When Stan, my husband, left me and our two kids for Miranda, his lover, my life turned upside down. Even though it was painful and hard, I got to see Stan and Miranda again three years later, and it was surprisingly rewarding.
I thought our family was happy before Stan cheated on me. Our children, Lily and Max, were the most important thing to us. We had been married for 14 years. Everything fell apart when Stan brought Miranda into our home.
After that, the days and weeks were a blur of feelings, from shock and anger to grief and sadness. For my children and myself, I had to pick up the pieces and start putting our lives back together again.
I was set on moving forward even though it wasn’t easy. I focused on making a new life for us and raising our kids. I started to get better and be happy again as time went on.
I never thought I’d see Stan and Miranda again, and I certainly didn’t expect to see them in that way. Afternoon it rained, and I was running chores when I saw them sitting at a small café across the street.
I was shocked at first. There was nothing I could do or say. But when I looked at them, I saw that they weren’t the happy, beautiful people I had thought they would be. Instead, they looked sad, worn out, and tired.
Stan looked weak and worn out. His hair was falling out and his clothes were piled up. On the other hand, Miranda looked like she was trying to hold on to her old glory, but it was clear that she was having a hard time.
I wasn’t expecting to feel a sense of resolution as I watched them. I saw that I was happy without Stan and that I had moved on. I did not need him or his praise to be happy.
I walked up to them, not to argue or make a scene, but to check on them and see how they were doing. My eyes met Stan’s as I walked up to their table. He looked like he had seen a ghost.
He got up slowly and almost knocked over his chair. Then he called out to me. He yelled, “Lauren, wait!” “I’m really sorry for everything.” May I talk? I need to see my kids. I need to fix things.
However, I saw from his face that he wasn’t sorry for what he had done. He felt bad about what his acts had caused. He felt bad about losing me and our kids. He felt bad that he wasn’t the wealthy and happy man he used to be.
Also, as I listened to him, I felt a happiness I hadn’t expected. It hit me that I had been given a second chance to start over with my life and be happy again. That made me thankful.
I didn’t stay to talk to Stan and Miranda in the end. I didn’t need to. I was okay without them now that I had moved on. I just turned around and left, leaving them to their pain.
