‘That woman,’ I whispered, my voice full of rage, ’she destroyed my family for her own selfish ends.’
Beth placed a soothing hand on my shoulder. ‘I’m so sorry, Emily. I don’t think she realised he would leave you like that, but…I thought you should know the truth.’
I didn’t sleep that night. Part of me wanted to confront my mother-in-law, to get her to admit what she’d done. But the other part of me wanted to call Jack, tell him the truth, and hope he’d come back.
The next morning, I called Jack. My hands shook as I dialled the number, each ringtone dragging on longer and longer. Finally, he answered.
‘Jack, it’s me,’ I said, trying to keep my voice sounding calm. ‘We need to talk.’
He sighed. ‘Emily, I don’t know if we should.’
‘Just listen,’ I insisted, fighting the urge to keep my voice from shaking. ‘There was no fortune teller, Jack. Your mum made it all up.’
There was a long silence. Then he spoke, his voice calm but dismissive. ‘Emily, I don’t believe that. My mum wouldn’t make up something so serious.’
‘She did, Jack,’ I said, anger breaking through. ‘She confessed to Carol. Beth heard her. She lied to you because she was afraid of losing you.’
He snorted, the sound sharp and painful. ‘Look, Em, that fortune teller was right before. You don’t know her like I do. My mum wouldn’t lie about something like that.’
My heart dropped, but I forced myself to continue. ‘Jack, please think about it. Why would I lie? This is your family, your daughters. How can you just leave them over something like this?’
He didn’t answer, and finally I heard him sigh. ‘I’m sorry, Emily. I can’t do this.’
The line cut off. I stared at the phone, realising he’d made his choice. He was gone.
In the weeks that followed, I struggled to adjust to life as a single mum. Every day was a struggle: feedings, nappies, and my own sadness at the life I thought I would have with Jack.
But gradually things started to change. Friends and family came to help, bringing food and holding the children so I could rest. And through it all, my love for Sophie, Lily and Grace only grew. Every smile, every little babble or tiny hand wrapped around my finger filled me with a joy that almost erased the pain of Jack’s absence.
A few weeks later, someone knocked on my door. I opened it and Jack’s mother stood in front of me. Her face was pale, her eyes full of regret.
‘Emily,’ she began, her voice shaking. ‘I…I didn’t mean for it to happen like this.’
I crossed my arms, trying to remain calm. ‘You lied to him. You convinced him that his own children were a curse.’
Tears filled her eyes, and she nodded. ‘I was afraid, Emily. I thought…I thought he’d forget about me if he had you and the girls. I never thought he’d actually leave.’
My anger eased a little, but only a little. ‘Your fear destroyed my family.’
She lowered her gaze, her face contorted in pain. ‘I know. And I’m so, so sorry.’
I stared at her for a few seconds, but my mind was already focused on my daughters sleeping in the other room. ‘I have nothing more to say to you.’
She left and I closed the door, feeling a strange combination of relief and sadness.
A year later, Jack appeared at my door, looking like the ghost of the man I once loved. He begged, saying he had finally realised his mistake and wanted to come back, to be with us and be a family again.
But now I knew better. I looked him straight in the eye and shook my head. ‘I already have a family, Jack. You weren’t there for us when we needed you. I don’t need you now.’
Closing the door, I felt a weight lifted off of me. After all, it wasn’t me or our daughters who ruined his life. He’d done it on his own.