“Mornings Were the Best Time… Thought Linda, Sipping Her Coffee in the Quiet Before John Woke—Her Li…

Isnt it just wonderful whispered Emily.

She savours her morning coffee in the stillness, while Thomas is still asleep and dawn is barely brushing the rooftops of London outside their window. In these quiet moments, everything seems in its proper place. Jobsteady. Flatcosy. Husbanddependable. What more could happiness need?

Unlike her friends, who moan about jealous husbands and rows over trivial things, Emily never envies them. Thomas never gets jealous or creates drama. He doesnt rifle through her phone or demand to know her every movement. He simply exists by her side, and thats enough.

Em, have you seen my garage keys? Thomas ambles into the kitchen, hair mussed from sleep.

On the shelf by the door. Off to help the neighbour again?

Bens asked me to look at his car. Something iffy with the carburettor.

She nods, pouring his coffee. All very familiar. Thomas is always helping someonemates moving house, old school friends with their leaky taps, neighbours with whatever they need. My knight in shining armour, she sometimes thinks fondlya man who cant just walk by if someone has a problem.

That quality had charmed Emily from their very first date, when he stopped to help an elderly lady hoist her shopping up the steps. Someone else mightve just walked on. Not Thomas.

About three months ago, a new neighbour moved into the flat below. Emily hardly noticed at first. People come and go in English blocks of flats all the time. But Teresaher name, she learnedwas hard to miss.

Loud laughter echoing up the stairwell, the click-clack of heels at all hours, that unmistakable habit of talking on her mobile so everyone could hear.

Imagine, he brought me all my shopping today! Whole bag full! Just like that, without me even asking! Teresa was saying on the phone as Emily collected the post.

They met by the letterboxes, and Emily offered a polite smile. Teresa absolutely glowed, that unmistakable giddy delight of someone swept up at the start of a love affair.

New boyfriend? Emily asked, just to be polite.

Not exactly new, Teresa gave a sly wink, but ever so attentive. You hardly meet men like him these days. Fixes any issueleaky tap, dodgy plug socket, you name it! He even helps me with the bills!

Lucky you, Emily responded.

Thats putting it lightly! Shame hes married, but its only a tick on a form, isnt it? What matters is that hes happy with me.

Emily took the lift back up, a queasy feeling gnawing at her. It wasnt about moralitysomething else about that conversation scratched at her mind, but she couldnt pin it down.

These chance meetings carried on over the next few weeks. It felt as if Teresa sought her out, eager to spill a new batch of praises.

Hes so considerate! Always checks if Im all right, offers to fetch anything
He brought me medicine last night when I got illhunted down a late-night pharmacy by himself!
He says the most important thing in life is to feel needed. Thats his purposehelping people…

That last bit made Emily bristle.

“His purpose is to feel needed.”

Thomas had said those exact words. She remembered him saying them on their anniversary, explaining why he was late after helping his friends mother down in the garden.

Coincidence. Just coincidence. There must be loads of men who love to play the hero.

Still, the details kept mounting up. The habit of bringing food over unaskedjust like Thomas. The need to fix everything himself.

Emily forced away these thoughts. Nonsense, paranoia. She couldnt seriously suspect her own husband from the chattering of a woman she hardly knew.

But then, Thomas began to change. Not overnight, but gradually. Hed pop out just for a minute and be an hour. Now he took his mobile even into the bathroom. Even simple questions got curt replies, tinged with irritation.

Where are you going?

Out.

What for?

Emily, stop with the questions.

Yet he lookedhappy. Quietly fulfilled. As if, somewhere else, he was getting that sense of purpose that had faded at home

One evening, he started out the door again.

Off to help a colleague. Some paperwork confusion.

At nine in the evening?

Only time hes freehe works during the day.

Emily didnt argue. She peered from the windowbut Thomas never left the building.

She threw on her jacket and, calm as you like, walked downstairs. To that now-familiar door on the first floor.

Her finger pressed the bell. No speech prepared, no accusations rehearsed. She simply waited.

The door flew open almost instantly, as if Teresa had been waiting. Dressed in a short, silky robe, glass in hand, her smile faded as she recognised her visitor.

Behind her, in the well-lit hallway, Emily spotted Thomas, bare-chested, hair damp from the shower, perfectly at ease in a home that wasnt his.

Their eyes locked. Thomas flinched, his mouth openeda soundless pause. Teresa glanced from one to the other, but didnt back away or try to explainjust shrugged with a lazy detachment.

Emily turned on her heel and headed back up the stairs. Behind her, the hurried shuffle and Thomass voice: Em! Wait, let me explain But she didnt open the door for him that night.

The next morning, Thomass mum, Anne, showed up. Emily couldnt muster much surpriseof course her son had already phoned his mother to frame his version.

Emily, dont be childish, Anne settled herself in the kitchen. Men are just big kids, really. They need to feel like heroes. That neighbour of yoursshe simplyneeded some help. Tom couldnt just ignore her.

You mean he couldnt ignore her bedroom, is that it?

Anne winced, as though Emily had said something improper.

Lets not twist things. My Toms a good lad. He just feels sorry for people. Its not a crime, is it? So he got a bitdistracted. Happens to all men. My late husband the sameThe main thing is family. Time heals everything. Youre a clever woman, Emily. Dont ruin your life over some nonsense.

Looking at Anne, Emily saw everything she feared becomingpliable, long-suffering, willing to ignore anything for the smokescreen of a family.

Thank you for calling in, Anne. I need some space now.

Anne left in a huff, muttering about your generation, never knowing how to forgive.

That afternoon, Thomas crept homeguilt written all over him, peering up at her, trying to hold her hand.

Its not what you think, Em. She just needed a hand with her tap, then we got talkingshes miserable, all alone and

You werent wearing any clothes.

Ispilt water on myself! Fixing the tap! She lent me a t-shirt, then you walked in

Emily watched him, surprised shed missed this before. Thomas was terrible at lying. Every word rang false, every gesture screamed panic.

Look, even ifsaysomething did happen. It didnt mean anything! I love you. Shes justwell, a fling. A silly mistake. Men get weak.

He flopped onto the sofa next to her, angling for a hug.

Lets just forget it, can we? I wont do it again. I promise. Honestly, shes started getting on my nervesall those requests, the moaning

Suddenly, Emily understood. This wasnt regret. It was the fear of losing his comfort zone. The fear of ending up with a woman who actually needed him, instead of someone who let him play at being a hero now and then.

Im filing for divorce, she said, as simply as announcing shed turned off the iron.

What? Emily, youre mad! Over one little mistake?!

She stood, went to the bedroom, and began packing her things.

The divorce was finalised two months later. Thomas moved in with Teresa, who welcomed him with enthusiasmthough her welcome soon became a list of chores: fix this, buy that, pay for this, solve that, help with the rest.

Emily heard about all this in passing, from mutual friends. She nodded without a trace of spite. Everyone gets what they deserve.

She herself rented a tiny flat on the other side of the city. Each morning, she brewed her coffee in peace. No one asked about missing garage keys. No one slipped out for a minute and returned reeking of another womans perfume. No one urged her to be patient, to be agreeable.

Strangely enough, she had expected pain. That shed be bowed under by loneliness, swept away by regret. But something else filled her insteada profound lightness. As if shed shrugged off a heavy overcoat shed worn for years, never realising how much it weighed.

For the first time, Emily belonged only to herself. And that was far better than any false sense of stability.