What goes around comes around. When you act without thinking, it’s easy to forget that things happen for a reason. Fate has a way of testing us—our patience, our loyalty, or our strength.
Slamming the door behind him, James stormed out of the flat, fists clenched, teeth gritted in frustration. He was angry—at himself, at his wife Emily.
*I’m a grown man, yet I can’t stand up to the woman I love. The woman I’d do anything for. What am I doing wrong?*
He couldn’t wrap his head around why Emily was never happy with him. Her cold stares, sneers, and constant jabs wore him down. It was like she took pleasure in belittling him.
Their marriage had been crumbling for years, even though they had a three-year-old son, Oliver.
Just a little while ago, he’d rushed home from work with roses and a gift for her—today was their fifth wedding anniversary. He’d hoped she’d smile when she saw the gold pendant he’d picked out, that she’d be touched he remembered.
But when he handed her the bouquet and the little velvet box, she barely glanced at them. The flowers landed carelessly on the sofa, and when she opened the box, her face twisted in disgust.
*”This is the best you could do?”* she spat. *”I thought I married a real man, someone who’d value me properly. A diamond ring would’ve been the bare minimum. Five years of my life wasted on a failure like you.”*
She threw the pendant onto the sofa and smirked when she saw his face fall.
*”You’re pathetic. Can’t even earn enough to buy me something decent.”*
James barely held back his anger. He loved her—she was the mother of his child. But her words stung, and he couldn’t take it anymore. So he left.
The arguments had become constant, unfair, humiliating. He’d tried to laugh them off, but each time, he felt her slipping further away.
*What else can I do to make her happy?*
He hated how Oliver cried whenever they fought. The little boy knew something was wrong. James had tried telling Emily, but she’d just wave him off, making him feel even worse.
Today, he’d hoped the pendant—a delicate zodiac charm—would soften her. But no. She’d gone straight for his pride, like always.
He wandered aimlessly until he spotted a pub. He slid onto a barstool and ordered the strongest drink they had.
*”Happy anniversary, James,”* he murmured bitterly before downing it. He wasn’t a drinker, but tonight, he didn’t care.
*”Hey,”* a woman’s voice cut through his haze. *”Want some company?”*
He turned, barely focusing, but her tear-streaked face made him nod. *”Yeah. Looks like you’ve had a rough night too.”*
He woke the next morning in an unfamiliar flat, head pounding. The woman beside him—Sophie—was a stranger. The guilt hit him instantly. *I cheated on Emily.*
The flat wasn’t far from his. *Maybe she’ll forgive me if I buy her that diamond ring.*
Emily was furious when he got home. *”Where were you?”*
*”At a mate’s. Got too drunk after our fight. Didn’t want to come home like that.”* She seemed to buy it.
*”I’m sorry,”* he muttered. *”I’ll make it up to you.”*
But the guilt gnawed at him.
For a few days, things were calm. Emily even smiled at him again. But he couldn’t shake the shame.
He scraped together money—even borrowed from his mum—and bought the ring. He took the day off, picked up white roses, and hurried home, hoping for a fresh start.
But when he unlocked the door, he froze.
The flat was candlelit. Emily, in a revealing dress, was laughing with a man lounging on their sofa.
*This isn’t the first time.*
*”What the hell is this?”* James snapped.
Emily paled. The man—Daniel—just looked surprised.
*”Daniel and I were together before you,”* Emily said coldly. *”He’s divorced now. I only married you to hurt him. Get out.”*
James left before he did something he’d regret. His whole life had been a lie.
Somehow, his feet took him back to Sophie’s.
She blushed when she saw him. *”I’m so sorry about that night. I was heartbroken over my ex—”*
*”No, I’m the one who should apologize,”* he said.
They talked over tea. Sophie offered him the spare room. *”Maybe you and Emily will work things out… for Oliver’s sake.”*
Three days later, he went back for his things. The locks had been changed. Daniel answered.
*”I filed for divorce,”* Emily called from the kitchen.
Sophie turned out to be everything Emily wasn’t—kind, gentle, patient. Oliver adored her.
Emily called months later. *”Take Oliver. Daniel can’t stand the noise.”*
James didn’t hesitate.
He and Sophie grew closer. When she told him she was pregnant, he proposed. Oliver started calling her *Mum.*
Then Emily called again. *”Daniel left me. I’m pregnant. Take me back.”*
James hung up. He’d moved on.
Some people get what they deserve.
