Hey love, grab a cuppa and settle in Ive got a story thats been running through my mind. So, Stephen was packing his things with a strange sort of pride. Hed just walked out the door of the house hed shared with Olivia for fifteen years, heading off to a new life with a woman twelve years his junior. Olivia watched him, eyes brimming with tears, hoping it was some sort of joke and that hed never actually go.
Stephen, dont go! she pleaded. We still have the kids to raise. For the kids sake, please stay!
He snapped back, The kids will understand! Dont try to rope me in with them theyre already thirteen, theyve grown up now.
Olivia sobbed louder, But theyre thirteen! They still need their dad! She tried to grab his sleeve, but he shrugged her off.
Dont tether me with the kids! Dont ruin my life! Stephen snapped, his thoughts only on the bright future he imagined with his young new wife, not a lick of concern for the children or the wreckage he was leaving behind.
He gathered the last of his belongings and walked out, leaving Olivia sprawled on the hallway floor, a river of tears streaming down her cheeks.
When Ryan and his sister Ruby got home from school, Olivia was still on the floor. Shed stopped crying, her stare empty. She looked up at the kids, rose slowly, and whispered, Dads gone forever.
Dont cry, Mum, Ruby soothed. Well manage without him.
Exactly, Ryan added, Ill help you get through this. Olivia clung to them, hugging them tight, whispering, Youre so good to me. Im lucky to have you. Well get through this, everything will be alright
And they did push forward, though it wasnt easy at first. Olivia kept crying late into the night when the kids werent looking, missing Stephen more and more, though the ache softened over time.
Meanwhile, Stephens new life with Isabelle was a mixed bag. It was fun at first, but daytoday it was unbearable. She didnt know how to do any of the housework, and when she did, she never wanted to. So Stephen kept comparing her to Olivia, because thats the way hed always lived. Isabelle grew fed up and tossed him out, back to Olivias doorstep.
A year later, Stephen showed up again, eyes downcast, looking ragged and worn. He begged Olivia and the kids for forgiveness, saying, I love you, I cant live without you. If you dont take me back, Ill never get over it. Olivia felt a pang of relief maybe she still loved Stephen more than that young divorcee. She told him off for the sake of dignity, laid out all her feelings, but eventually let him in. The kids accepted him, but without any real enthusiasm. Their teenage stubbornness wouldnt let them forgive him outright; they just brushed his attempts aside.
Olivia blossomed a little, proud that Stephen had returned. So Im the best after all, she thought. Stephen, feeling smug, took it as proof that she still loved him. For a while, everything seemed to settle into a new routine.
But Isabelle wasnt happy. She hated that Stephen was doing fine without her, so she tried to rekindle things. Stephen didnt resist.
The second time Stephen left, it wasnt with the same swagger. He packed his bag on a Saturday the familys day off while the kids were at school, muttering a quick Sorry, I was wrong, before walking out. Olivia didnt weep this time, didnt beg him to stay; she just pretended to be watching the telly, feeling utterly defeated.
She didnt slump into despair like before, just seethed at herself for letting her weakness win, for taking him back again. She fought to keep some dignity. When the door slammed shut behind him, the floodgates opened and she finally let the tears flow.
By the time the kids got home, Olivia had composed herself. When she told Ryan and Ruby what had happened, they actually seemed relieved.
Honestly, Ryan said, well manage without him. It might even be better this way!
Stephen strutted back to Isabelle like a king, convinced shed called him because she loved him. He acted as if the whole world revolved around him. But that attitude lasted only a month before Isabelle threw him out again.
So there he was, once more on Olivias doorstep, eyes lowered, heart convinced shed forgive him again. This time, though, Olivia didnt even let him cross the threshold.
You were right back then, she said calmly. It was a mistake for both of us to get back together. Some wounds cant be healed, they just have to be removed. Dont come back.
Stephen was stunned to realize hed become unwanted. Sure, his new wife didnt need him she was a whirlwind but the kids? Hed raised them, after all. To learn that his ex-wife didnt want him either was a betrayal he never saw coming. And who could say what these women really needed?
Anyway, thats the whole mess. Thought youd like the drama its like a soap opera, but its happening right here in our little London suburb. Talk soon!
