I sat in the park, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. A woman, seemingly in her early forties, joined me on the bench. We struck up a conversation. Suddenly, as if she’d been seeking someone to confide in, she began to share her story—a tale of pain, blind love, and self-destruction. I didn’t know then that her story would be etched into my memory forever. Now, I share it with you, in hopes it might open someone else’s eyes.
Her name was Jessica, and when it all began, she was only 23. Fresh out of university, she had a promising future and a flourishing career at a bank—her first job, her first achievements. Then, a couple of months later, he arrived at the office—David. Just an ordinary man with nothing remarkable about him. Yet, according to her, something about him was magnetic. He often sat near her during meetings, tried to be close at corporate dinners. She liked it. It seemed like something was starting to develop between them.
One evening at an event, he offered to drive a colleague who lived in the countryside home—and suggested giving Jessica a ride as well to avoid any unnecessary gossip. During the journey, he confessed that he had feelings for her. The next day, he showed up with a massive bouquet of roses. That marked the beginning of their romantic saga. Every day brought new flowers, meetings, glances, and touches. Jessica was on cloud nine. Until the day of the corporate party…
David arrived not alone, but with a woman. Modest, plain, and unremarkable in many ways. But whispers began amongst the colleagues: “That’s his wife!” Jessica’s world crumbled inside. She rushed out of the party, weeping until dawn. The very next day, he stood at her doorstep with tulips, tears in his eyes, and full of remorse. He claimed his relationship with his wife was long over, that they only stayed together for the child, and his heart was with Jessica.
And she believed him again.
He swore he would file for divorce. He urged her to be patient. He waited for his son to grow up. Then, until his son started school. And then his wife was pregnant again. He came to Jessica with guilty eyes: “How can I leave her now, with another child on the way?”—and he pleaded with her to wait a bit longer. She waited. Loved. Believed. Every day, he came to her, making promises that everything she dreamed of was just around the corner. But then he delayed again.
This went on for ten years. He would come, taking her hopes, leaving her solitude in return. Yet, she persevered. Her mother tried several times to talk sense into her, to open her eyes. One day, unable to bear it, she went to David’s parents’ house. There she saw the “divorced” son-in-law sprawled on the couch, hugging his younger son and kissing his wife on the cheek. He didn’t even bother pretending that his family didn’t mean anything to him. He just lived as though he belonged to two worlds.
Jessica was broken. She was 33. Behind her were ten years of pain, waiting, and humiliation. Life passed her by as she stood on the sidelines, clutching a bouquet of lies.
But Jessica’s story didn’t end in tragedy. She found the strength to leave. For good. And eventually, she met someone new—a simple, kind man, without grand declarations but with genuine intentions. At 35, she became a mother for the first time. Her son is now 17. And even though her friends are now grandmothers, Jessica has no regrets. She says, “I became a parent when I was truly ready to be a mother. I fell in love with someone who deserved my love. And most importantly, I forgave myself for being blind.”
And David? He still lives with that woman. Occasionally, he calls. Sometimes, he writes. Once in a while, he looks at her stories on social media. But Jessica no longer responds. She knows the value of her years, her heart, and her happiness.
