Daphnée stumbled upon her husband’s infidelity purely by chance
As is often the case, wives are the last to learn the truth. Only afterward did Daphnée grasp why her coworkers gave her odd looks and whispered behind her back. Everyone at the hospital knew that her dear friend Claire was involved with her husband, Nicolas. Yet nothing in Nicolass behavior ever raised Daphnées suspicions.
She discovered the affair that evening, unexpectedly returning home. Daphnée had been a physician at a Paris hospital for several years and was scheduled for a night shift that day. Before the shift began, her young colleague Pauline asked for a swap:
Daphnée, could you trade guards with me? Ill work tonight and youll cover me on Saturday, unless you have other plans. My sisters wedding is Saturday.
Daphnée agreed. Pauline was pleasant and helpful, and a wedding was a reasonable excuse.
That night, Daphnée came home eager to surprise her husband. Instead, she received a surprise herself. As soon as she entered, she heard voices from the bedroomNicolass and another she instantly recognized, though she never expected to hear it then or there. It was Claires voice. What Daphnée overheard left no doubt about their relationship.
She slipped out of the apartment as quietly as she had entered and spent the night at the hospital, sleepless. How could she face her colleagues, who now knew everything, while she had been blinded by love for Nicolas and had placed complete trust in him? He had become the center of her existence, to the point where she abandoned her own desire for children whenever he claimed he wasnt ready, insisting they wait and enjoy life. Daphnée now understood that he saw no future for a family.
That night, she took what seemed the only viable step. She wrote a leave request followed by a resignation, returned home, packed her belongings while Nicolas was at work, and rushed to the train station. She owned a modest country house inherited from her grandmother and figured no one would think to look for her there.
At the station she bought a new SIM card and discarded the old one, cutting every tie to her former life and embracing the new.
Twentyfour hours later she stepped off the train at a familiar stop. The last time Daphné had been there was a decade earlier, at her grandmothers funeral. Everything was as quiet and deserted as she rememberedjust what she needed now. After a brief carshare ride and a twentyminute walk, she reached the old house. Overgrown shrubs made the front door hard to find.
It took several weeks to tidy the house and garden. She would never have managed alone, but neighbors who remembered her grandmother Adelinea schoolteacher for more than forty yearsoffered generous help. Daphnée was taken aback by their warm reception and felt deeply grateful.
Word spread quickly that a doctor had arrived in the village. One day a neighbor, Marie, burst into Daphnées home, panic in her eyes:
Daphnée, Im sorry, I cant help you today. My little girl ate something bad and is suffering from indigestion.
Lets take a look, Daphnée replied, grabbing her medical kit.
The child, Mathilde, was experiencing food poisoning. Daphnée treated her and instructed Marie on the necessary precautions.
Thank you so much, Daphnée, Marie said, moved. Youre our doctor now. The nearest hospital is sixty kilometres away. We used to have a nurse, but he left and was never replaced.
From then on the villagers turned to Daphnée for health care. She couldnt turn them away after the warm welcome and assistance shed received from her new community.
Local authorities learned of her activity and offered her a position at the district medical centre.
No, Ill stay here, Daphnée declared firmly. But if you assign me to the local dispensary, Ill gladly accept.
The officials were flattered that a Parisian physician with her experience wanted to work in a modest dispensary, yet Daphnée held her ground. A few months later the dispensary reopened and she resumed consultations.
One night someone knocked late at her door, which didnt surprise herillness respects no schedule. She opened for a stranger.
Madame Daphnée, he introduced himself, Im from Villefranche, fifteen kilometres away. My daughter is gravely ill. At first I thought it was a cold, but her fever has persisted for three days. Please, examine her.
Daphnée hurried to gather her supplies while the man described his daughters symptoms. Upon arrival she found a pale, bedridden little girl struggling to breathe. After examining her, Daphnée said:
Her condition is serious. She needs to be hospitalized.
The man shook his head:
I live alone with her. Her mother died shortly after birth. Shes everything to me I cant lose her.
The hospital has the equipment a child this sick requires. I dont have the medicines here.
Tell me what you need, Ill get it. But please dont take her to the hospital. Theres an oncall pharmacy in the district I can reach. I have no one to watch her while Im gone.
Seeing the desperation in his eyes, Daphnée took a closer look at the mantall, slender, with chestnut hair, darkgreen eyes shining with resolve.
Ill stay with your daughter, she said. Whats her name?
Juliette, he answered gently. And Im Antoine. Thank you, doctor.
Antoine left to obtain the prescribed medication.
Juliettes fever stayed high; she whined, cried, and called for her father. Daphnée held her, rocking her and humming a lullaby until the girl calmed a little.
Hours later Antoine returned with everything. Daphnée administered the treatment and, weary, announced:
All we can do now is wait.
Both kept vigil through the night. At dawn Juliettes temperature finally began to fall, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Thats a good sign, Daphnée observed. Exhausted but uplifted by having turned the tide of the illness, she managed to stay strong.
You saved my daughter, Antoine kept repeating his thanks.
A year passed. Daphnée kept working at the dispensary, caring for locals and nearby residents. She now lived in the spacious house she shared with Antoine; they had married six months after that harrowing night when Juliettes life hung in the balance.
It took several more weeks for Juliette to make a full recovery. She grew deeply attached to Daphnée, who loved the girl in return, while sometimes reflecting on the child she had postponed for herself.
In the evenings, tired yet fulfilled, Daphnée returned home to the two people she cherished. That night Antoine greeted her at the doorstep, beaming, and asked:
So, did you get your leave? Ive planned everything; well go on vacation, the three of us.
Daphnée smiled enigmatically and replied:
My leave is approved, and we wont be three, but four.
Antoine stood stunned for a moment, then lifted his wife into his arms, joyfully.
Tatiana Stumbles Upon Her Husband’s Betrayal
