She has no place in my life, and there never will be! Today, I decided to speak my mind. I’m not looking for sympathy or advice – I just need to lift this burden from my heart. I know what I’ve been through, and despite the pain and betrayal, I will continue to live with my head held high. Because I loved her genuinely.
I first met Lucy four years ago at a fair in Manchester. She was only there for a couple of days, but that was enough for a spark to ignite between us. It felt like a scene from a film – long conversations, laughter, and tender glances. Two months later, she decided to move in with me, leaving her life in London behind.
We both had been through divorce and betrayal. I didn’t keep in touch with my ex-wife, and she was no longer in contact with her former husband. Lucy shared stories of how he had wrecked her life, how he manipulated their daughter against her. We had both faced dramas, and it seemed we had finally found a calm, mature love.
I was happy. She, however, was not.
I truly loved her. No one had ever cared for me in the way she did. We started living together and planned for the future. Love in later life has its own special essence. You know what you want, you cherish the moments, and you live mindfully.
But life had another blow in store for me that I never saw coming.
Betrayal.
In early July, we took our first holiday together – to the seaside, to Brighton. The sea, the sun, long walks along the promenade… I was convinced that everything was wonderful between us.
But suddenly, it turned out that her ex-husband and daughter, along with their two-year-old granddaughter, were holidaying nearby – in Eastbourne.
I remember her assuring me that they didn’t communicate, that her daughter wanted nothing to do with her, that she was cut off from her past. But then, one day, her phone rang. Lucy looked at the screen and suddenly lit up with joy.
“Of course, come over! We’re in a hotel here with Jamie…” I heard her voice say.
I didn’t understand what was happening. How could they have found each other?
Within a couple of hours, they arrived. Her daughter didn’t even glance my way – all her attention was focused on her mother. And Lucy… she was practically glowing. She had never seen her granddaughter before, and now – it had happened.
She was crying tears of joy, holding the little one in her arms, kissing her, hugging her. I couldn’t help but feel like an outsider.
“I’ll take a walk,” I said, giving them some time alone.
When I returned, I saw her ex-husband looking at her… with tenderness, with some quiet longing.
Anxiety washed over me.
An Invisible Crack
When they left, we returned to our hotel room. Lucy immediately went to bed, not even wishing me goodnight. It was the first time.
In the morning, she looked strange – nervous, deep in thought.
“I just have a headache,” she said.
But something had changed.
A few days later, she declared we needed to head home earlier. She packed her things in a hurry, hardly speaking during the journey.
And then… then she vanished.
Disappearance
The day after our return, she left “for business” in London. She never came back.
I called her, but she always had excuses – “I’m on the tube,” “I’m in a meeting,” “I’ll ring you later.” But she never did.
And I couldn’t bring myself to call her again. I simply couldn’t.
For a week, I reached for the phone, but then I’d throw it on the bed, realizing I couldn’t bear to hear yet another lie.
I understood everything without words.
A Closed Door
A couple of weeks later, she phoned. Her voice was soft, almost remorseful.
“I made a mistake. I thought… I got lost… I’m so sorry.”
She said something else, but I wasn’t listening anymore.
“It’s too late, Lucy.”
And I hung up.
I don’t expect her new-old partner to change. Perhaps in a year, two, or three she’ll call me again.
But now, it doesn’t matter.
There’s no longer a place for her in my life.
