«I know your thirty-year-old secret,» whispered the sister-in-law.
«Emma, these are absolutely divine! Would you share the recipe?» Elizabeth held out her empty plate for a second helping, beaming with delight. «Mine never turn out so tender.»
«Nothing special,» Emma smiled, scooping another portion. «Just knead the mince properly and boil the cabbage just right. Id be happy to show you sometime.»
The family had gathered in the cosy home of Emma and William to celebrate his seventieth birthdaychildren, grandchildren, and close relatives filled the usually spacious living room with laughter, chatter, and the comforting scent of home-cooked food.
Emma caught the sharp gaze of her sister-in-law, Lucy, who had travelled all the way from Manchester just for the occasion. They hadnt seen each other in nearly a decade, and Emma couldnt help but notice how much Lucy had changed. Once lively and outspoken, she now seemed diminished, fadedonly her eyes remained the same, watchful and faintly mocking.
«Lucy, would you like anything else?» Emma asked, trying to dispel the strange tension that had settled between them.
«No, thank you,» Lucy replied without looking away. «Ive had enough. In every sense.»
Something in her tone made Emma uneasy. She wanted to ask if everything was all right, but before she could, William stood, tapping his glass with a spoon.
«My dear family and friends,» his deep voice filled the room. «Thank you all for joining me today. Especially you, Lucyit means the world that youve travelled so far.»
«For my beloved brother? Anything,» Lucy replied with a smile that didnt reach her eyes.
«And, of course, my deepest thanks to my Emma,» William rested a hand on his wifes shoulder. «Forty-three years together, and every day I thank my lucky stars for you.»
Emma flushed under the warmth of the rooms attentionand Lucys piercing stare.
The evening drifted into tea and cake before guests began to leave. The grandchildren were ushered off to play, and Williams son and daughter-in-law insisted on washing up, refusing Emmas help. She sank onto the sofa, rubbing her aching feet, when Lucy sat beside her.
«Tired?» Lucy studied her with an odd intensity.
«A little,» Emma admitted. «But its been a lovely day.»
«My brothers a lucky man,» Lucy mused. «Forty-three years… Whod have thought?»
A shiver ran down Emmas spine.
«What do you mean?»
«Nothing, really,» Lucy shrugged. «Just… life takes strange turns, doesnt it?»
Before Emma could reply, William approached, rosy-cheeked from wine and merriment.
«What are my favourite women whispering about?» He slung an arm around Lucy. «Plotting against me?»
«Dont be silly,» Lucy patted his hand. «Emma and I were just reminiscing. Werent we?»
As the night wound down, Emma bid the last guests farewell and helped finish the washing up. William, exhausted from the celebrations, had already gone to bed. Lucy, staying in the guest room, had retreated as well.
Emma tidied the kitchen and was heading to her own room when she noticed light seeping under Lucys door. She knocked softly.
«Still awake? Fancy a cuppa?»
The door opened. Lucy shook her head. «Come in. No teabut we should talk.»
Emma entered, her unease growing. The guest room was small, with a sofa bed, an old dresser, and a little telly. Lucy gestured to the armchair.
«Is something wrong?» Emma sat. «Youve seemed… off all evening.»
«Quite,» Lucy met her gaze directly. «Three months ago, I saw a doctor. Stage four cancer. Six months left, if Im lucky.»
Emma gasped. «Oh, Lucy! Why didnt you say? There must be treatment»
«Too late,» Lucy cut in. «But facing this… its made me rethink things. Things Ive tried to forget.»
«Like what?»
Leaning closer, Lucy whispered, «I know your thirty-year-old secret.»
Emma froze. Blood drained from her face, her pulse hammering in her ears.
«What… secret?»
«Dont play dumb,» Lucys voice was cold. «I know about James. That summer in Cornwall. What happened when William was away on fieldwork.»
Emmas throat tightened.
«How…?»
«I saw you,» Lucy said simply. «I came as a surprise, hoping to spend the holiday with you both. The door was unlocked. I heardthen saweverything.»
