Go on then, get a divorcejust drag the whole villages name through the mud, why dont you! And dont forget, the house is still in your grandmothers name, so where exactly do you think youll live?
Emily had been working as a nurse for eleven years. Everyone in the village knew her, and some called her Mother Teresa because she was always helping everyone out, no matter if they were wealthy or just scraping by.
One evening, Emily was rushing to the city; she needed to get there early because the hearing was at ten in the morning. Today shed finally be rid of the biggest burden in her life. That burden was her husband, whod insulted her, raised a hand to her, and made no effort to hide his affairs.
After finishing nursing college, Emily went on to work in a small English village. Most people would have been upset about that, but she always knew exactly why she worked so hard. Still, the daily commute was really wearing her out, so she spoke to some locals and got the help of Margaret, who managed to rent her a room.
Thats where she met her future husband, Margarets grandson. He seemed like a good sort, but Emily never really felt anything strong for him. They lived together as a couple for a year, then decided to get married. His grandmother was thrilled because Emily kept a lovely home and had a spotless reputation in the village.
As a wedding present, his only living relative, his gran, gave them a nice bit of land, and they soon started building a house there. For eight years, Emily poured her heart and savings into that home, holding onto the hope that one day shed truly feel at home.
For all those years, Emily and her husband lived more like mates performing their marital duties out of obligation than anything else. Emily really believed that maybe if she had a child, her husband would change his ways. The whole village was gossiping about how hed hit her and how openly unfaithful he was. In spite of it all, Emily never got pregnant.
One day, she finally lost her patience and told her husband she wanted a divorceshe couldnt go on living like this.
Go on thenbe boldget divorced and just bring shame on the whole village! And dont forget, Grans still got the house in her name, so where are you planning to live? he spat.
His grandmother tried to talk her out of it. Emily had become like a daughter to her, and she wasnt keen to see her go just because of her grandson acting like an idiot. But Emily knew she needed to put her foot down and needed some backup. She also had no intention of leaving behind the house shed invested blood, sweat, tears, and a large chunk of her hard-earned money into. Her best mates advice was to get a solicitor.
Thats when she saw Peter again. The moment she spotted his name on the solicitors sign, she realised it was the same bloke shed met once at the hospital. Thered been a bit of a spark, and Peter had even admitted that Emily had stolen his heart. Emily had felt it too, but she never dared let it showshe was married, after all.
Itd been about six months since theyd last seen each other, but when she walked into his office, she could tell he instantly recognised her; he looked genuinely pleased and, if anything, even more attractive than before. Peter looked at her as though hed seen a ghost. He could hardly believe he was face-to-face with the woman whod filled his thoughts and whom hed lost to another man.
He realised right there and then that hed been holding out for Emily the whole time. He gave her a long, searching look but didnt say a word.
Emily stayed quiet for a moment, then started explaining why she was there. She didnt go into much detail at first, but Peter pressed for it, saying it could make all the difference to her case. So, Emily told him everythingthe beatings, the affairs, all the rest of it.
Peter could hardly believe anyone could treat her that way, let alone someone shed given so much of herself to.
Thanks to Peters determination and hours of work, Emily won her case, and her husband ended up having to pay her half the value of the house.
He looked at her afterwards and said, Emily, all these years theres really only ever been one woman on my mind. Ive been alone and miserable, thinking you were happy with someone else. Now, here you are, smiling at me, and I can hardly believe my luck. I know weve only met a couple of times and its too soon, but I want you to come and live with me. What do you think?
She replied, Yes, Id love that!and she really had started to feel warm, true feelings for him too.
Six months later, Peter asked Emily to marry him, and a year after that, their daughter was born.
Now, when Emily thinks back on her old life, she can hardly believe she put up with so much for so long. Now shes got a kind husband and a loving daughterall because she found the courage to walk away and believe that, eventually, things would work out.
