Daphnée stumbled upon her husband’s betrayal by chance
As is often the case, wives are the last to learn. 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 having an affair with her husband, Nicolas. Yet nothing in Nicolass behavior had ever raised Daphnées suspicions.
She discovered the truth that evening, unexpectedly, when she returned home. Daphnée had been a physician at a Paris hospital for several years and was scheduled for a night shift that day. Near the end of her shift, a younger colleague, Pauline, asked for a favor:
Daphnée, could you swap nights with me? Ill work tonight and cover for you 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 arrived home, eager to surprise her husband. Instead, she received a surprise herself. As soon as she stepped inside, she heard voices from the bedroomNicolass voice and another she recognized, though she hadnt expected it at that moment. It was Claires voice, and what Daphnée heard left no doubt about their relationship.
She slipped out of the apartment as quietly as she had entered. The rest of the night she spent at the hospital, unable to sleep. How could she face her colleagues, all of whom now knew the truth, while she had been blinded by love and total trust in Nicolas? He had become the center of her world, to the point where she gave up her own dream of having children whenever he said he wasnt ready, that they should wait and enjoy life. Now Daphnée realized he saw no future for a family.
That night she made what seemed the only possible choice. She wrote a leave request and a resignation, returned home, packed her belongings while Nicolas was at work, and rushed to the train station. She had inherited a modest country house from her grandmother and thought no one would 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 one.
Twentyfour hours later she stepped off the train at a familiar stop. The last time Daphné had been there was ten years earlier, at her grandmothers funeral. Everything was still quiet and deserted. Exactly what I need right now, she thought. After a brief carshare ride and a twentyminute walk, she reached the house. The garden was so overgrown with shrubs that she struggled to reach the front door.
It took her several weeks to tidy the house and clear the garden. She wouldnt have managed alone, but the neighborswho remembered her grandmother, Adeline, a teacher for more than forty yearscame to her aid. Daphnée was surprised by their warm reception and felt deeply grateful.
Soon news spread that a doctor had arrived in the village. One day a neighbor, Marie, rushed to Daphnée, looking frantic:
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 girl, Mathilde, had 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 kilometers away. We had a nurse, but she left the village and was never replaced.
From then on the villagers turned to Daphnée for medical care. She couldnt refuse, given how warmly she had been welcomed and supported by her new community.
The local authorities heard about her work 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 seeing patients.
One night someone knocked late at her door, which didnt surprise herillness doesnt keep office hours. She opened for a stranger.
Madame Daphnée, he said, Im from Villefranche, fifteen kilometers away. My daughter is gravely ill. At first I thought it was a simple cold, but the fever hasnt dropped in three days. Please, come examine her.
Daphnée quickly gathered her supplies while the man described his daughters symptoms. When she arrived, she found a pale, bedridden girl struggling to breathe. After the exam she declared:
Her condition is serious. She needs hospitalization.
The man shook his head.
I live alone with her. Her mother died shortly after birth. Shes everything I have I cant lose her.
The hospital has the equipment a sick child needs. I dont have the medicines here.
Tell me what to give, 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 his panic, Daphnée studied him more closely for the first time: a tall, thin man with chestnut hair and dark green eyes that shone with determination.
Ill stay with your daughter, she said. Whats her name?
Juliette, he replied softly. And Im Antoine. Thank you, doctor.
Antoine left to fetch the prescribed medication.
Juliettes fever persisted; she was restless, crying, calling for her father. Daphnée held her, rocking her and humming a lullaby until the child quieted a little.
Hours later Antoine returned with everything. Daphnée administered the treatment and, exhausted, said:
Now we just have to wait.
They kept watch 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. Though fatigued, the satisfaction of turning the illness around kept her going.
You saved my girl, Antoine repeated, gratitude spilling from him.
A year passed. Daphnée continued at the dispensary, caring for villagers and nearby residents, while now living in Antoines spacious, beautiful house. They had married six months after that harrowing night when Juliettes life hung by a thread.
It took a few more weeks for Juliette to fully recover. She formed a strong bond with Daphnée, who loved her deeply, though she sometimes reflected on having delayed her own wish for a child.
One evening, tired but fulfilled, Daphnée returned home to find two beloved people waiting. Antoine greeted her warmly at the doorstep and asked:
So, did you get your leave? Ive planned everything; the three of us will go on vacation.
Daphnée smiled mysteriously and replied:
My leave is approved, but we wont be three, well be four.
Antoine stood stunned for a moment, then lifted his wife into his arms with joy.
Tatiana Stumbles Upon Her Husband’s Betrayal
