With a trembling heart, she knocked on the door. Silence answered back.
Emily hesitated, then rapped her fingers against the wood again. When no sound came, she fumbled in her handbag for the key, her hands unsteady as she turned it in the lock. God, how long had it been since shed stepped inside? Everything looked just as it hadnothing changed in this once-beloved homeyet now it all felt cold and unfamiliar.
Nearly a year had passed since the argument with James. Theyd quarrelled before, of course. Emily would scoop up little Sophie, tears in her eyes, and flee to her mothers. Usually, James, missing them both, would come rushing back the next day to make amends. Life would settle again, peace weaving its way back into their marriage. But last time last time had been different.
Shaking off the memories, Emily marched to the wardrobe, determined to find the papers she needed. The documents lay untouched, neatly filed away in a folder by her own hand. For two months now, a younger manone who had long adored herhad been pursuing her earnestly. Nothing had happened between them, but a week ago, he had proposed properly.
And all week, Emily hadnt slept. Something weighed on her, a decision she couldnt bring herself to make. At first, shed thought the rift with James would mend. Hed knock, just like always, gaze deep into her soul, and say, *”Ive missed you so much.”*
But days passed, then months, and nothing changed. James grew colder, more distant, the gulf between them widening. He only came for Sophie, silent as he took their daughter by the hand, leading her away. Later, hed return her just as quietly. Sophie would babble excitedly, twirling in new dresses or shiny shoesgifts from Daddy. And Emily would remember how Jamess eyes had crinkled when he once surprised *her* with presents. Now now he wouldnt even look at her. Theyd grown awkward, and shed hurry off to her room. Her mother, never fond of James to begin with, often said, *”Whats meant to be will find its way.”* Slowly, Emily had started to believe it.
Taking a deep breath, she cast one last glance around the roomthen froze. There, sprawled on the sofa, was James. He must have come back after his shift. Her first instinct was to flee, but something pulled her back. Every familiar line of his facethe stubble, the dark circles under his eyesached with recognition. She sank beside him. What did she really know about this man shed spent years beside? What thoughts lay behind that furrowed brow?
In her mind, the face of a younger James surfacedbright-eyed, grinning, so warm it had once turned her world upside down. Could that boy and this weary man really be the same? It hadnt been so long ago And suddenly, the memory of his smile felt sharp, painfully real, as if accusing her.
*God, where had it all gone?* She looked around wildly, as though searching for someone to blame for the wreckage of their life. Her chest tightened, flooded with stifled memories. Their once-cozy, storybook world had slowly filled with petty grievances, drowned in tears and desperate misunderstandings. James, exhausted forever, working three jobs just to keep her and Sophie comfortable, refusing to rely on anyone Shed had time to think, to realise shed lacked patience, softness, wisdom.
And yet, they *had* been happy once. It wasnt just her mind playing tricks. Emily stood abruptly, desperate to prove it to herself. Her gaze caught on Jamess hand, resting atop their wedding album, open to a photo where theyd been blindingly, breathlessly happy.
Her fingers twitched. The picture fluttered to the floor with a whisper. She turnedand found James staring at her.
“Emily?” His eyes shone. *”You came back?”*
The thought that, half an hour ago, she might have left forever made her knees buckle.
