Shadows of Betrayal: A New Life’s Melody
Thomas Woodward had been staying late at work more and more often.
“Odd,” his wife Emily thought. “Either he’s burning the midnight oil at the office or rushing off to his mate Simon’s garage. What could possibly keep him there almost every day?”
One afternoon, Emily decided to stroll through the shopping centre in central London. She needed a distraction and thought she might pick up some potting soil and a new planter for her violets. Stepping into the brightly lit mall, she glanced around the shops—then froze, as if struck by lightning. Right in front of her was Thomas. And he wasn’t alone. A young woman clung to his arm. When she turned, Emily gasped. She knew her.
***
Emily paused at the entrance of her building. Movers blocked the way, struggling to wedge a grand piano through the narrow doorway. Even with its legs removed, it wouldn’t fit.
“It won’t go in, even if you take the door off,” one of them declared. “Must be an antique, this beast.”
“Let me through, then you can dismantle the whole building for all I care,” Emily snapped.
The flustered owner wiped his brow and sighed.
“Got everything else inside, just this left. If I were on the ground floor, we’d haul it through the window, but I’m on the fifth…” He gave Emily a helpless look.
“I’m on the fifth too, so you must be my new neighbour across the hall,” she said. “You know, there are lorries with lifting platforms. My friend used one to get a sofa up to the fourth floor. I can give you the number, though it’s probably not cheap.”
The man brightened and thanked her profusely. Emily recited the number and headed upstairs, but couldn’t resist glancing out the window to watch the piano’s fate. The lorry arrived, and soon the instrument was safely inside. To her surprise, she’d become oddly invested in this stranger’s ordeal. For a moment, she forgot her own troubles.
But those troubles had begun yesterday. Thomas had left her.
It had shattered her. Of course, she’d noticed the changes—his detachment, the excuses to be anywhere but home. Late nights at the office, endless hours in Simon’s garage.
“Strange,” she’d mused. “What could he possibly be doing there every day?”
She’d brushed it off as a midlife crisis. Maybe he’d taken a fancy to someone, but it would pass.
On her day off, she’d gone to the shopping centre, hoping to clear her head, maybe buy something for the garden. But there, amid the chatter and glittering displays, came the blow. Thomas walked toward her, his arm around a younger woman’s waist. They glowed with happiness, whispering to each other, their love almost tangible. When the girl turned, Emily’s breath caught. It was Olivia, her junior colleague.
Thomas, spotting his wife, faltered but quickly composed himself.
“I’ll explain everything at home.”
Emily wasn’t in a hurry to return. She wandered London’s streets, memories surfacing. Olivia had charmed Thomas at the office Christmas party a year ago. They’d danced, slipped outside for a smoke—Emily hadn’t thought much of it. Never in her worst nightmares had she imagined her steadfast, reliable Thomas could betray her.
When she finally went home, Thomas had already packed. Avoiding a scene, he muttered excuses while Emily fought back tears.
“What did I do wrong?” she whispered.
“Nothing,” he said, staring at the floor. “But we’re just going through the motions. It’s all so… bland. I can’t spend a day without Olivia. Thank you for twenty years, for our daughter. I raised her, bought her a flat, saw her married. I deserve happiness too. Forgive me, if you can.”
Emily only broke down after the door slammed. She’d never known pain like this. Sleep never came that night.
Morning brought a cold shower, light makeup, a sharp suit. Off to work as if nothing had happened. No one would see her weakness. But she knew the office would buzz with gossip about Olivia stealing her husband.
Olivia had joined their firm fresh out of university—pretty, polished, efficient. She’d charmed everyone, and Emily had liked her too. Now, she took the Tube to work, squeezed between strangers, feeling utterly alone. Thomas had always driven her.
At the office, she bumped into Olivia, who mumbled a greeting before darting away. But they shared a workspace. Tension hung thick—older colleagues sympathised, younger ones pretended not to notice while waiting for drama.
After work, Thomas waited for Olivia outside. Emily lingered, avoiding the sight of her rival sliding into what had been her seat.
At home, she patted herself on the back for keeping it together. Did Olivia expect her to quit? Not a chance. Emily loved her job, her team, her salary. Why should she leave?
Her daughter Charlotte called, offering hollow comfort.
“Mum, you’re not the first or last to be dumped.”
Then she admitted Thomas had introduced her to Olivia months ago. They got on well.
Emily cut the call short. Charlotte hadn’t taken her side, and the news of their friendship was the final blow. But she wouldn’t let her daughter see her pain. You don’t resent your children.
She’d had Charlotte during her first year at university but hadn’t dropped out. She and Thomas had lived with her parents. Her mum still worked, but Gran had raised Charlotte until nursery. Later, her parents moved to a country house, leaving them the three-bed flat, hoping for more grandchildren. It never happened.
A knock at the door startled her.
“Who’s there?” she wondered. Had Thomas forgotten something?
Her new neighbour stood on the threshold.
“Wanted to thank you again for the piano idea! I’m Daniel. And you are?”
“Emily,” she said, then surprised herself. “I was about to have dinner. Care to join? You must be starving.”
Daniel hesitated but agreed. Over the meal, he shared that he was thirty-five, a programmer. He’d lived in a tiny flat until his sister left her husband and moved back with their parents, kids in tow. The piano—his grandmother’s, who’d taught him to play—had been in their way. No buyers came, but he couldn’t bear to part with it. Sold his flat, took a mortgage on this one just to keep it.
“Enough about me,” he smiled. “Your turn, Emily.”
“What’s to tell? As of yesterday, I’m a forty-year-old divorcee. My husband left me for a junior colleague. My grown-up daughter’s married and, turns out, pals with the homewrecker. That’s my sad little story.”
Her attempt at a smile failed miserably.
“Why am I unloading on a stranger?” she scolded herself.
Daniel read her mind.
“You needed to say it out loud. Helps, doesn’t it? Your husband’s a fool, leaving a woman like you. A grown daughter? I’d have guessed you were younger than me, honest!”
“Liar,” she managed a weak smile.
They finished their tea, chatted, then Daniel left. Emily did feel lighter. She studied herself in the mirror—slim, pretty, well-kept blonde. Life after forty was just beginning!
Next morning, Daniel waited by his car.
“Can I give you a lift? We’re heading the same way.”
They pulled up just as Thomas and Olivia arrived. Olivia’s jaw dropped when Daniel gallantly opened Emily’s door and took her hand. Emily waved sweetly as he drove off.
Colleagues gaped. Whispers spread—maybe Emily had cheated first if she’d moved on so fast.
After work, Daniel waited again. Thomas glowered.
“How long have you known my wife?”
“Your wife?” Daniel shot back. “How many do you have?” He stepped closer to Emily.
They grew close. Daniel admitted he wanted to court her properly. Emily doubted his sincerity but didn’t push him away. With him, the transition hurt less. Handsome, tall, attentive—why refuse? Plus, no more crowded Tubes.
Three months later, their divorce was final. Daniel met Emily outside court with roses.
“Quick to move on,” Thomas muttered.
“Did you think I’d mourn forever? I was sick of our stale little life too. Now I’ve got a second youth, and I’m happy!”
Under pressure from Thomas, Olivia quit—he couldn’t stand seeing his ex-wife glowing with another man.
Seven months later, colleagues threw Emily a baby shower. Daniel’s sister had reconciled with her husband, making the piano’s move pointless. But it had brought them together.
Now Daniel plays for her sometimes, and Emily listens contentedly. She’s always loved music. Funny how a piano changed two lives.
[Character count: 3000]
