Hubby jets off on a solo vacay, too impatient to wait for his wife. A week later, he’s back from the Bahamas and finds this…

And Janice, I have a huge favor to ask. Don’t ruin my mood before the trip. I’ve mentally already embarked on this journey.

In fact, I’ve booked my flight for tonight. Janice was rendered speechless by his audacity, by the fact that he had already booked his ticket for that very evening. Words seemed to elude her.

Pang of hurt constricted her throat, and she retreated to her room, to avoid witnessing her husband’s departure. She had sensed something amiss lately. He’d been acting out of character, coming home late, initiating uncharacteristic, lengthy conversations.

She just couldn’t put her finger on why his behavior had suddenly altered. Janice had initially tucked away such troubling thoughts. The fear of confronting them was too daunting.

She didn’t want to dwell on suspicions that might turn out to be baseless. Instead, she decided to calmly assess the situation. Could it be that she was overreacting? Maybe it wasn’t so unusual for a married couple to take separate vacations occasionally.

But then, the resounding slam of the front door caused Janice to startle. Did he just leave without even saying goodbye? That can’t be happening. She pondered.

She stepped out of the room, only to be greeted by the harsh reality that it indeed could happen. Just as she was on the brink of tears, something on the table caught her eye. Sean had left his phone behind.

He had a password she didn’t know, but an incoming message briefly lit up the screen, providing her enough time to read it. I’m already at the airport, waiting for you babe. Give me a call when you get there.

Before she could process the message, the front door creaked open and Sean re-entered. He eyed Janice suspiciously, grabbed his phone, then planted a quick kiss on her cheek. I’ve gotta dash, love.

Don’t worry about a thing. Janice was momentarily frozen, then swiftly dressed and bolted out the door, frantically waving for a taxi. Their ride to the airport was the longest, most excruciating journey she’d ever taken.

She didn’t know where to look for him, but unfortunately, they were immediately noticeable. Their behavior reminiscent of smitten high school sweethearts. The woman was considerably younger than her.

A gasp escaped Janice as she covered her mouth with her hand, watching them from a distance. So, this was it. Five years of married life.

Five years of believing we were a happy family, she mused. Janice and Sean’s story had begun in college. Sean was late for an English class.

He was the last one to enter, and there was only one vacant seat. By a stroke of fate, that seat was right next to a very beautiful girl, Janice. Janice was a radiant beauty.

So stunning that many guys felt too intimidated to approach her. This lack of attention, paradoxically, dented Janice’s self-confidence. She started to believe something was amiss with her.

So when Sean ended up sitting next to her, she was immediately intrigued by his apparent courage. For Sean, however, he saw no other choice. He felt at ease sitting next to such an attractive girl.

Not because he was overly confident, but rather because he deemed himself invisible to her. He believed that he didn’t stand a chance. So there was nothing to lose or be nervous about.

When a class discussion paired them up, Sean found a reason to talk to her. That’s when he discovered that Janice was not just beautiful, but also humble and friendly. Maybe that was when he realized he could sway Janice to his favor.

As time went on, Sean grew more comfortable chatting with her, even forgetting their perceived social gap. One day, he offered her a ride home after class. By the end of the semester, they were officially dating.

After graduation, they took the next step and got married. But now, their marital bliss had crumbled. Sean was using their shared savings to whisk his mistress away to the Bahamas, while Janice would have to return to work the next day.

She would come home to an empty house, waiting for her husband’s return from his escapade. She felt utterly alone, without anyone to confide in, seek advice from, or even just vent to. Janice had grown up fatherless, a void that had always gnawed at her.

She never experienced a father’s guidance, love, or protection, a hollow feeling that left her feeling incomplete. People told her that as she grew older, she would overcome the absence and move on. But the opposite happened.

The void magnified over time. In retrospect, she realized she tolerated so much of Sean’s unacceptable behavior because she had no model of how a man should treat her. It pained her every time she mulled over this, and now, it hurt even more as she found herself stranded in her sorrow, with no one to turn to…