her frail mother? Hire a stranger?
Exhausted, she dozed fitfully at the desk. She woke stiff-necked at 2:30 a.m. and stumbled to bed, realising shed left her phone downstairs. Davids phone sat charging on the nightstandhed forgotten it in his rush to the «Edinburgh site.» They used the same charger, so it was fully charged.
«Just need to check the time,» she thought, picking it up. The screen lit up2:37and a notification flashed.
«Last night was perfect. Cant wait to see you tomorrow, same time. Kisses, L x»
Emily froze, rereading the message until the words blurred. Her fingers went numb; her chest caved in. Not David. Not her Davidthe man shed built a life with, raised a child with.
Hands shaking, she unlocked itthe passcode was Jamess birthday. His messages showed work chats, her own texts and a thread with «L.» The messages left no doubt. David had been seeing this woman for six months. His «business trips» were often lies. Right now, he wasnt in Edinburghhe was here, in London, with her.
Emily sank onto the bed, numb. Fifteen years of marriagefifteen years of lies. She remembered meeting Davida young architect with big dreams. Their modest wedding, their honeymoon in Cornwall, Jamess birth. Every hardship she thought theyd faced together.
The messages included photos. Emily forced herself to open one. A woman in her thirtieslong auburn hair, striking makeup. Beautiful. Far more than Emilytired, greying, wrinkled.
She looked in the mirror. When had she become this exhausted ghost of herself? When had she forgotten she was more than just a mother and wife?
Another notification. «No reply? Asleep, I guess. Sweet dreams, darling x»
Rage surged. How could he? Her first instinct was to call himscream, destroy him as hed destroyed her. But she stopped. No. This needed to be face-to-face.
Instead, she called her best friend.
«Hannah? Sorry its late. Can you watch James tomorrow? I need to go away urgently.»
«Em? Whats wrong?» came the groggy reply.
«Ill explain later. Its family stuff.»
She packed a bag, mind eerily clear. She had the addressfrom his messages. A flat in central London, rented for «business meetings.» Now she knew the real purpose.
At dawn, leaving James with her mum and Hannah en route, she took a taxi. The driver eyed her pale face but stayed silent.
The building was a high-end new development with security. She gave Davids name»Mrs. Dawson»and was waved through. The lift ride to the twelfth floor made her knees weak. What would she say? What came after?
The door opened to «L»the woman from the photo. Silk robe, tousled hair. Fresh. Glowing. She frowned.
«Can I help you?»
«Emily Dawson. Davids wife.» She stepped forward, forcing the woman back. «Mind if I come in?»
The flat was sleekmodern furniture, designer touches. Two wine glasses on the table. A shirt on the sofaone shed bought David.
«You must be Lauren,» Emily noted the «L.W.» monogram on a towel.
«Yes,» Lauren crossed her arms. «Look, I dont know what to say. I never meant»
«To wreck a marriage?» Emily laughed bitterly. «Funny how that happens.»
«David said you were only staying together for James. That youd already agreed to divorce.»
«Classic cheaters lie. And you believed him?»
«I fell in love with him,» Lauren admitted. «Hes so attentive. Makes time for meeven leaves work early.»
Each word stung. For her, David never had time.
«Do you even know the real David?» Emily asked softly. «The one who forgets birthdays, misses school plays, cant name my favourite meal. Who promises to be there but always vanishes.»
Silence. Emily scanned the roomtheir photo on the mantel, his clothes in the wardrobe, slippers by the sofa.
«How long?»
«Seven months.»
«And all this time, he came home, smiled at me, hugged our son, pretended everything was fine,» Emily shook her head. «I thought he was just tired. I even saw a therapisttried to fix us.»
Lauren looked almost pitying. «Im sorry. I didnt know»
The door opened. David stood there, flowers in hand, groceries at his feet. He froze.
«Emily? What?»
«Meet the other woman?» she asked coldly. «Turns out you do have time for dinners, overnight staysjust not with your family.»
He set the bags down. «I can explain»
«Dont bother. I saw your texts. Left your phone at home, rushing to Edinburgh.»
David ran a hand through his haira gesture shed once loved.
«I was going to tell you after Manchester,» he said quietly.
«Tell me what? That youre cheating? That you dont love me anymore? Or that youre bored playing house?»
«That weve been roommates for years,» he said, exhausted. «Youre always at work or with James. We dont talk, dont touch, dont share a life. Its not livingits surviving.»
«And instead of fixing it, you ran to her?» Her voice broke. «You never even tried!»
«I did!» he shot back. «I booked us a holidayyou said work was too busy. Our anniversary dinneryoud rather order takeaway. Every time I tried, you shut me down!»
Emily went silent. Was he right? Had she pushed him away, buried in routine?
Lauren stood. «Ill goyou need to talk.»
«No, stay,» Emily said flatly. «This is your home. Ours is over.»
David grabbed her arm. «Em, wait. Think about James.»
«James?» She wrenched free. «You abandoned us, lied for months, built a second lifeand now you remember him?»
«I never forgot him! I love him! And Ive never stopped providing»
«Money isnt enough,» she said quietly. «He needs a father. A real one.»
She walked out, tears falling freely in the lift. Fifteen yearsgone in an instant. The life shed built, shattered.
Outside, she inhaled the crisp morning air. What now? Go home, pack, take James to her mums? Stay and kick David out? Try to salvage the marriage? Or accept it was over?
She didnt know. But one thing was certainher life would never be the same. And maybe that was for the best. Maybe from these ruins, she could build something true.
Pulling out her phone, she called Mrs. Thompson.
«Its Emily. About the tripIm ready. Today, if needed.»
Sometimes its easier to run forward than to look back. Especially when all thats behind you is rubble.
