I was sitting in a public garden, feeling weighed down by my thoughts. Beside me on the bench sat a woman who appeared to be in her early forties. We struck up a conversation. Suddenly, as if she’d been searching for someone to confide in, she began to share her story—a tale of heartache, blind love, and self-destruction. At the time, I had no idea that her story would linger in my memory. Now, I am passing it on to you, hoping it might enlighten someone.
Her name was Natalie, and she was just 23 when it all began. Fresh out of university, she was bright and full of potential, embarking on her first job in a promising banking career. Then, a few months later, he arrived at the office—Paul. He was ordinary, nothing remarkable. Yet, according to her, something about him was magnetic. He often sat near her during meetings, made sure to be close during work dinners. And she enjoyed it; it seemed like something was starting between them.
One day, at a corporate event, he offered to drive a colleague home who lived in the countryside—and suggested giving Natalie a lift too, to spare her any unwanted gossip. On the way, he admitted that he liked her immensely. The following day, he showed up with a huge bouquet of roses. From that moment, their romantic journey began. Every day there were new flowers, meetings, shared glances, and soft touches. Natalie was on cloud nine, until that fateful day…
At a company party, Paul did not come alone—he was with a woman. The woman was modest and plain, yet colleagues started whispering: “That’s his wife!” Natalie’s world came crashing down. She fled from the event, crying until dawn. But the very next day, Paul was at her doorstep with tulips, tears, and remorse. He claimed everything with his wife was long over, that they only stayed together for the sake of their child, and that his heart was with Natalie.
She chose to believe him again.
Paul swore he would file for divorce, urging her to be patient. First, he waited for his son to grow older. Then, for him to start school. Then, his wife was pregnant again. He came to Natalie with guilt-ridden eyes: “How can I leave her now, when she’s expecting our second child?” he pleaded. She waited. She loved. She believed. Each day he visited, promising “just a bit longer,” and that everything would be as she dreamed. But he never followed through.
This dragged on for ten years. He’d come, eroding her hopes, leaving her with solitude. Yet, she endured. Her mother often tried to reason with her, to make her see the truth. Eventually, in a moment of desperation, Natalie visited Paul’s parents. There, she found the ‘divorced’ son-in-law lounging on the sofa, embracing his youngest son and kissing his wife on the cheek. He wasn’t even pretending the family was anything but his own. He was simply living a double life.
Natalie was shattered. She was 33, having spent a decade in pain, waiting, feeling humiliated. Life passed by while she stood on the sidelines, holding a bouquet of deceits.
Yet, Natalie’s story didn’t end in tragedy. She found the strength to leave. For good. Eventually, she met someone else—a simple, kind man with no grand promises but sincere intentions. At 35, she became a mother for the first time. Today, her son is 17. While her friends are now doting grandmothers, Natalie has no regrets. She says, “I had my child when I was truly ready to be a mother. I loved someone who deserved my love. And most importantly, I forgave myself for my blindness.”
And Paul? He still lives with that woman. Sometimes he calls, sometimes he texts, sometimes he checks her stories on social media. But Natalie no longer responds. She knows the worth of her years, her heart, and her happiness.
