I was sitting in the park, feeling weighed down. Next to me on the bench was a woman who looked a little over forty. We started to chat, and suddenly, as if she’d been searching for someone to confide in, she began to tell her story. It was a tale of pain, blind love, and self-destruction. Little did I know that her story would forever stay with me. And now, I share it with you in hopes it might open someone else’s eyes.
Her name was Natalie, and when this all began, she was just 23. She had just graduated from university, full of promise and embarking on a brilliant career in a bank—her first job, her initial successes. Then, a few months in, he appeared at the office—Paul. An ordinary, unremarkable man. Yet, according to her, there was something about him that drew her in. He would often sit next to her during meetings and try to be near her at work dinners. She liked the attention and felt something might be developing between them.
One evening, at a work event, he offered to drive home a colleague who lived in the countryside—and suggested taking Natalie along to avoid any unnecessary rumors. On the road, he confessed he was quite fond of her. The next day, he appeared with a massive bouquet of roses. That marked the beginning of their romantic story. Every day brought new flowers, meetings, glances, touches. Natalie felt over the moon. Until that day…
A work party. Paul entered, not alone, but with a woman. She was modest, simple, and unassuming. But whispers spread among colleagues: “That’s his wife!” Natalie’s world collapsed. She fled the event and cried until dawn. Yet, the next day, he was at her door with tulips, tears in his eyes, and full of remorse. He claimed everything with his wife was long over, that they stayed together only for their child, and that his heart belonged to Natalie.
And she believed him once more.
He promised to file for divorce. Urged her to wait. Kept putting it off until his son grew older. Then, until he started school. Later, when his wife was expecting again. He approached Natalie with a guilty expression: “How can I leave her now, when she’s expecting our second child?”—and begged her to wait a bit more. She waited. Loved. Believed. Every day he visited her, promising, “just a little longer,” that everything would be as she dreamed. Then, delays came once more.
This dragged on for ten years. He took away her hope, leaving her loneliness. She endured. Her mother tried numerous times to speak with her, urge her to see the truth. One day, unable to take it anymore, she went to see Paul’s parents. There, she found the ‘divorced’ husband, lounging on the sofa, embracing his youngest son, and kissing his wife’s cheek. He made no attempt to hide that his family mattered. He just lived in two worlds.
Natalie was shattered. She was 33 years old, carrying ten years of pain, waiting, and humiliation. Life passed her by as she stood on the sidelines, holding a bouquet of deceit.
But Natalie’s story didn’t end in tragedy. She found the strength to leave. Permanently. And eventually met another man—simple, kind, without grand words, but with sincere intentions. At 35, she became a mother for the first time. Today, her son is 17. And while her friends are already cuddling grandchildren, Natalie has no regrets. She says, “I became a mother when I was truly ready. I loved a man who deserved my love. Most importantly—I forgave myself for my blindness.”
And Paul? He still resides with that woman. Occasionally calls. Sometimes writes. Sometimes watches her stories on social media. But Natalie no longer responds. She knows the value of her years, her heart, and her happiness.
