Chapter 5 – The Other Woman

Emily woke up that morning with a decision in her heart. She had cried enough. She didn’t want more lies, more silence, or more pain. She wanted the truth with her own eyes. She was tired of imagining things. She wanted to see the woman her husband once loved—the woman he still met in secret.

Albert had left for work. The house was quiet. Emily sat on the edge of the bed, whispering to herself, “Today, I will see the truth. Whatever it is, I’ll face it.”

She found Clara’s address from the messages she had read earlier. Her heart was heavy, but her steps were firm. She wasn’t going there to fight. She just wanted to understand what really happened.

When Clara opened the door, she looked surprised. For a second, both women just stared at each other. Emily’s voice was calm. “You already know who I am, don’t you?”
Clara nodded slowly. “Yes. You’re Albert’s wife.”
Emily took a deep breath. “I didn’t come to argue. I came to know the truth.”

Clara looked nervous. She said softly, “Please come in. I never wanted to hurt you.”
Emily didn’t sit. She said, “I don’t need tea or talk. Just tell me—how long have you been in contact with him?”
Clara lowered her head. “After your marriage, I tried to stay away. But when my daughter grew up, she wanted to know her father. I called Albert, and he came. That’s all. He never spoke badly about you.”

Emily’s voice broke. “But he spoke to you in secret. That’s not love—it’s betrayal.”
Clara’s eyes filled with tears. “I know. I told him many times to tell you. He said he was scared to lose you. I swear, Emily, I never asked him for money or for love. I only wanted my child to have her father.”

Just then, a small voice came from inside the house. “Mom, who is it?” The little girl walked toward them. She had the same brown eyes as Albert. Emily froze. The child smiled shyly.

For a moment, Emily forgot her anger. She looked at that innocent face and felt something change inside her. The pain in her chest turned into silence. She knelt and said softly, “Hi, sweetheart. What’s your name?”
The girl said, “Lily.”

Emily smiled weakly. “You have a beautiful name.” She touched the child’s hand gently. It was small and warm. That small touch broke the wall of hate she had built around her heart.

Clara whispered, “She doesn’t know anything about your pain. Please don’t hate her.”
Emily looked at Clara and said, “How can I hate a child who did nothing wrong? I can’t blame her for what adults did.”

For the first time, Clara’s eyes softened. “Thank you, Emily. I know this must hurt you. But you are brave to come here.”
Emily said quietly, “Brave or broken, I just wanted to see what truth looks like.”

The two women stood in silence for a while. Emily realized Clara was not the enemy she imagined. She was just another woman hurt by the same man’s decisions.

Before leaving, Emily said, “I don’t know what the future holds. But from now, I’ll make my own peace. I won’t live in hate.”
Clara nodded. “You are a good woman. I hope he realizes what he’s losing.”

Emily smiled faintly and said, “He already did. He just doesn’t know how to fix it yet.”

When she left, her heart felt lighter. She didn’t forgive Albert yet, but she didn’t hate him as much. Seeing the truth made her stronger. She understood that forgiveness was not weakness—it was freedom.

That evening, when Albert returned home, he looked at her face and knew she had been there. He said quietly, “You met her, didn’t you?”
Emily nodded. “Yes. And I met your daughter too.”
Albert didn’t speak. His eyes were full of shame.
Emily said softly, “I saw the truth myself. I’m not angry anymore. But from today, you must decide who you really want to be—the man who hides or the man who rebuilds.”

Albert whispered, “I’ll rebuild. I promise.”
Emily said, “Promises don’t heal hearts, Albert. Actions do.”

She turned away, but this time, there was calm in her heart. She wasn’t broken anymore. She had faced the pain and survived it. She knew her next steps would be hard, but she was ready.

In that quiet moment, she finally whispered to herself, “I still have love inside me. I just need to find peace again.”