When Margaret turned forty-five, she noticed a change.
Daniel began paying unusual attention to his appearance. New shirts. Expensive cologne. Different hairstyles.
“Trying to impress someone?” she would tease.
“I just want to look good,” he’d reply.
She didn’t suspect anything. They had spent decades focused on work and children. Maybe now they could focus on themselves.
She bought new dresses too. “I deserve to feel beautiful,” she thought.
But gradually, tension crept in.
Daniel grew irritable. Small things triggered arguments. Sometimes he left for hours.
Then the rumors reached her.
Former colleagues told her directly. “Everyone knows, Margaret… Daniel has been seeing Vanessa for a while.”
That night she confronted him.
“I know about the two of you.”
Daniel sighed. “It’s not serious. It’s not worth throwing away a marriage.”
“If you don’t end it, I’ll file for divorce.”
Nothing changed.
He started disappearing for days at a time.
Then one weekend he went to the coast with Vanessa. When he came back, he spoke plainly.
“We’re divorcing. I’m leaving with her. I think I’ve finally found the love of my life.”
Margaret stared at him. “And what was I all these years?”