Her name was Emily, she used to be his coworker. A few hours before their anniversary dinner, her husband called and said, “We need to talk.”
Jessica stood in her flat in Manchester, carefully setting out napkins on the table she’d decorated for their special evening. Tonight marked ten years of marriage to Daniel, and she wanted everything perfect—the candles, his favourite wine, the smell of roasted chicken filling the house. But just before guests were meant to arrive, her phone rang. His name flashed on the screen. “Jess, we need to talk,” he said, his voice cold and distant, and her stomach dropped like a stone. She didn’t know it yet, but that call would change everything.
Daniel had been her rock, her love—the man she’d shared dreams and struggles with since they met at uni. They’d married young, built a life together, raised their daughter, Sophie. Jessica had trusted him completely, even when he worked late or went on business trips. She’d been proud of his success—he’d become a department head at a big firm, his charm opening doors. But now, phone in hand, she remembered little things she’d brushed off: his distracted looks, short replies, odd calls he’d end quickly. The name *Emily* flickered in her mind like a shadow she’d tried to ignore.
Emily was a colleague from years ago. Jessica had seen her once at a work do—tall, confident, her gaze lingering on Daniel a beat too long. Back then, Jessica had shrugged it off. “Just a coworker, no big deal.” Daniel had even mentioned Emily leaving the job, moving to another city. But now, listening to his heavy breathing on the line, Jessica understood: Emily had never really left. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, Jess,” he said, each word like a slap. He admitted he’d been seeing Emily for a year, that she’d moved back to Manchester, that he was “confused.” Jessica stayed silent, the floor tilting beneath her.
She couldn’t recall hanging up. Couldn’t remember turning off the oven, blowing out the candles she’d lit with such hope that morning. Her thoughts spun: *How could he? Ten years, Sophie, our home—all for her?* She sat on the sofa, clutching their wedding photo, trying to pinpoint when her life became a lie. She remembered Daniel hugging her just last week, promising Sophie a trip to the Lake District. All while he’d been with someone else. The betrayal burned, but worse was this: she hadn’t seen it because she’d trusted him completely.
When Daniel came home, Jessica met him in silence. The guests never arrived—she’d cancelled, unable to pretend. He looked guilty but not broken. “I never meant to hurt you, Jess. But with Emily… it’s different,” he said, and those words shattered her. She didn’t scream or cry—just stared at him like a stranger. “Go,” she finally whispered, her voice steadier than she felt. He nodded, grabbed his bag, and left her in the flat that still smelled of a celebration that never happened.
A month passed. Jessica tried to carry on for Sophie, who didn’t know the full truth yet. She smiled for her daughter, made her breakfasts, but cried at night, asking herself, *Why wasn’t I enough?* Friends rallied, but their words couldn’t heal the wound. She heard Daniel and Emily were living together now—another blow. But deep down, something new stirred in her: strength. She hadn’t broken. That dinner was cancelled, but not her life.
Now, Jessica faces the future with cautious hope. She’s signed up for design courses, a dream she’d put aside years ago. She spends more time with Sophie, learns to value herself. Daniel calls, apologises, but she’s not ready to listen. Emily, once just a shadow, holds no power over her anymore. Jessica knows this now: her life isn’t defined by him, or their marriage, but by *her*. That anniversary—meant to be a celebration—became the start of a new chapter. One where she’ll no longer live for promises someone else couldn’t keep.
