**Diary Entry**
Waking up that morning was a struggle. Emily had spent a sleepless night in her cosy, warm bedroom. The brutal and unfair argument with her husband the day before had left her utterly demoralised. It had erupted over Jacks demands to sell their flat and invest in some shady business venture.
She got up, drank a strong cup of coffee, and began packing Jacks belongings into a large suitcase. Only then did she realise his passport was missing.
“Right, so hes left on his own. Good riddance,” she muttered, hot tears spilling uncontrollably.
Jack had threatened to leave before after every row, but things always patched up eventually, and they carried on. Only now, she was a senior sales assistant at a department store, while Jack flitted between dubious gigs, chasing his next big break.
Then came his latest schemeimporting brandy by the barrel from Azerbaijan, bottling it at a local distillery, and selling it through independent off-licences. He swore it was foolproof, backed by contracts and expert approval, but Emily saw right through the flimsy plan. Worse still, the upfront cost was staggering, promising triple returnsmoney they didnt have. Selling the flat was his solution, and thats where the fight began.
The flat had been left to her by her parents. There was no way shed gamble it away and risk ending up homeless. Jack called her a penny-pinching miser, and after a vicious row, he stormed out. She knew exactly where hed goneback to his ex-wife, Sophie.
Sophie had divorced him years ago but reappeared suddenly, having taken her wealthy new husband, their two kids, and the house. Shed started calling Jack, luring him over under the pretence of nostalgia. Emily always suspected that, if not for the children, hed have moved in permanently.
Now, she felt neither jealousy nor ragejust numb indifference. Jack had failed as a husband and a man. All bluster, no substance, always chasing a quick buck, as he put it. Good riddance. Let Sophie fund his latest harebrained scheme.
Emily wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and decided to take control. No more wasting energy on Jacks madness. The flat was hers, and so was her future. She grabbed her phone and called her old friend Charlotte, a solicitor at a prestigious London firm.
“Charlie, I need your help,” Emily said firmly. “Jacks gone. I want a divorce. And I need to know if hes dragged me into any debts or scams.”
Charlotte got to work. Within days, she uncovered Jacks brandy schemedodgy contracts signed with Azerbaijani “partners,” an attempt to remortgage the flat. Thankfully, without Emilys signature, they were worthless. Worse still, Jack had pawned his fathers Jaguar for an advance, despite the old man being a stern, no-nonsense army veteran. How hed managed that, Emily couldnt fathom.
Meanwhile, Jack, convinced of his “genius plan,” moved in with Sophie. Flattered by his attention, she invested her divorce settlement. The kids were packed off to her parentsher doting mother could handle them while Sophie rekindled the past.
Jack promised her riches, hustling loans from gullible mates, all convinced theyd strike gold. He paid a hefty deposit and waited for delivery.
Thennothing. No brandy, no Azerbaijanis, and the distillery denied all knowledge. Jack was left drowning in debt, his fathers Jaguar gone, and lawsuits from furious “investors,” Sophie included. She kicked him out in a rage.
He tried crawling back to Emily, but shed changed the locks and filed for divorce. Left with nothingno family, no money, a ruined reputationJack was soon arrested for fraud and given a proper prison sentence.
Free from the toxic marriage, Emily flourished. She took out a small loan against the flatnot for scams, but to open an eco-friendly beauty shop. Her retail experience paid off; within months, she repaid the loan and turned a steady profit. Charlotte handled the legalities, and Emily finally felt secure.
Only one question nagged her: how had she ever loved a man like Jack? Youth? Naivety? Probably.
Shed met him at her mothers office Christmas party. At twenty-five, with university friends fading and no new prospects, shed been lonely. Her mother had hoped shed hit it off with one of the cheerful young men therenot brooding, divorced Jack.
Yet hed captivated herolder, polished, charming. Thirty-three, going nowhere in his career, tired of “working for the man.” Hed figure something out, he told an impressionable Emily as they dated.
Her mother had warned her.
“Darling, please dont fall for this man.”
Emily had bristled. “Why? Has he done something awful?”
“No, but hes been married. I just worry for you.”
Her mothers quiet dread had been prophetic. Three months later, she passed awaylikely hiding her illness to shield Emily.
Jack had been her rock then, moving in, refusing to leave her side. A year later, they marriedjust as he quit his job chasing “something better.” Then came the miscarriage, a crushing blow. Jacks cold response”Meant to be”had cut deep. Soon, he started vanishing nights, and the rest unfolded as it did.
Now, sitting in her cosy office, Emily gazed out the window and smiled. She thought of all shed endured, of her mothers wisdom. How right shed been.
Her life was hers now. Jack, rotting in prison, could regret his choicesit meant nothing to her. She was building a bright future.
The next day, a lazy Sunday, Emily bought a basket of scarlet rosesher mothers favouriteand visited her grave. The summer air was warm, birds chirped carelessly.
Her mothers portrait watched hera young woman who couldnt save her from mistakes. But the fault was Emilys alone.
She smiled. “Its over, Mum. Dont worry for me.”
The roses swayed in the breeze, as if answering. Lightness filled her heart. She remembered her mothers last words:
*”My darling, I love you. Ill always be with youright here, in your heart. When life is hard, listen to its beat. Feel its warmth. Know Im near. Just dont grieve too long, my love.”*
Emily pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart thudded, her palm warmed, tears fell. She knew thenshed never betray her mothers memory or repeat those bitter mistakes. Not when her love still lived within her.
**Lesson learned:** Some warnings come too late, but the wisdom they carry lasts forever. Hold tight to those who truly love youand let go of those who never did.
