“Just leave me alone!” Emily yelled at Sophie, who was in tears. “Go make your own life, but not with him!”
“But Charlie is my husband. Were raising our daughter together. You cant build your happiness on someone elses heartbreak.”
“Dont start with that! Its not right to live without love. It’s not Charlie leaving his child, it’s you. I dont mind if he still sees his daughter.”
Emily turned on her heel and walked away. That night, Charlie made his decisionhe packed his things and left Sophie. She begged him not to do anything rash, but he was firm. Sophie was desperate to find out what Emily had that she didnt.
“I cant go on living with you,” Charlie told her. “I just dont feel the same. Its not like it is with Emily. Ive started a new life with her.”
A few months passed. At first, Sophie couldnt get her head straight, but then she realised she had to push on, tough as it may be. Her daughter was growing up. Sophie was trained as an accountant.
She decided to try her luck applying as a bookkeeper. During the interview, the company director took a liking to herhe was really impressed by how responsible she was and her drive to better herself. Luckily, Sophies mum agreed to help take care of her granddaughter while Sophie worked.
Sophie threw herself into her career and put her personal life on the backburner. After a few years of really hard work, Sophie proved herself, and eventually was promoted to assistant manager.
The only man Sophie had any real interactions with was her boss, Frank. He was always respectful and considerate. Sophie actually grew quite fond of him, but he was married with children, and she knew getting involved was out of the question.
But you couldnt say the same for Frank. One day, he told Sophie outright that he was ready to leave his wife and that hed actually been in love with Sophie for a long time. He promised he wouldnt walk away from his responsibilities to his children.
Sophies difficult experience with Charlie haunted her for years, so she found herself paralysed, unsure what to do.
She kept remembering what she once told Emily: “You cant build happiness on someone elses pain.”
But Frank wasnt one to give up easily. Over time, their work relationship turned into something more. Frank kept insisting to Sophie that he no longer loved his wife, that marrying her had been a huge mistake, and that his apathy was torturing them both. Still, Sophie stood her ground. Shed overheard Frank speak with his wife and knew firsthand what she was going through. Sophie couldnt bring herself to break up a family. She knew shed inevitably have to face Franks wife, and dreaded it. Sure enough, one evening as she left work, Sophie spotted a woman approaching her. She knew instantly who it was.
The woman paused in front of Sophie, looking stunned and hollow.
“Is it you?” she asked.
“Its me,” Sophie managed, almost in a whisper. Emily was standing right there.
She started telling Sophie shed been right, all those years ago. “You cant build your life on someone elses tragedy.”
“Do you remember what you said to me years ago?” Sophie replied, coldly.
“Yes, I was wrong. I had no right to take your husband. Everything comes back around in the end. But, please, dont take Frank away from me. Ive never loved anyone the way I love him. Hes the reason I left your ex-husband. I cant live without him. Youve stood in my shoes beforeyou know how much it hurts. Please try to understand. Life really does come full circle. Besides, you have a child.
“Thats enough,” Sophie said sharply.
Sophie wasnt looking to get revengenot even on Emily. But Frank eventually convinced her that she deserved her own chance at happiness.
“Sophie, if I stay with Emily, three people will be miserable: me, you, and Emily. Nothing will change. I dont love herhonestly, I never have. I was just drawn in by her persistence. One way or another, Ill be leaving Emily.”
Sophie thought it over, realising Frank would only be unhappy with Emily, and neither she nor Sophie would feel any better in the long run. So in the end, she decided to give happiness a shot.
