It’s often said that if you marry a truly clever man, he’ll never cheat on you, will always be loyal, and truly understands love and care. My mother and grandmother would always remind me of that. So, when I was already in my thirties, I would never have considered marrying a man with questionable moralsI simply saw no point in even starting something like that. Why would I? Then, quite by chance through some friends, I met Philip.
Philip had graduated from a top technical universityhe was a bright and very goal-oriented young man. I had also been to university, though Id studied literature. Still, we had plenty to talk about. At first, we just chatted, spent time together. I found myself genuinely interested in him, and I was really happy by his side. After a year, when he proposed to me, I accepted.
We lived in the little flat my grandmother had left me. Our one-bedroom hadnt seemed too cramped while it was just the two of us. In time, I became pregnant. First, we had a boy, then a year later, a girl. There wasnt much space, nor was there much money. At that point, Philip started his own business. I stayed at home to look after the children, but I always supported him in everything he did. More than once, we had times when the money completely ran out and we were left with nothing. But we pressed on, believing that one day wed achieve the life we dreamed of.
After years of perseverance, the business finally took off. We were doing well; our children attended the best schools and then excellent colleges. I had the freedom to pursue any hobby I liked. Philip too had his interestshe would often go away on trips with his friends. This never bothered me; he was the main provider and was entitled to his own time. Our relationship remained strongfilled with love and respect.
In short, everything seemed perfect. I could never have imagined how suddenly everything could collapse.
One weekend, my husband suddenly fell ill. The ambulance took him away, and just a few hours later, he was gone. Just like that, as though hed never even existed. The pain my children and I felt at losing him was indescribable. Yet that wasnt the only shock we would face. It turned out that for the last five years, my husband had been having an affair with a young woman nearly young enough to be his daughter. That was where he went on all those holidays. He left everything to herhis business, the house, the cottage, the car. Everything. The children and I were left with nothing at all. I am utterly devastated. How could he have done that, how could he have lived all these years knowing his own family might end up without even a roof over their heads? I truly have no idea how to carry on.
