**Diary Entry**
I don’t know if this is normal—my husband’s ex-wife is making my life unbearable.
In a small town near Manchester, where gossip spreads faster than wildfire, my life—which began with love—is now filled with unease. My name is Emily, I’m 29, and I married James, a man who’d been married before. We have a son, Oliver, and everything seemed perfect. But the shadow of his ex-wife, who still lives here, poisons my happiness. I don’t know if what’s happening is ordinary, or if I’m losing my mind.
**Love with Baggage**
James won me over with his kindness and confidence. He’s ten years older, and his experience felt like stability. When we met, he’d been divorced for three years. His first marriage to Sophia lasted seven, and they had no children. He told me they split because she cheated, and I believed him. We married two years ago, and soon Oliver—our little angel—was born. I thought the past was behind us, but I was wrong.
Sophia lives in our town, and her presence is inescapable. She works at the local café, shops at the same supermarket, and seems to know everything about us. I’ve caught her glaring at me with disdain when we cross paths. At first, I brushed it off, but then things happened that made me question my sanity.
**The Shadow of the Past**
It started small. Someone scrawled *”Give him back”* in chalk on our fence. I wiped it away without telling James, but my stomach twisted. Then came anonymous messages online: *”You took my place,”* *”He’ll come back to me.”* I blocked them, but the fear lingered. Once, I found an old photo of James and Sophia tucked under our door—smiling, embracing. When I asked James, he just shrugged. *”She’s probably lonely. Don’t let it bother you.”* But how couldn’t it? Her shadow was everywhere.
The worst happened last month. I was in the park with Oliver when Sophia approached me. She smiled, but her words were venom. *”You think he’s yours? He still calls me at night.”* I froze. She walked away, leaving me numb. That evening, I confronted James. He swore he hadn’t spoken to her—that she was lying to tear us apart. I want to believe him, but doubt gnaws at me. What if she’s telling the truth? What if he still loves her?
**A Family Under Siege**
Now, I’m trapped in paranoia. I check James’s phone when he sleeps. I watch his face when we pass the café where Sophia works. I hate myself for it, but I can’t stop. Oliver is my light, yet even his smile can’t ease the fear that our family might crumble. My mum, seeing my distress, says, *”Emily, walk away. A man with that past means trouble.”* But I love James. He’s a good father, a caring husband—yet his past is like a landmine.
I tried reaching out to Sophia, begging her to leave us alone. She replied, *”You have no idea who you’re dealing with. He’ll always be mine.”* Her words seep into me like poison. Is she lying? Or does she know something I don’t? Why can’t she let go? And why does James act like it’s nothing?
**The War Inside Me**
I don’t know if this is normal. Maybe I’m overreacting? Maybe she’s just bitter and will fade away. Or do I dig deeper and risk uncovering something worse? I’m terrified of what I might find—but I can’t live like this. My friends say, *”Ignore her, she’s just jealous.”* But how, when her ghost haunts every corner of my life?
James tries to reassure me. *”Emily, I love you.”* But his words feel hollow now. He dodges conversations about Sophia, changes the subject when I mention her. Is he hiding something? Or does he just not care? I don’t want to be *that* wife—obsessed with her husband’s past—but I refuse to be the fool who looks away.
**What Now?**
This is my cry for help. I don’t know what to do. Leave James? Stand up to Sophia? Force him to be honest? I want to protect Oliver, our family, myself—but how, when I don’t know what’s real? At 29, I dreamed of happiness. Now, I feel like I’m in a thriller, and the villain is a ghost from the past.
Maybe none of this is normal. But I do know this: I can’t live in fear anymore. Whatever I do next might be a mistake—but I’ll do it, if only to find peace. Sophia, James, my own heart—someone’s lying. And I *will* uncover the truth, even if it shatters me.