15October2025
Im now thirty, and the decade I spent on active duty has left its mark. Ten years in hot spots, twice wounded, and yet somehow the Almighty kept me safe. After the second serious injury I lingered in a military hospital for months before being sent back to my home village of Littleford.
Littleford had changed in my absence, as had the people I once knew. All my former schoolmates are married, but one face still lingered in my memory Emily. When I left for the army she was barely thirteen, a shy girl from the lane behind the old church. Now shes twentyfive, a strikingly beautiful woman, still unmarried. Shes never met a man shed want to settle down with, and has no desire to start a family of her own.
Im broadshouldered, sturdy, and have an acute sense of right and wrong. I couldnt ignore Emily any longer.
Are you waiting for me, still single? I asked, smiling as I looked at her.
Perhaps, she murmured, a faint blush colouring her cheeks, her heart fluttering for the first time that day.
From then on we began seeing each other. It was late autumn; we walked through a copse, the fallen leaves rustling beneath our boots.
Stanley, my father will never allow us to marry, Emily said sadly, even though Id already proposed twice. You know my father.
What can he do to me? Im not afraid of your dad, I replied confidently. If he harms me, the law will have him locked up, and he wont be a problem any more.
Stanley, you dont understand my father. Hes a harsh man, and everything in his life is under his iron grip, Emily whispered.
Arthur Grayson was the most influential man in Littleford. Once a modest entrepreneur, rumors now whispered of his unsavory dealings. He was stocky, with a round belly, a cold, haughty stare, and a reputation for cruelty. He had built two farms in the village, raising cattle and pigs, and employed more than half the locals. People bowed to him, almost kneeling, and he imagined himself a god.
My father wont sanction our wedding, Emily went on, and he wants me to marry the son of his friend from the city that brutish, drunken lad Vadik. I cant stand the thought of being with such a boor, and Ive already told my father a hundred times.
Were living in a stoneage mindset. Who in this day and age can force a woman to wed someone she doesnt love? I said, genuinely baffled.
I loved Emily whollyher gentle gaze, her fiery temperall of it. She, too, could not picture life without me.
Come on, I said, taking her hand and quickening my pace.
Where are you taking me? she began, but she could not stop me.
In the courtyard of the grand Grayson manor, Arthur was deep in conversation with his younger brother, Serge, who lived in the adjoining cottage and was always ready to lend a hand.
Mr. Grayson, I wish to marry your daughter, I declared. I ask for your blessing.
Emilys mother, standing on the porch, covered her mouth in shock, eyes flickering between her tyrannical husband and the audacious soldier before her.
Arthurs eyes narrowed, a mixture of anger and disbelief at my boldness. He barked, Get out of here, you daft fool. You think you can waltz in and claim my daughter? Shell never be yours. Forget this road, youre not welcome.
Well marry regardless, I retorted, steady as ever.
The villagers respected me, but Arthur saw only money and power. My pride was wounded. I clenched my fists, and Serge stepped between us, sensing the inevitable clash.
While Serge was shooing me away, Arthur dragged his daughter inside as if she were a tenyearold child. He never forgave any perceived affront.
That very night, a fire broke out in Littleford, consuming the garage where I had recently opened a small motorrepair shop.
Scoundrel, I muttered, certain the blaze was no accident.
The next evening, I slipped silently to Emilys house. Earlier that day Id texted her to pack a bag; she agreed to leave with me. From her window she handed me a suitcase, then slipped out, landing gently in my arms.
By dawn well be far away, I whispered. You have no idea how dearly I love you, Emily murmured, pressing herself to me.
I feel nervous, almost frightened, she admitted.
Within ten minutes we were on the A1, the wind tugging at us, excitement making her breath short. The headlights of a sleek Mercedes glared behind us, and then the car pulled alongside, its drivera hulking figuresnatched Emily from the passenger seat.
Dont, she whimpered, curling into a ball.
