«Whats got into you? Weve been married ten years! What mistress? Youre more than enough for me!»
Emily couldnt shake the gnawing feeling that her husband was cheating. She sensed it in her bones, a relentless unease. One evening, she finally worked up the courage to confront him outright.
She asked him point-blankwas it true or not? But he simply scoffed, «Whats got into you? Weve been married ten years! What mistress? Youre more than enough for me!»
James sounded sincere, his smile unforced, his eyes steady. Yet something still didnt sit right.
Emily wasnt one to leave things to fate. She was determined to uncover the truthbut how? After scouring the internet for advice, she decided to check his phone first. Nothing stood out, just idle chatter with a couple of old school friends. Hardly scandalous.
Hed never even set a passcode. «Nothing to hide,» he always said. No secret chats, no deleted messages. A saint in human form.
Sometimes, she wondered if she was imagining it all. But every time he came home late from work, that same unease twisted in her gut.
Her best friend, Sophie, brushed it off. «Youre overthinking it! James adores youhed never look at another woman! Youre just ruining things with your suspicions!»
But Emily couldnt shake the feeling. Her instincts screamed otherwise, and she refused to share her husband with anyone.
One day, she even followed him to work, barging into his office to see if he was really there. He was furious. «Embarrassing me in front of my colleagues!» She spent days apologising, but he forgave her quickly enough.
By all appearances, their life was perfect. A lovely home in Surrey, two children, financial stability. Yet Emily couldnt stop hunting for trouble.
As they sayseek and ye shall find. But so far, shed found nothing.
At thirty, with two children, the fear of losing it all gnawed at her. She kept a calm face, but inside, she boiled.
No lipstick on his collar. No strange perfumes. No sudden changes in behaviour. Yet something was off.
If not for sheer chance, she might never have discovered the truthreal or imagined? Time would tell.
When their youngest started primary school, Emily decided to learn to drive. She took evening lessons, passed her test after three months, and got her licence. James was so proud he bought her a carsmall, but perfect for her petite frame.
Hed never admit it, but he bought it mostly to stop her asking to drive his Audi. «You need more experience first,» hed say.
Then, one weekend, Emily woke early and decided to bake a chicken and aubergine pie for the family. But they were out of flour.
A frosty morning, snow on the groundbut shed grown confident driving in winter. She headed out, only for her car not to start. Back inside, the house was still asleep. She crept about, careful not to wake anyone.
Walking in the cold didnt appeal, so she quietly took Jamess keys instead. A quick tripjust a couple of miles. Hed never even notice.
As the car warmed up, she wiped the windscreen, reaching into the glove compartment for tissues. Her hand brushed against somethinga phone clattered to the floor.
But whose?
This wasnt Jamess. His she knew well. This one was unfamiliar. At first, she assumed hed accidentally taken someone elsesbut curiosity got the better of her, and she turned it on.
The first thing she saw was a message from a woman named Katie.
«My love, I miss you so much! Come over quicklyI cant wait to see you!»
Emily blinked in shock. No passcode meant she could read everything. The messages stretched back months.
Turns out, James finished work at five but didnt come home till seven. Emily had never thought to check his actual hours.
Nearly every day, he stopped by his «darling» Katies for an hour before returning home as if nothing happened. The words he wrote her were ones Emily had never heard in their marriage.
The photos showed a woman in her forties. What on earth did he see in her?
Emily seethed. Just as she stepped out of the car, she spotted James leaving the house.
Shed left a note saying shed gone to the shops. He mustve seized the chance to message Katie again.
Now she rememberedhow often hed «forgotten» something in the car at night, slipping out briefly. Shed never suspected a thing.
James froze when he saw her behind the wheel.
«Who said you could drive this? We never agreed to this!»
Emilys rage boiled over. She buckled up, reversed sharplyand crashed straight into the fence. The impact was oddly satisfying.
She stormed out, glaring at her stunned husband.
«Go to her, then! Lets see how much she wants you without your house and car! Get out of my sight!»
For emphasis, she hurled his Audi keys into a snowdrift and marched inside.
The boys were awake but confused. Minutes later, James tried to followbut Emily locked the door.
«Go to her! Dont you dare come back!» she shouted.
James had no choice. In slippers, a dressing gown, and a thin jacket, he trudged to Katies, expecting warmth and comfort.
But when she opened the door, a mans voice called from inside, «Sweetheart, you coming back? Ive been waiting!»
Turns out, Katie only saw James on weekdays. Weekends? She had company.
With a guilty look, she shut the door in his face.
Defeated, James trudged to his mothers house two streets over.
Margaret took one look at him and understood. She fed him, listened to his tale of a «wicked wife» whod thrown him out over nothing, and patted his shoulder.
«Dont fret, love. Who knew Emily would turn out like this? Your luck will changeyoure only thirty-five! Youll find love again, mark my words.»
So James stayed with his mother, convinced he was starting anew. He even felt relieveduntil Emily filed for child support. Only then did he realise how hard rebuilding would be.
At least his mother hadnt abandoned him. Without her, hed have been truly lost.
Moral of the story? Deception unravels eventuallyand sometimes, the one you betray isnt the only one who walks away.
