“Someone Else’s Husband”
“Olivia, I’m sorry, I have to go.”
“Wife called? Go ahead, of course. I’m used to it.”
It hurt Olivia every time she had to let James go back to his wife. She wished he’d stay the night. They could have gone to a café, then curled up under a warm blanket to watch a film. She’d have made a lovely cup of coffee.
But that was just a dream. James never hid that he was married, with a son. He didn’t love his wife—stayed only for the boy. He was waiting for the lad to finish school, then he’d leave and be with Olivia for good.
Olivia couldn’t care less about his wife. Why should she worry about some other woman’s happiness? If a marriage fell apart, it was obvious. A man wouldn’t stay if he wasn’t happy. James was just a good father, didn’t want to hurt his son by leaving.
Never mind. Her time would come. In two years, his son would go off to uni, and then… Then there’d be blankets and films and a proper life together. Olivia dreamed of having a daughter, a little copy of herself.
Two years flew by. Olivia waited, but there was always an excuse.
“You see, Emma’s mum’s taken ill. She’s moved in with us. I can’t just leave now, you understand…”
Olivia sighed and nodded. How much longer? Till she was drawing her pension?
A late period. Maybe just a fluke? She bought a test. Two lines. Maybe it was for the best. Best see a doctor.
She sat at the end of the clinic corridor, waiting. The door opened, and a heavily pregnant woman walked out, arm in arm with a man. No… It was James. What was going on?
They left, James not seeing her. She stepped into the doctor’s office.
“Miss, are you alright? You’ve gone pale.”
“Fine, just need a check-up.”
The doctor confirmed the pregnancy and congratulated her.
“Bit on the late side for a first child at 35, but nothing to worry about. Had a lady in earlier—40, her son’s just finishing school, and her and her husband decided on another. A strong family, why not?”
Olivia smirked but said nothing. Her mind spun. Why had he lied? Said he’d leave, then gone and had a child with his “unloved” wife? How long had he planned to hide this? What now?
“Little Fox, I can’t come round tonight, sorry.”
“Don’t worry. I’m busy too.”
“Doing what?”
“Off to a club with Lucy. Sick of sitting at home.”
“What club? You’re not exactly young for that.”
“Well, I’ve no family to tie me down. And you’re someone else’s husband—no right to tell me what to do.”
She hung up. As if she needed his permission. She wasn’t some faithful mutt waiting for scraps of attention while he played happy families.
Only now did she see the shameful role she’d played all these years. His best went to wife and child—she was just a backup. And he didn’t care that time was running out for her. Well, now she’d have her own.
James turned up unannounced, in tears. His wife had lost the baby—a girl—during childbirth. Despite everything looking fine. The grief had shattered her mind, and he was lost.
“What should you do? Be there for her. It’s your grief too. Why come to me, James? Why lie all this time?”
“It’s God punishing me—taking my daughter because of you.”
“Don’t spout nonsense. You lied to her, to me, to yourself. Be a man for once—go to your wife.”
“I love you both—each in my own way. I can’t choose.”
“Goodbye, James. Don’t come back.”
She shut the door and wept. She pitied herself, pitied his wife who’d lost a child. Olivia would be a mother soon—she could imagine the pain.
James called, came round drunk, but she turned him away. He never knew she’d had a son—his son. She gave the boy her name, left the father blank. Little Mark was the spitting image of James.
Statistics say about 10% of men leave wives for mistresses. Half of those return. How many women waste years waiting for promises that never come true?
