**Hatred**
Edward stepped out of the office building and instinctively headed toward the car park before remembering he’d dropped his car at the garage the day before. At first, he felt annoyed, but then he reasoned it was just as well. The idea of squeezing onto a stuffy, overcrowded bus during rush hour didn’t appeal, so he decided to walk. The only concern was the rapidly darkening sky. A heavy storm cloud loomed over London, threatening thunder and a downpour.
As he walked, Edward kept glancing upward. A deep roll of thunder rumbled in the distance. He knew there was a café somewhere nearby—he passed it every day—but he’d never gone inside. He quickened his pace.
Just as he reached the café, heavy raindrops began pelting his head and shoulders. He barely made it through the door before a deafening crack of thunder shook the floor beneath his feet. Outside, the sky turned black as the heavens opened, drenching the streets in seconds.
Inside the café, it was warm and dry. Edward scanned the room and spotted a few empty tables. The door swung open behind him, ushering in the roar of the rain along with two young women. He hurried to claim a table before the place filled up. More people rushed in, shaking off the storm, and soon the café buzzed with chatter about the unexpected weather.
A waitress approached him—tall and efficient. She set a menu down, but Edward stopped her before she could walk away.
“Steak, no sides, just a simple salad. And coffee,” he said briskly.
She jotted it down and moved on, her workload clearly piling up as more soaked customers arrived. Outside, the storm raged on. The bartender turned up the music, drowning out the noise of the downpour. Edward waited, relieved to have a reason not to rush home, not to justify his lateness to his wife.
He had married Olivia eight years ago. In the beginning, everything had been perfect—just like those first blissful months of marriage. But then Olivia changed. Her best friend had married a wealthy businessman, and Olivia grew consumed with envy. Suddenly, it was all about designer handbags, diamonds, and cosmetic procedures.
“Olivia, you don’t need that. You’re young and beautiful.”
“I’ll be even more beautiful,” she’d retorted.
One day it was her nose, the next her lips—always something. Edward tried to talk her out of it, insisting that stuffing herself with silicone wouldn’t make her happier.
“You’re only saying that because you can’t afford it,” she shot back bitterly.
Children? She wouldn’t even discuss it.
“I’ll get fat, and you’ll stop loving me. When you make real money, then we’ll talk.”
Edward didn’t argue. He loved her. An old university friend had offered him a partnership in his business, promising riches. Edward took the chance. At first, it worked. He even upgraded his father’s old car—still second-hand, but a step up.
Then everything collapsed. Tax inspections, frozen accounts. The business stalled, competitors moved in, and Edward lost it all.
Olivia called him a failure. The constant nagging and fights extinguished any love he had left. He returned to his old job, going through the motions, unable to summon the courage to leave her.
***
At the café, a young couple slid into the booth opposite him. Edward watched them, remembering when he and Olivia had been that madly in love. What had happened?
A commotion at the bar pulled him from his thoughts. Two women were fending off a drunken lout. They didn’t look like the usual crowd—just students sheltering from the storm. The man grabbed one of them, dragging her toward the door. Her friend tried to intervene, but he shoved her hard against the bar. No one in the café lifted a finger.
Edward stood and blocked the man’s path. The drunk scowled.
“What’s your problem? Move!” he slurred, throwing a wild punch.
Edward dodged and retaliated. The drunk released the girl and lunged at him. A brawl erupted, but Edward landed a solid hit. The man crumpled. Someone shouted that they’d called the police.
“Come on, let’s go!” The girl tugged Edward’s arm.
His head throbbed from the blows, his lip split and bleeding. He didn’t argue, letting her lead him outside. The rain had eased to a drizzle. They turned down a side street.
“There’s a chemist nearby. Let’s get you patched up.”
Inside, she bought antiseptic and gently cleaned his wounds, sealing them with plasters.
“Thank you,” Edward said.
They stood close. He caught the scent of her shampoo, noticed how soft her hands were. *She’s beautiful*, he thought. Their eyes met, and she blushed.
Just then, her friend burst in.
“There you are! I’ve got us a cab. Emily, come on!”
Emily glanced at Edward. He smiled. She hesitated, then turned to leave.
As Edward stepped outside, the cab pulled away. He’d barely walked a few steps when he heard, “Wait!”
Emily was running toward him.
“Emily! What now? Let’s go!” her friend called impatiently from the cab.
“Go ahead,” Emily shouted back before turning to Edward. “I didn’t even ask your name. No one else stood up for me—just you.”
“Edward.”
She didn’t ask where they were going, just walked beside him. He learned she’d just graduated, hadn’t even started a job yet.
He confessed he was married, though things were bad.
“I noticed your ring. I was afraid I’d never see you again.”
He wondered if fate had intervened—the bus, the storm, this unlikely meeting. He hadn’t felt this alive in years. With Olivia, it had been different—no sparks, no butterflies.
“Oh! We’ve been walking forever. Where’s your flat?”
“We passed it ages ago. I didn’t want to say goodbye.”
They retraced their steps. Edward called her a cab. While they waited, they exchanged numbers.
When he got home, Olivia pounced.
“Where have you been?” She spotted the plasters, the dried blood. “Were you fighting?”
“At the café. Some bloke harassed a girl—”
“You never stick up for me like that,” she muttered, stomping to the kitchen. The clatter of dishes followed.
“Olivia, let’s get a divorce. This isn’t working.”
“I knew it! There’s someone else!” She screamed, called him worthless.
“I wasted my best years on you!” In a rage, she swung a plate at him. He caught her wrist before she could strike. The plate smashed, shards scattering.
Before she could grab a pan, Edward pinned her.
“Stop it. There’s no one. But we’re miserable. Why stay with a failure?”
The next day, he rented a flat and left.
He was too ashamed to call Emily. He was older, still technically married. But when she called, his heart leapt. He couldn’t push her away.
They started dating—cinema, walks. Edward filed for divorce, relinquishing all claims to their shared assets. No kids meant it was quick. Only after the papers were final did he invite her over. A month later, she told him she was pregnant.
Edward was overjoyed. But Emily’s parents disapproved—a divorced man, ten years older, no property. Her mother made no secret of her disdain. Her father stayed silent behind his newspaper, but his disapproval was loud.
Still, they agreed to the wedding and even gifted her a small flat.
Emily suffered terrible morning sickness. She barely ate, grew thin, slept constantly, coughed often. Edward insisted she see a doctor.
“Pregnancy affects everyone differently,” the doctor said. “Nothing to worry about.”
But Edward wasn’t reassured. Other expectant mothers glowed; Emily was fading.
As they left, a nurse hurried after them. “Wait! I’ve seen this before.” She lowered her voice. “It looks like…” She glanced at Emily and stopped.
“Like what?” Edward pressed.
She scribbled an address. “My aunt. Tell her I sent you.”
“A witch? A fortune-teller?”
“No. But she understands these things.”
Skeptical, Edward went the next day. An elderly woman answered.
“I was told you might help.”
“By whom?”
“Your niece. Rita, from the hospital.”
The woman led him to a plain room—no crystal balls, no candles. She took his hand, studying his palm.
“How far along?”
“What?”
“Your wife’s pregnancy.”
“Four months.”
“Someone close hates her. That hatred could kill them both.”
Edward scoffed, but fear gripped him.
“Talk to this woman. Only forgiveness can save them.”
“Olivia? No. We’re divorced—”
“You’re a good man. Don’t wait.”
Stunned, Edward went straight to Olivia’s.
“Did you forget something?” she sneered.
“Talk to me. Hate me all you want, but forgive her. She’He held his son close that night, whispering a promise to always protect him from the darkness that had once threatened to tear their family apart.
