I felt a heavy heart as I sat in the park. Next to me on the bench was a woman, appearing to be in her early forties. We started chatting. Suddenly, she seemed to have found someone to confide in and began sharing her story full of pain, blind love, and self-destruction. At the time, I didn’t realize that her story would remain etched in my memory forever. Now, I’m passing it on to you—maybe it will open someone’s eyes.
Her name was Emma, and when this story began, she was only 23. She’d just finished university and had a promising career ahead in a bank—her first job, her first successes. A few months later, he arrived at the office—Paul. An ordinary man, seemingly unremarkable. But there was something about him, she said, that drew her in. He often sat next to her during meetings and tried to be close at work events. She liked it and thought something was starting between them.
One day, during a company event, he offered to drive a colleague who lived in the countryside home, and also offered Emma a ride to avoid unwanted rumors. On the way, he confessed that he really liked her. The next day, he appeared at her door with a huge bouquet of roses. From that moment, their romantic story began. Every day was filled with new flowers, meetings, glances, and touches. Emma was on cloud nine. Until that fateful day…
At a company party, Paul arrived with a woman. She seemed unassuming and plain. But whispers began among colleagues: “That’s his wife!” Emma’s world crumbled. She left the party, crying until dawn. But the very next day, he was at her doorstep with tulips, tears in his eyes, full of remorse. He claimed that his past with his wife was long over, that they lived together only for their child, but that his heart was with Emma.
And she believed him once more.
He swore he would file for divorce. He urged her to be patient. He waited for his son to grow up a bit, then until he started school. And then his wife became pregnant again. He came to Emma with guilty eyes: “How could I leave her now when she’s expecting our second child?” he pleaded, asking her to wait again. She waited. Loved. Believed. Every day he visited her, promising that, soon, everything would be as she dreamed. But then he postponed it again.
This continued for ten years. He took her hopes each time he left, leaving her with loneliness. And she endured. Her mother attempted several times to talk sense into her, to make her see clearly. One day, unable to bear it, Emma went to Paul’s parents. There, she saw her “divorced” partner lounging on the sofa, hugging his youngest son, and giving his wife a peck on the cheek. He didn’t even bother to pretend his family wasn’t his priority. He simply lived two lives.
Emma was shattered. By 33, she had endured a decade of pain, waiting, and humiliation. Life had passed her by as she stood on the sidelines, clutching a bouquet of lies.
But Emma’s story didn’t end in tragedy. She found the strength to leave. For good. One day, she met another man—simple, kind, without grand words, but with pure intentions. At 35, she became a mother for the first time. Today, her son is 17. Even though her peers are already enjoying grandchildren, Emma has no regrets. She says, “I gave birth when I was truly ready to be a mother. I loved someone who deserved my love. And most importantly, I forgave myself for my blindness.”
As for Paul? He’s still with that woman. Sometimes he calls, sometimes he writes, sometimes he watches her stories on social media. But Emma no longer responds. She knows the value of her years, her heart, and her happiness.
