Waking up that morning was difficult. Emily had spent a sleepless night in her cosy, warm bedroom. The previous days argument with her husband, cruel and unfair, had left her utterly demoralised. It had erupted over his demands to sell their flat and invest the money into some dubious business venture.
Emily got up, drank a strong cup of coffee, and began packing her husbands belongings into a large travel bag. Only then did she notice his passport was missing.
“Right, so he really has left on his own. Good riddance,” she muttered, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Her husband, Daniel, had often threatened to leave after their fights, but things always settled down, and they carried on. Emily was now a senior sales assistant at a department store, while Daniel scraped by with shady odd jobs, chasing his big break.
Then hed come to her with a proposalinvest in a business importing brandy from Spain. A tanker would deliver it to a local distillery, where it would be bottled before being sold to independent shops. He claimed he had all the agreements in place.
Despite Daniels assurances of full inspections and the distillerys cooperation, Emily was firmly against this half-baked scheme. It reeked of trouble.
On top of that, the tanker of brandy required a huge upfront payment, supposedly to triple their money later. But of course, they didnt have the fundshence the demand to sell their flat. That was what had sparked the row.
The flat had been left to Emily by her parents, and she refused outright to sell it, knowing shed be left with nothing. Daniel called her a penny-pinching miser, they argued fiercely, and he stormed out. Emily even knew whereto his ex-wife, Claire.
Claire had divorced Daniel years ago but had recently reappeared, newly single with her two children and a nice house. Shed been calling Daniel, inviting him over. Hed drop by, claiming it was just for old times sake. Emily always suspected that if not for the kids, hed have moved in permanently.
Now, though, she felt neither jealousy nor angerjust numb indifference. Daniel had failed as a husband, as a man. He strutted about, pretending to work hard, but really, he was just looking for “a quick way to make a packet,” as he put it. Well, good riddance. Let his ex-wife fund his dodgy schemes.
Emily wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and decided it was time to take control. She wouldnt waste another moment on Daniel or his mad ideas. The flat would stay hers, and her future was in her own hands. She picked up her phone and called her old friend Charlotte, a solicitor at a top London firm.
“Charlie, I need help,” Emily said firmly. “Daniels left, and I want a divorce. And I need to check if hes dragged me into any debts or scams.”
Charlotte got straight to work. Within days, she uncovered that Daniel had indeed tried to pull off his brandy schemehed signed questionable contracts with Spanish suppliers, even attempting to mortgage the flat. But without Emilys signature, they were worthless.
Worse, Daniel had pawned his fathers prized Jaguar for an advance. How hed convinced his gruff, stubborn father, a retired army officer, to hand over the keys, Emily couldnt fathom.
Meanwhile, Daniel, convinced of his “brilliant plan,” had moved in with Claire. Flattered by his attention, she agreed to back his venture, even investing the savings shed wrangled from her ex-husband. She sent the kids to her parentsher mother doted on them, so why not?
Daniel promised Claire mountains of gold, spinning tales of quick riches. He borrowed from gullible friends, paid a hefty sum for the shipment, and waited.
But the brandy never arrived. The Spanish suppliers vanished, the distillery denied all knowledge, and Daniel was left drowning in debt, stripped of his fathers car, and facing lawsuits from furious “investors,” including Claire.
Furious, Claire kicked him out. He tried crawling back to Emily, but shed already changed the locks and filed for divorce. Left with nothingno family, no money, a ruined reputationDaniel was soon arrested for fraud and sent to prison.
Free from her toxic marriage, Emily thrived. She took out a small loan against the flatnot for scams, but to open her own eco-friendly beauty shop. Her retail experience helped the business flourish, and soon she repaid the loan and turned a steady profit. Charlotte handled the paperwork, and Emily finally felt secure and independent.
Only one question nagged at herhow had she ever fallen for a man like Daniel? What had she been thinking? Youth? Naivety? Probably.
Shed met him through her mother at work. At twenty-five, her university friends were drifting away, and new connections werent forming. So when her mother took her to the office Christmas partya “corporate do”Emily was grateful.
Her mother had hoped shed meet one of the bright, cheerful young men there. Instead, Emily was drawn to Danielbrooding, reserved, still raw from his divorce.
At thirty-three, he was polished, handsome, and disillusioned with his dead-end job. He wanted “to be his own boss,” he told the impressionable Emily when they started dating.
Her mother had warned her.
“Please, darling, dont get serious about this Whittaker man.”
Emily had flushed, puzzled. Her mother never spoke like this.
“You might mistake his charm for real feeling and imagine romance where there is none.”
“Charm? Daniel isnt charming, Mum. But hes serious about me. He said so himself. And yes, hes olderthats fine. Im done with boys. I want something real.”
Her mother sighed. “You grew up without a father. Freud would say youre seeking that missing figure in older men.”
Emilys mother was sharp, well-read, a department head. She knew what she was talking about. But Emily wouldnt listenshe was already smitten.
“Just be careful. Dont let this go too far.”
“Why, Mum? Has he done something wrong?”
“Not that I know of. But hes been married before. I just worry for you.”
Her mothers calm tone couldnt hide her unease.
And shed been right. Three months later, Emilys mother passed away. She must have known she was ill but hid it to protect her daughterright until the end.
Daniel had been her rock then, never leaving her side. He moved in, and Emily didnt object. In her grief, she thought she couldnt have survived without him.
They married a year later, by which time Daniel had quit his job to chase his dreams. Then came the miscarriagea crushing blow. Daniels cold response”Maybe it wasnt meant to be”cut deep.
Soon, he started disappearing at night. And then came the final betrayal.
Now, sitting in her cosy office, Emily looked out the window and smiled. She thought of all shed endured, of her mothers words. How right shed been.
But Emilys life was full of possibilities now. Daniel, locked away in some prison cell, likely regretted his choicesbut that no longer mattered to her. She was building her own bright future.
The next day, a warm Sunday, Emily bought a basket of crimson rosesher mothers favouriteand visited her grave. Birds chirped carelessly in the trees as she stood before the headstone, her mothers youthful face watching from the photo.
She hadnt been able to shield Emily from her mistakes. But that wasnt her fault.
Emily smiled softly. “Its all behind me now, Mum. Dont worry.”
The roses swayed gently in the breeze, as if in answer. Emilys heart felt strangely light. She remembered her mothers last words:
“My darling, I love you. Ill always be with youright here in your heart. When things are hard, listen to its beat, feel its warmth, and know Im near. Just dont mourn me too muchpromise me.”
Without thinking, Emily pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart thudded steadily, her palm grew warm, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She knew then shed never betray her mothers memory or make another bitter mistakenot when it would hurt her, even in heaven.