Emma buried her face in her hands. That day, buried for decades, rushed back with startling clarity. James, Williams old friend, stopping by with a book. Wine on the terrace, the sunset, the laughterthen the sudden, reckless passion. The one betrayal in all their years of marriage, a mistake shed never forgiven herself for.
«Why wait so long to say anything?» Emma finally managed.
«At first, I wanted to tell William,» Lucy admitted. «But he adored you. And James left for London straight afterno second chance. I saw how much you suffered. I decided it wasnt my place.»
Emma swallowed hard. «And now? Why tell me?»
«Because Im dying,» Lucy said quietly. «I cant carry this any longer. You deserve the truth. And… perhaps you can forgive me. As Ive long forgiven you.»
Emma stared. «Forgiven me?»
«For betraying William. For being the reason I made my own mistake,» Lucys smile was bitter. «Though, God knows, the blame was always mine. My envy. My weakness.»
Silence stretched between them. A car passed outside, headlights briefly flooding the room before darkness returned.
«You wont tell William?» Emma finally asked. «About any of it?»
«No,» Lucy shook her head. «Why ruin what youve built? Hes happy. Thats what matters.»
To her own surprise, Emma reached out and clasped Lucys hand.
«Thank you. And… Im so sorry, Lucy. About everything.»
«Me too,» Lucy squeezed back. «But its strangeI feel lighter now.»
«What happens next? With treatment?»
«Palliative care. Pain management,» Lucy shrugged. «Ill spend what time I have at home, with my family. My husband knows. The children too. Williams the only one I havent told. I didnt want to spoil his birthday.»
«We have to tell him,» Emma insisted. «He has a right to know.»
«Tomorrow,» Lucy agreed. «But for now… would you hold me? Just for a little while?»
Emma moved to the sofa and wrapped her arms around Lucy, feeling the frail woman tremble with silent tears. Her own eyes welled upfor the past, for wasted years, for the loss to come.
«Stay with me tonight,» Lucy whispered. «Just until I fall asleep. I… I dont want to be alone.»
«Of course,» Emma stroked her greying hair. «Im right here.»
They talked until dawnquietly, so as not to wake William. Of childhood, of dreams fulfilled and abandoned. Of husbands, children, grandchildren. Lucy confessed shed followed Emma and Williams life through social media, the rare letters and calls.
«You know,» she admitted as the sky lightened, «for years, I hoped your marriage would fail. That William would find out, that youd divorce. Pathetic, isnt it? But then, a decade later, I realised… I was happy for you. Youd kept your love alive all these years. My envy turned to admiration.»
«It wasnt easy,» Emma murmured. «We had our fights, our rough patches. And my guilt never left me. I tried to make up for itevery day.»
«And you did,» Lucy smiled faintly. «One night didnt erase forty-three years.»
At last, Lucy drifted into an exhausted sleep. Emma tucked the blanket around her and slipped out, only to meet William in the hallway, rumpled in his striped pyjamas.
«Whereve you been?» he yawned. «I woke up and you were gone.»
«With Lucy,» Emma hugged him. «We talked all night.»
«About what?» He searched her face. «Is something wrong?»
Emma hesitated. There would be time for the hard truths tomorrow.
«The past,» she said finally. «Mistakes we made. Lessons learned.»
«And what was the verdict?» He grinned.
Emma thought for a moment. «That loves stronger than envy, or regret. That forgiveness sets you free. And its never too late to start again.»
«Deep,» William chuckled, kissing her forehead. «Fancy some breakfast? Ill make pancakes.»
Emma nodded, gazing at him with tenderness. Forty-three years, and every day still a giftmaybe because of the mistakes, not despite them. It was in overcoming the hurt, in forgiving and being forgiven, that love grew strongest.
She glanced once more at Lucys door. The woman whod been more rival than sisternow a confessor, a keeper of secrets, and suddenly, heartbreakingly, a kindred soul with so little time left.
«Lets go,» Emma took Williams hand. «But quietlyLucys finally asleep.»
And so they walked to the kitchenthe silver-haired man in his pyjamas and his wife with tear-streaked cheeks and a quiet smile. Ahead lay a new day, with its joys and sorrows, its truths and reconciliations. A day to be lived fullyfor those who still could.
