He spotted his ex-wife, and jealousy turned his cheeks green.
Edward ran into his ex-wife, and envy visibly washed over him, tinting his face pale. He slammed the fridge door so hard the contents rattled. One of the magnets shook loose with a dull thud and clattered to the floor.
Grace stood before him, pale, her hands clenched into fists.
“Feel better now?” she said, tilting her chin up.
“You drive me mad,” Edward replied, his voice unsteady despite his effort to stay calm. “What kind of life is this? No joy, no future.”
“So its still my fault, then?” Grace gave a bitter half-smile. “Of coursenothing ever lives up to your dreams.”
Edward opened his mouth but only waved a dismissive hand. He grabbed a bottle of sparkling water, took a swig straight from it, then slammed it back onto the table.
“Edward, dont just stand there silent,” Grace said, her voice wavering. “For once, tell me whats really bothering you.”
“Whats there to say?” he grunted. “Im just worn out. Blast it all.”
They stared at each other in silence. Finally, Grace took a deep breath and walked to the bathroom. Edward slumped onto the sofa. The sound of running water came through the doorGrace had probably turned on the tap to mask her crying. But it didnt matter to him anymore.
**A Life Slipping Into Routine**
Three years earlier, theyd married. At first, they lived in Graces inherited flat, then moved to a countryside house, putting the flat in their daughters name. Their home was spacious but outdated, furnished with relics from decades past.
At first, Edward had been contenta city-centre location, convenient for work. But over time, everything about it grated on him. Grace loved their “family haven,” with its brown wallpaper and antique sideboard. To Edward, it was just stagnation.
“Grace, be honest,” hed say. “Dont you ever want to replace this hideous linoleum? Modernise the place?”
“Edward, we dont have the money for renovations,” shed reply calmly. “I want change too, but lets wait for bonuses.”
“Wait?! Thats your whole philosophyjust endure and wait!”
He often remembered how hed fallen for Graceback then, a shy student with sincere blue eyes and a gentle smile. Hed told his friends, “Shes a bud thatll bloom in time.” But now, it seemed the flower had never opened and was already wilting.
Grace never saw herself as invisible. She found joy in small thingsa cup of mint tea, a new tablecloth, a quiet evening with a book. To Edward, it was all monotony.
They didnt rush to divorceEdward didnt want to move back in with his parents, and separate living wasnt an option yet. Graces mother, Margaret, always took her side:
“Edward, Grace is a good woman. Be grateful youve got a home.”
“Mum, you dont understand!” hed snap.
Her father would just shrug.
“Let him figure it out.”
At home, Edward grew colder. “Shes like a shadow, a dull ghost,” he thought. During one argument, he shouted:
“I thought youd blossom into something beautiful! Now? Im stuck with a frozen bud.”
It was the first time in months Grace had cried.
And that same night, when everything crumbled, Edward whispered:
“Grace, Im exhausted.”
“By what?” she asked.
“By this life. By the endless routine.”
Grace picked up her bag and left. Edward had hoped shed return and beg him to stay, but she simply said:
“Maybe you should live alone. Move out.”
He exploded.
“Im not leaving!”
“Its my parents flat,” Grace said coldly. “And I wont live with someone who sees me as a burden.”
Edward had no choicehe left. Weeks later, their divorce was final.
**The Encounter That Changed Everything**
Three years passed. Edward was still at his parents, trying to start anew, but luck never favoured him. His job paid poorly, and only small pleasures lifted his days.
One spring evening, as he walked down the street, he passed a café and froze. There, through the window, was Grace.
But she wasnt the Grace hed known. This was a confident womanhair styled, wearing a sleek coat, car keys in hand.
“Grace?” Edward said, startled.
She turned, recognised him, and smiled.
“Edward? Hello! How are you?”
“Uh fine,” he stammered, unable to look away.
“You?” she asked casually.
“Seems youre doing better Still at the same job?”
“No,” Grace said. “I opened my own florist shop. It was terrifying, but I found someone to support me.”
“Who?”
From the café emerged a tall man in an expensive coat. He slipped an arm around Grace gently.
“Darling, a tables free. Shall we?”
“Edward, this is James,” Grace said. “It was nice seeing you.”
“Happy for you,” Edward muttered, bitterness twisting inside.
“Thank you,” Grace replied softly.
James nodded, and they walked inside, leaving Edward on the cold pavement.
Once, hed said, “Im living with a frozen bud.”
But the bud had bloomedjust not for him.
**Sometimes, the life you resent is the very one someone else needed to flourish.**
