I’ve been married for four years now, and all this time, my husband has been nothing short of the perfect partner—so perfect, in fact, that I can’t even recall a single proper row between us.
Lately, we’ve been thinking about starting a family. We’ve been trying, planning, but with no luck so far. The trouble lies with my hormonal balance, but even then, my husband’s never once reproached me for it. We agreed that if we couldn’t have one of our own, we’d consider adoption.
I’d always thought ours was nearly the ideal marriage—if only there were a bit more passion, then perhaps it truly would be.
I’ve a good friend, Eleanor, who hasn’t settled down yet, so we spend plenty of time together, often going out for shopping sprees. She’s a lovely woman—takes care of herself, frequents the gym, and earns a tidy sum. She knows my husband, too—they go to the same gym, though their schedules rarely overlap.
I’ve never been the jealous sort, and I trusted my husband completely—until that day. He was due back from his workout soon, so I popped out to the shops for a loaf of bread. And there, between the shelves, I was met with an ugly sight—my husband wasn’t just chatting with Eleanor, he had his arm around her, ever so lightly. The moment they spotted me, they sprang apart, but it was too late. I burst into tears and bolted from the shop, with my husband close on my heels.
Outside, he swore up and down that there’d been no embrace, that they’d merely been standing close and my eyes had deceived me. He sounded so earnest—almost convincing—but I couldn’t bring myself to believe him.
When I got home, I packed my things and left for my parents’ house in York. I didn’t tell Mum or Dad the reason—they’re strong-willed sorts, and my father would’ve gone straight to have it out with him. Now, I’m here, trying to sort out what comes next. There’s no ironclad reason for divorce, yet I can’t honestly say I still love him. Eleanor keeps ringing, but I’ve no desire to speak to her—who knows what she might say? If she starts insisting it was all in my head, I doubt it’ll do anything but make matters worse. I don’t trust her anymore. She’s likely only trying to save her own skin.
