As soon as my daughter finished school, I left my husband.
“Heartless!”
“Poor bloke, how could she?”
“Took the daughter with her, the snake!”
Everyone in the village of Oakwood pitied poor Vincent. Relatives, neighbours, friends—they all believed his wife had lived a cushy life, only to betray him the moment their daughter finished school. Abandoned at 55, the poor man was left all alone! That’s what people said, but none of them knew the truth. Behind this story lay years of pain, betrayal, and sheer survival.
Emily married Vincent for love. He was fifteen years older, but he left his first wife and son for her, giving up half his property in the process. In the early days, he seemed perfect—attentive, strong, willing to do anything for her. But after their daughter Lily was born, everything changed. Lost in the haze of motherhood, Emily didn’t notice at first how distant Vincent became. He dumped all the household chores on her and soon stopped contributing any money.
When Lily started nursery, Emily went back to work to keep food on the table. Instead of helping, Vincent turned their flat in Bradford into a drinking den. He’d bring his mates round for all-night benders while she worked. Divorce crossed her mind, but fate dealt another blow—one of Vincent’s friends fell asleep with a cigarette, and their home burned to the ground.
Luckily, the fire didn’t spread to the neighbours, but Emily lost everything—their home, belongings, any sense of safety. That day, she stood in the ashes with little Lily in her arms, unsure where to go. She wanted to run, but for her daughter’s sake, she held it together. Borrowing cash from a neighbour, she booked a cheap hotel room. She wasn’t worried about Vincent—she knew he’d land on his feet.
The next morning, he found her. With a smirk, he declared he’d “sorted it”—they’d move in with his mum in Oakwood. To Emily, it sounded like a nightmare. She’d have to quit her job, pull Lily out of nursery, start from scratch. But with no home, no savings, and a child to care for, she agreed. Tears choked her, but she gritted her teeth, hoping village life would sober Vincent up. How wrong she was.
In the village, things got worse. Her mother-in-law, kind but blindly devoted to her son, wouldn’t dare scold him. Vincent drank even more, vanishing for days with his mates while Emily carried the load. She took any odd job—sewing, cleaning, selling at the market—saving every penny. The insurance payout for the flat was pitiful, swallowed by paperwork, clothes, and daily needs. She endured the humiliation, stayed quiet, but one thought kept her going: wait until Lily finished school, then run.
Those years in Oakwood were hell. Vincent didn’t work, living off his mum and Emily, who felt like a prisoner. She kept her escape plan secret, knowing he’d never let her go. The day Lily got her GCSE results, Emily packed their things and slipped away to the city. Vincent noticed their absence two days later—he was on another bender.
The village buzzed with gossip. Vincent spun tales of betrayal, claiming Emily had run off with another man, leaving “poor old Vince” in the lurch. Neighbours and relatives painted her as a villain, a homewrecker, pitying the “heartbroken” man. To them, she was pure evil. But Emily didn’t care. She’d faked a happy marriage for Lily’s sake far too long.
Lily never blamed her. She knew what her mum had endured. She met Vincent a few times after, but when he stopped giving her pocket money, contact fizzled out. Now, she doesn’t even think about the road back to Oakwood. She stands by Emily, knowing she saved them both from hell.
Emily’s starting over—a tiny rented flat, a new job, plans for the future. For the first time in years, she feels free. Let the village whisper. Let Vincent spin his lies. She’s done. She survived, for Lily and for herself. But the pain lingers: how could the man she once loved ruin her life? She doesn’t regret leaving, though sometimes she wonders—could things have been different?
