**Devoted Love**
The village of Pinegrove, nestled among endless fields and birch groves in the heart of the English countryside, breathed quietude. The evening wind whispered through the leaves, and dim streetlamps cast soft light over narrow lanes. Emily clutched her handbag as she approached the café where her birthday celebration was meant to take place. But instead of cheerful voices, she heard a hushed betrayal that turned her heart to stone.
“Skip this whole party,” Thomas murmured lazily, leaning close to Lucy—Emily’s closest friend. “Come back to mine. Emily won’t be home till late anyway.” His voice dripped with smug satisfaction.
“Right, sure,” Lucy replied with a scoff. “And what happens when she turns up? Am I supposed to jump out the window?”
“No need for dramatics,” Thomas chuckled, sliding an arm around her waist. “Say the word, and I’ll kick Emily out. She doesn’t belong in my life anymore.”
Emily froze, as if struck by lightning. She knew Lucy—always one for mischief—but Thomas? Three years together. Three years waiting for a ring. They’d lived in his new flat, bought on a mortgage. Decorating, bills, debts—she’d carried it all, believing the registry office was just a formality. Now the truth was clear. To him, she’d only ever been a stepping stone, a bridge over his financial troubles. There’d be no future. No family.
Six months ago, her mother had passed. Thomas’s indifference had stunned her then. He hadn’t attended the funeral, hadn’t helped with arrangements—just shrugged and said, “Sell something. You know I’ve got the mortgage, the renovations. Maybe your relatives can lend a hand. Once you sell the house, you’ll settle up.”
*”Settle up.”* The words had cut like a blade. But she’d excused him—stress, thoughtlessness. She’d even liked his brooding silence, boasting to friends, “A man who keeps to himself won’t betray you.” Lucy had laughed along, hiding her schemes. Now the truth was out, and Emily, gasping from the pain, frantically flagged down a passing cab. The car stopped, and she flung herself inside, slamming the door.
“Go, just go!” she shouted at the driver, as if fleeing a pursuer.
Before the car even moved, her phone lit up—Thomas calling.
“Where are you? I’m standing here like an idiot, everyone’s asking for you! What’s going on?” His voice was thick with false concern.
Emily switched off the phone and hurled it out the window in a rage. Tears streamed down her face, her sobs ragged and childlike. The car sped forward, and in her despair, she realised she hadn’t given an address.
“Where are we going?” she asked, voice trembling.
“Home,” the driver replied calmly.
Emily glanced around—the car was racing down a dark country lane, far from the city.
“Home? Where?” Her pulse roared with fear.
“Need me to spell it out?” The driver’s tone turned mocking, edged with menace.
“Stop! Now!” she screamed, panic rising.
“Out here in the middle of nowhere?” He laughed. “What’s your plan, love?”
“I’ll call the police!” she blurted, then remembered—no phone. She’d poured her heart out to this stranger, told him of the betrayal, the pain. He knew no one would come looking. Dump her in the woods, and that would be it.
She fumbled for the door handle in the dark, desperation clawing at her. “Fine,” she thought bitterly. “Let it end. No more pain.” Silent tears fell, resigned.
The car screeched to a halt. The driver opened her door without a word.
“Get out.”
“No!” A fierce will to live flared in her—she wouldn’t go without a fight.
“Don’t fuss, Emily,” the driver said, gentler now. “We’re here.”
She looked up—and froze. Standing before her was James, her old schoolmate. The one who’d left after graduation, made a name for himself in the city.
“James?” she whispered, disbelieving.
“Who else were you expecting?” He smiled, warm and familiar.
“You’re a cabbie now?”
James laughed. “Hardly. Saw you waving like you were about to throw yourself into traffic.”
“But I—” Emily hesitated, feeling foolish.
“I know everything,” James said, resting a hand on her shoulder. “Good trip, though. Never heard you so honest.”
Emily laughed, the tears drying, her heart lightening. She stood outside her home in Pinegrove, and the world, for a moment, stopped crumbling.
“I came back because of you,” James said softly, his fingers brushing hers. “So glad you never married him.”
*Sometimes the darkest roads lead you home.*
