When a colleague invited me to her wedding, Id only been at this London publishing house for just over four months. From day one, Id struck up quite a friendship with this girlher name was Florenceand we clicked right away. Id never met her fiancé before. Still, when she extended the invitation, I was keen to goeven if only to have an excuse to wear my new suit.
A handful of us from the office were invited, so we all made our way to the reception together. That Saturday, we ended up running a bit late and arrived just as all the guests were already seated. Doing our best not to draw attention, we slipped quietly into the beautifully decorated function suite.
There must have been over a hundred guests there. The venue looked splendid, and the table was groaning with classic English fareroast beef, Yorkshire puddings, all sorts of treats. But none of that made my heart pound the way seeing Florences groom did. As soon as I saw him, I felt as though Id been struck by lightning. I fell hopelessly in love right then and there, and the most astonishing part was, it was clear the feeling was entirely mutual! All night, my head was spinning, my face flushed hot, and my heart hammered so hard I could barely hear myself think. I couldnt touch a bite of food or sip my glass of wine.
Unable to bear it any longer, I made my excuses and left early, deciding it was best to just go home and weather the storm of my feelings in private. But fate had a different plan. The next evening, as I left our office on Fleet Street, there he was waiting for me at the main entrance. His wife, Florence, happened to be away on holiday from work.
He came up to me wordlessly, took my hand, led me to his car, and, without another word, began to kiss me. I didnt have the will to resist; we couldnt stop. We talked and kissed for hours in his car parked under the soft glow of the city streetlights. Afterwards, we went back to my flat, and, well, that was the turning point for us. He told me he would leave his wife and marry me. And thats exactly what happenedhe went home, spoke with his wife, packed up his things, and soon moved in with me. I never asked him what was said between him and Florence that night.
Everything happened so quickly after that; we soon got married, and even managed to buy our own little home in the outskirts of London. Its been over three years together now. I, understandably, handed in my resignation straight away. There must have been no end to the gossip and judgement at the officeFlorence, after all, had worked there for years while I was still the newcomer. It stands to reason that everyone felt for her.
I have no idea how Florence is doing or what her life looks like now, as my husband and I have never spoken about their past. We decided to leave all that behind us and start fresh. These days, I feel completely content. Many thought our marriage wouldnt last, but weve proved them wrong. More than three years on, every day has been happier than the last. After living through all of this, Im certain of one thing: you have to fight for your own happiness.