Arthur, flanked by two thugs, dragged his daughter away. I tried to intervene but was struck hard, knocked to the ground, and beaten without a word. The thugs got back into the car with Arthur and drove off, leaving me sprawled on the roadside.
I dragged myself home, lay in bed for a week, and the arson case was dismissed as faulty wiring. I understood the truth, but what haunted me most was Emilys fate. Her phone was dead, her messages vanished.
Arthur sent Emily to the city to stay with his sister, Vera, giving her a modest sum and an ominous warning:
Dont let Emily out of my house. No phone. If she returns to Littleford, Ill see to it she never leaves the forest, he threatened, pointing a threatening finger at Vera.
Good heavens, Arthur, Vera sighed, disapprovingly. Why do you ruin your daughters life?
She took Emily to her flat, insisting she hide until Arthur calmed.
Arthur spread a rumor that Emily was to marry Vadik in the city, that she would never come back to the village.
Time will heal, Emily. Find work, build a life, Vera advised.
Without Stanley?
Without him, Vera replied.
A few weeks later Emily discovered she was pregnant. Vera tried to comfort her, saying her father must never learn the truth.
Emily wept, her thoughts on her unborn child, not on Arthur. She could not remember Stanleys number; Arthur had destroyed her phone. Even if Vera offered her a line, there was nowhere to call.
I hate my father, Emily screamed in a fit, He isnt even a man. Vera stayed silent; there was indeed much to despise about him.
Time passed. I lived in a haze, working, drinking, and trying to forget. Emily gave birth to a healthy boy, Matthew, who took after me in looks and spirit. She occasionally visited, spoiling her grandson, while Arthur remained oblivious, never learning of the child.
Four years later, Matthew grew into a bright, cheerful lad. One spring, as flowers blossomed, Emilys mother arrived at Veras house, trudging up the steps and collapsing into a chair in the kitchen.
My dear, Arthur is dying, she sobbed. The doctors say its too late; they found cancer too late. Hed been robust, never a patient before.
She had endured bruises from Arthur all her life; now the tables had turned. What will I do alone? she asked, trembling.
No one felt pity for Arthur. As his breath faded, the households attention turned to Matthew, who brought light to the room. Arthurs wife, silent, watched her husband die, unable to voice the truth about her grandson.
He was buried in June. Emily didnt attend; she could never forgive him and scarcely anyone else came, only a few of his cronies, who whispered, He treated people like trash, and now heavens justice has caught up with him.
The grief lifted gradually from my mothers shoulders. I was away on guard duty, shuttling between the base and home, living with my own mother. When Emily finally returned to Littleford after five long years, she seemed a little steadier, the harshness of her fathers shadow finally receding. She had removed every photograph of Arthur from the walls.
Two weeks after her arrival, she learned I was on duty elsewhere, as my mother told her. A few days later she walked with Matthew along a lane, the boy chasing butterflies in the tall grass, while she rested against a fallen oak, a soft breeze brushing her cheek.
She reflected on her childhood, her love resurfacing, and felt his presence nearby.
Emily, I called quietly, and she sprang up, we rushed towards each other.
I was older now, more tempered, though a melancholy still lingered in my eyes. Emily retained her beauty, softened by time. We stared, speechless, the love that never truly faded still burning, though the pain had dulled.
Stanley, forgive me for everythingmy father, my mistakes, for never telling you about our son. I never married Vadik; that was a story my father spun. I lived with Aunt Vera in the city, she confessed.
I was stunned. Matthew, now darting through the grass, ran to us. Without a word, I saw my son, the spitting image of my younger self. I lifted him high, laughing.
My boy, I shouted, Ill never let you go again.
Dad, Matthew asked, will you buy me a football?
Of course, lad. Well go to the shop now, get you a ball and anything else you need, I replied, glancing at Emily, who smiled through tears.
I am grateful to fate for bringing Emily back into my life. Fate favours those who are thankful, and it has now blessed us with a familys happiness.
Lesson: Pride and cruelty can crush lives, but gratitude and perseverance can mend them; never let bitterness silence the love you still hold.
