James sat in the dark room, listening to the nighttime sounds. A car pulled up outside, its door shutting softly, the sharp click of heels fading as someone entered the building. Finally, a key turned cautiously in the lock.
He held his breath, straining to catch every sound. There was the rustle of fabric, barely audible footsteps. “Afraid to wake me, didn’t even put on slippers,” James thought, smirking to himself.
The door creaked open. Emma tiptoed into the bedroom. Enough light spilled in from the street to reveal the neatly made bed—empty. She froze, sensing his tense gaze, then turned.
“You scared me. Why aren’t you asleep?” she snapped.
“Waited up for you.” James stood, strode to the door, and flicked the light switch. Emma winced at the sudden brightness.
“Where were you?” He studied her pale face, her smudged makeup.
“Sorry, I forgot to tell you…” Emma looked at the floor.
“Don’t say you were with a friend. Just tell me the truth—it’ll be easier for both of us. How long have you been cheating?”
She flinched, as if ready to bolt. Then, with a slight shake of her head, she whispered, “Two months.” Her eyes flicked up briefly. “I meant to tell you… I’ll go now.” She hurried out.
James heard her moving things in the hallway.
Emma returned with a suitcase, dropped it onto the bed, and started pulling clothes from the wardrobe. Hangers clattered as dresses and blouses tumbled onto the duvet.
“Couldn’t you do this tomorrow, when I’m not here?” James snatched a pillow and left the room.
Still dressed, he collapsed onto the sofa in the living room, pulled a blanket over himself. Sleep was impossible. He wanted to destroy everything, to strike Emma, wipe the traces of another man’s kisses from her face. He took deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
***
Years earlier, he and his mates had celebrated the end of term at the beach. They’d stripped off and dashed into the waves. Later, Will and Jack went for beer while James guarded their stuff.
He sat on his jeans, watching kids splash near the shore when a girl emerged from the water and walked straight toward him. She grabbed a towel from a nearby blanket and dried her wet hair. James couldn’t look away from her sun-kissed skin glistening with droplets. Her slender figure was inches away—he ached to touch the cool dampness of her.
She sensed his stare and spun around. He didn’t look away fast enough. He must’ve looked like a guilty child because she grinned. By the time Will and Jack returned, they were chatting like old friends.
Seeing the lads, Emma gathered her things. She pulled a sundress over her head, disappearing briefly under the fabric. Will caught James’s gaze and smirked knowingly; Jack gave a thumbs-up.
The dress settled into place. Emma adjusted it, smiled at the boys, and walked off.
“Go after her,” Will said, clapping James on the back.
“Emma, wait!” James yanked on his jeans and sprinted after her, leaving his friends without a word. He got home late.
“Where were you? Why didn’t you answer your phone? Your father and I were worried sick!” his mum scolded.
“Sorry, forgot to turn it on after the exam. I’m getting married,” James blurted.
“What?”
“He said he’s getting married.” His dad chuckled. “Perfect timing. Third year, twenty years old—he’ll give us a grandkid by graduation.”
“No, I mean—I met the girl I’m going to marry,” James corrected hastily.
“You just met her?” His mum gaped. “Michael, did you hear this?” She looked between her husband and son.
“Relax, Tanya. He’s just in love. Let him dream. He’s alive, healthy, and happy. Bedtime—we’ll talk tomorrow.” His dad led her away.
“Thanks,” James called after him.
Two weeks later, he brought Emma home. His mum disapproved when she learned Emma lived in student housing, muttering later about “convenience, not love.”
“You don’t like her?” James asked, disappointed.
“What matters is that you do,” his dad said firmly.
They married after New Year’s. His dad handed them keys to a flat.
“Thanks. Where’d this come from?”
“My old rental. Started the renovations—you can finish.” His dad hugged him.
***
James only dozed off at dawn. When he woke, Emma stood there with her suitcase.
“Sorry, I woke you,” she said, heading for the door.
Yesterday’s events crashed over him. He wanted to stop her—then the door slammed. He expected her back in a day or two. But she never returned. Her keys sat abandoned on the hallway table.
Each day, the ache worsened. He’d have forgiven her just to have her back. He called—no answer. Once, he waited outside her university and saw her laughing with another man. He hid behind a tree.
Too hollow to face the empty flat, he went to his parents’.
“I never liked her. Found someone wealthier, I suppose,” his mum sniffed.
“Leave it, Tanya. He’s hurting,” his dad said. James shot him a grateful look.
A month later, they divorced. The world crumbled. On the way home, James bought vodka, ready to drown himself.
Unexpectedly, his dad showed up. They drank and talked all night. His dad confessed his first wife had died—hit by a drunk driver. He’d nearly lost himself too, until he met Tanya and James.
James never drank again.
Six months later, his mum mentioned a friend’s niece visiting from Manchester.
“She’ll stay with us while job-hunting. Show her around London.”
“Trying to set me up?” James scoffed.
But the girl—Lucy—was sweet and shy, with a pixie cut that made her look like a teen. She squinted adorably, too embarrassed to wear glasses. “And she thinks she’ll conquer London,” James thought, amused. Naturally, he took her under his wing—showed her the city, coached her for interviews, helped find a cheap flat.
“Try Lucy’s pies. You should taste her roast. Homely, clever—lucky man who gets her,” his mum praised.
“Maybe she’s right,” James mused. “Emma’s moved on. Why not start fresh?”
“Decided. I’m getting married,” he joked.
“Think carefully! Don’t rush again,” his mum fretted.
After graduation, they married quietly—just family at a small restaurant.
Lucy was nothing like Emma—funny, fragile. Exactly what he needed. Yet at night, loneliness gnawed at him.
A year passed. One day, they browsed a mall for his dad’s anniversary gift when Lucy lingered at a toy shop.
“Look how sweet these are. I had a bear like this. Maybe we should—”
James barely listened. Through the window, he saw Emma.
“Be right back,” he told Lucy, bolting outside.
He caught her at the escalator but didn’t stop her till the lower floor.
“Hi. Is that your wife?” Emma asked. “Pretty. You’ve changed. Happy?”
James shrugged. “You?”
“Didn’t work out. Sneaking around’s one thing—living together’s another. Your mum told me you remarried.”
“Mum? She never said.”
“She hated me. Does she like this one?” Emma’s stare pierced him, reopening old wounds.
“Where are you living?”
“Renting. Still got my number? Call me sometime.” She hurried off. James forgot Lucy entirely—until her voice startled him.
“That your wife?” She stood behind him, holding a plush bear.
“Ex-wife. Bought it after all?” He forced calm, steering her toward the exit.
“What about Dad’s gift?”
“We’ve got time.”
After that, Lucy grew quiet while James obsessed over Emma, oblivious.
One night, locked in the loo, he called Emma. She was thrilled.
“Come over sometime. I’ve missed you. Seeing you at the mall—I realized my mistake. But you still love me. Otherwise, why chase me?”
“Emma, I’m married,” he whispered.
“Relax. Just a chat.” She texted her address.
He resisted for days, then caved. Emma greeted him flushed, wearing a frilly apron. The flat smelled heavenly.
“Take your coat off. Dinner’s nearly ready. Knew you’d come.”
“You never cooked before.”
“People change.”
She flitted around, setting the table, uncorking wine. James refused—he was driving. He chewed tough meat while Emma beamed, piling salad onto his plate.
Later, she hugged him from behind, breath warm on his neck.
“Jamie, I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve regretted everything. We could start fresh—have a baby…”
“I’mHe drove home with tears in his eyes, knowing that this time, he’d choose the woman who loved him without any “buts” or “maybes,” and vowed to never again let the past steal his future.
