**Diary Entry 7th June**
Bloody hell, what a mess. Mums reaction was the last straw.
Oh, for heavens sake! So he had a bit on the sidebig deal. All men do it. Stop whinging and go make up with him. Or dyou think Ive got room for you and that belly of yours to move in?
Mum he *cheated* on me, Emily reminded her, voice shaking.
Her whole world had crumbled. Yesterday, shed caught her husband in bed with another woman. Today, her own mother was practically shoving her out the door. Both spoke to her like she was some tantrum-throwing child.
So he cheated. What of it? Mum huffed. You drove him to it, didnt you? Youre not the first woman to be pregnant, love. The rest of us manage just finewhy must you be so bloody fragile? If you were well enough to work, you were well enough to keep him happy.
Mum! Dont you remember waiting up for Dad all those nights? Emily choked out.
Exactly my point! Mum threw her hands up. They all stray. Just not all get caught. Right, youve got a week to patch things up. If not, youre on your own.
Yesterday, shed been ranting about teaching that bastard a lesson. Today, she was practically ordering Emily to beg forgiveness from the man whod betrayed her. Deep down, Emily knew the truthMum just didnt want the hassle.
Not that Emily had asked for help. But right now, a shoulder to lean on wouldve been nice. Especially with the baby coming.
Mum knew exactly how it felt. DadRichardhad cheated on her for years. And Mums reaction? Well, shed cry, scream, wait up all night. Then, when he slunk home at dawn with flowers, shed beat him with the bouquet.
Never buying you roses again, Richard once joked, shameless. Too bloody prickly.
And shed laughed with him. Every betrayal ended the samea storm of tears, then demands for compensation. A fur coat. A new car. A shelf full of French perfume.
Hes putty in my hands after, Mum bragged to her friend once. Might as well get something out of it. Not like Id leave himwhy let some other woman have him?
By the time Emily was eight, they divorced anyway. Richard vanished with his latest fling. He barely phonedbirthdays, Christmas, if that.
Mum had been devastated but soldiered on. At first, they lived off the remnants of their old lifeluxuries sold one by one. Then she got a job.
Gone from living like royalty to counting pennies, shed moan.
At least youre not wondering where he is, her friend would say.
No. Just wondering how to pay the gas bill.
Life stayed hard. Mum even pawned her gold jewellery. Eventually, they adjustedcheaper meals, fewer theatre trips, wearing last seasons clothes. Emily swore shed never end up like that.
And yet, here she was.
Charlie wasnt rich like Dad, but comfortable enough. Inherited wealth, sharp mind, owned a chain of salons across London. Steady incomebut that wasnt why shed married him.
Early on, hed painted such pretty pictures. People should talk things through, hed say. Thats the secret. If couples just sat down and *discussed* things, half these divorces wouldnt happen.
Charming, patient, kinduntil they actually clashed. Then the mask slipped. Hed bring her peaches in bed, fetch her midnight cravings, pay for her haircuts. But when real conflict arose?
Charlie, I *worry* when you dont call! shed snap after another late night.
Em, thats *your* problem. Your emotions, your responsibility, hed shrug.
And if *I* did this?
Then Id deal with it. Like an adult.
His logic baffled her. Compromise only existed on his terms. Yet shed excused itmen just didnt *get* emotions, right?
Maybe thats why she kept working, even pregnant. She wouldnt depend on him.
Not that it was easy. Morning sickness hit harddizziness, migraines, nausea if she moved too fast. Some days, just getting out of bed was a battle. But she pushed through.
Turned out, she was right to.
First, household routines fell apart. She barely cooked or cleaned. Meals became pasta, ready-made pies, the occasional takeaway. Charlie never complainedif he wanted something fancy, hed order it. She mistook that for kindness.
Then intimacy vanished. Between exhaustion and nausea, she couldnt. At first, he sulked. Thenshe *thought*he accepted it.
But his phone never left his hand. Business chats, he claimed. Until she peeked. Flirty texts. Photos.
She confronted him that night.
Oh, come off it! What, you expected me to live like a monk? he scoffed. Im a man, Em. You think Ill wait a year? Then itll be the kids, then headacheswhat, Im just supposed to *suffer*?
I expected *loyalty*, she spat.
Then try being a proper wife! My barbers wifes pregnant*she* doesnt push him away.
Thats when she saw ithis kindness was just wrapping paper. Underneath, pure selfishness.
She packed a bag and fled to Mums, hoping for comfort. Instead
Mum, I *need* help right now
I *am* helping! Go back to him. You need a husband; that baby needs a father. Stop being so bloody dramatic.
Mums world was different. Betrayal meant gifts. Forgiveness was wisdom. Patiencejust survival. Maybe she thought she was saving Emily.
Emily knew better.
Next day, she met Sarahan old work friend, always had her back.
Christ, Em but youll be alright, Sarah said gently. Maternity pay, child supportyou wont starve. Worse comes to worst, move in with me. Ive got a spare room.
Emily was stunned. Her *husband* blamed her. Her *mother* sided with him. Yet here was someone offering help, no strings attached.
She said yes. Not for the roomjust so she wouldnt be alone.
When she returned to grab her things, Mum cornered her.
Changed your mind, then? Made up?
Emily met her gaze. Never.
Mum gasped, rantedbut Emily was already shutting the door. Inside, she ached with fear, loneliness. Yet for the first time in years, she could *breathe*.
However hard it got, she wouldnt go back. Not to him. Not to Mum. Better to face the world alone than with people whod stab you and call it love.
**Lesson learned: Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is walk awayeven if it means walking alone.**
