I have always been a loyal and dedicated employee, and I seemed to have a good relationship with my boss Greg. He was strict but fair, demanding but always willing to listen.
It’s been years since I joined the team and I’ve worked hard to prove my worth. I had earned my position, or so it seemed to me.
So when Greg called me into his office one afternoon, I assumed it was just a routine meeting. But that day changed everything.
‘Lena,’ he began without looking at me, ’I’m afraid we have to let you go.
For a moment my mind went blank.
‘What, why?’ stammered I uttered as a wave of confusion and disbelief swept over me.
‘I’m really sorry, Lena. We just don’t have the budget for your position anymore,’ he explained, avoiding my gaze. ‘It’s nothing personal, just business. You’ll get a severance package and HR will fill you in on all the details.’
I couldn’t make sense of his words. How could things change so quickly? I had just completed a big project, received positive reviews, and had done everything I could to contribute to the team. There were no warnings, no signs that my job was in jeopardy.
‘Are you sure?’ I asked, my voice shaking. ‘I’ve worked so hard for this company. Why now?’
Greg sighed, feeling uncomfortable. ‘It’s not my decision, Lena. It’s the company’s decision. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.’
I gathered my things, my head was spinning. Walking out of the office for the last time, I tried to shake off the feeling of betrayal. The blow had been too hard. I had given this job everything, and now I had nothing.
I woke up the next morning to a text that sent a chill down my spine.
‘Meet with me. I need to tell you the truth. – Sarah.’
It was from Sarah, Greg’s wife. I hadn’t heard from her in years and didn’t even know she had my number. My heart raced as I read the message. What did she want? Why would she contact me now, after everything that had happened?
I hesitated. Why would Sarah, who I barely knew, contact me now? I decided to ignore the message, but something inside me was pushing me to see her. Maybe there was something I needed to know. Maybe it was the missing piece of the puzzle.
I agreed to meet her at a small café in the city centre, hoping to get some answers.
When I arrived, Sarah was already sitting at a table, clasping her hands together nervously. She looked different from how I remembered her, older and more tired, but there was an undeniable strength in her eyes.
‘Lena,’ she said, her voice low and serious. ‘Thank you for coming. I know this must seem strange.’
I nodded, not knowing what to say. ‘Why did you want to see me? What’s going on?’
Sarah took a deep breath, her gaze moving to the window and then meeting mine again. ‘I don’t know how to say this, but I think you need to know the truth. Greg didn’t fire you because of budget cuts, Lena. That’s a lie.’
I stared at her, stunned. ‘What do you mean? He said it was because of budget cuts.’
‘That’s not it,’ Sarah admitted, her voice shaking. ‘He fired you because of me.’
I blinked, trying to comprehend her words. ‘Because of you? What do you mean?’
Sarah’s face filled with guilt. ‘Greg and I…our marriage has been in crisis for months now. We’ve been fighting all the time, and he’s… well, he’s been seeing someone else.’
I sighed. ‘Greg is cheating on you?’
Sarah nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. ‘Yes, but not with someone. With you.’
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. The air caught in my throat. ‘What are you talking about? I’ve never…’
‘I know,’ she interrupted, wiping away a tear. ‘But Greg thought it was you. He’s been obsessed with you for months now, Lena. He wanted to fire you earlier, but he couldn’t. That’s why he’s been so aloof lately, why he stopped talking to you in meetings. He was trying to push you away so he wouldn’t feel guilty about what he felt for you.’
I felt like the ground had gone out from under my feet. My world was crumbling.
‘The thing is, it didn’t work out,’ Sarah continued. ‘The night before you were fired, Greg and I had a big fight. I found out, and he admitted it. I told him I couldn’t go on like this, that he’d have to choose between you and me. So he decided to fire you, Lena. It was his way of dealing with the problem. He thought that if you disappeared, he could save our marriage.’
I sat stunned, my heart pounding frantically. Never, not even in my wildest nightmares, had I imagined anything like this. Greg had been acting strange lately, but I always assumed it was due to stress at work or personal problems. I never thought he had feelings for me, let alone that he would act on them.
‘I’m so sorry, Lena,’ Sarah said, her voice full of remorse. ‘I never wanted you to be a victim in all of this. I didn’t know how to make things right, but I didn’t want you to pay for his mistakes. I just wanted you to know the truth.’
I couldn’t realise what I had just heard. My thoughts were racing and my heart was heavy with everything that had happened. I had been fired, I had been betrayed by someone I trusted, and I had unknowingly found myself in a toxic marriage. Everything that was happening felt like a nightmare.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ I finally whispered.
Sarah reached out and placed her hand on mine. ‘I’m not asking you to forgive me. I just want you to know what really happened. I don’t want you to think it was your fault.’
I nodded slowly, still in shock. ‘Thank you for telling me. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now, but at least I know the truth.’
Sarah smiled sadly at me. ‘Take care of yourself, Lena. I hope you find peace in all of this.’
As I walked out of the café into the bright sunlight, I felt the weight of what Sarah had told me. My career, my trust in Greg, even my self-image-everything had been shattered. But at least now I knew the truth. And that truth, painful as it was, was the first step toward rebuilding my life.
