Wife Sees Husband of 43 Years Embracing Crying Girl, Learns Girl Would Be Living with Them Soon – Story of the Day

A 71-year-old man who was a 'two-timer' in his past is torn between his promise to remain loyal to his wife of forty-three years and a mortal blow he faces when she sees him hugging a young girl in the park.

A gust of wind whipped through the pine trees, creaking like an old rocking chair as Marie, 64, went looking for her husband, Charles.

"I shouldn't have let that man out... He's 71, and I wonder how he has the energy of a teen after work. What was the need for him to go for a walk on this biting cold evening??"

Charles taught History in school and loved to walk in the park daily after work. Or that's what Marie believed until she took things into her own hands and went looking for him one day.

"I hope he is not up to some mischief again," Marie thought. But to her horror, fate served her fear right before her eyes—Charles was at the park, hugging a young, beautiful woman, as they watched the fog cloak the mountains, knowing little that Marie was right behind them...

"How could you—how could you do this to me again??" Marie gasped as tears burst from her eyes. Charles had already broken her heart once twenty-five years ago by cheating on her with a waitress who worked in a café he frequented.

"You promised you wouldn't do it again, and I blindly trusted you. But you broke my heart," she sobbed and tore herself away as Charles turned around and noticed Marie running.

"Darling, wait... darling, it's not what you think," he ran after her, but Marie was too heartbroken to buy his excuses.

Love is an antidote that heals even the deepest wound in a broken heart.

Suddenly, Charles stopped going after his wife. He turned around and helped Amanda, the girl with him, hail a taxi. Was Amanda more important to him than his heartbroken wife? Charles didn't have a choice, and deep down, he knew Marie would change her mind once he revealed the truth.

The taxi arrived, and Amanda hugged Charles another time before leaving. He bid her goodbye and hurried home to confess something to Marie, but more shock awaited him there.

"Marie, honey, I'm home... I need to talk to you," he kept calling out, marching room to room, searching for his wife. But she was nowhere in sight, not even in front of their favorite spot near the fireplace, where they enjoyed warm drinks on rainy evenings.

"No, it can't be... please don't leave me without knowing the truth, honey," he ran upstairs to check if Marie was in the room. She used to lock herself in the bedroom and cry alone whenever they quarreled and argued. She'd done it several times before, even when Charles came clean about his infidelity years ago.

But this time, Charles didn't find their bedroom door locked. It was wide open, and its nearly-empty state stared back at him. Marie's belongings were gone with her. He called her, but her phone was switched off. Charles panicked.

The weather turned rough, and it started raining, reminding him of how Marie used to love the smell of rain when the showers kissed the earth.

He grabbed his walking stick and an umbrella and braved out in the heavy rain to look for Marie. He searched for her everywhere. "She must be at her parents' graves," he thought and went there, but Marie was not there. "Where did she go then??"

Charles was drenched in the rain as he got onto a bus and rode to the nearby town. It was Marie's hometown, and he doubted if she had gone to her old cabin in the woods.

It was close to midnight as Charles stood shivering on her doorstep, restlessly pressing the doorbell several times. Moments later, the door creaked open as Marie stepped out.

"Why have you come here? I'm old and ugly. Go to her. You don't need me anymore. Men like you never change. I feel sorry for trusting you and not divorcing you when you cheated on me twenty-five years ago."

Warm tears streamed down Charles's wet face, and Marie couldn't immediately make out that he was crying. According to her, her husband was a cunning man who only knew to break her heart. Things were different that day, but she was not ready to listen to Charles.

"Darling, it's not what you think. I love you and never cheated on you again," he sobbed.

"Then who is she?? I saw you hugging her and leaning on her shoulder. What was so funny that made you both chuckle? Was it a joke or something more?"

"Please allow me to explain. I'm sure you will change your mind after knowing the truth," Charles insisted.

Although Marie was not ready to buy his words anymore, she still gave him a chance and invited him inside, guessing little that her heart was just moments away from breaking.

"Go on, what is it? Are you going to tell me that you didn't cheat and she's not your mistress? That she's 'just a friend?' Come on, darling, I know you more than you do. I've been your shadow for forty-three years. Who is that girl?"

Charles gulped his fears and spoke up...

"The girl you saw me hugging today is my DAUGHTER!!"

"YOUR DAUGHTER??" Marie exclaimed in shock, her eyes popping wide and nervous.

"Yes, darling! Amanda is my daughter. She was born to me and Samantha, the waitress I met twenty-five years ago. When Samantha told me she was pregnant, I was startled. I didn't know how to deal with it. Then she told me she would not ruin my marriage because we were never really in love. It was just a one-night stand. She decided to raise her daughter alone, and I promised to help them."

"I never cheated on you again. Samantha died recently, and her daughter struggles to raise her little son with leukemia. She lost her husband and is jobless. She struggled to pay rent and could not make ends meet, so I helped her from time to time because I wanted to be her dad, not some stranger."

"I wanted to bring her home and introduce her to you, darling. But I was afraid about how you'd react. I wanted to ask you if my daughter could live with us. She lives in a trailer near the café we often visit. This is not how her life was supposed to be. It is my fault. I shouldn't have taken Samantha on that cruise. My one mistake that night ruined three lives."

"Why didn't you tell me this before? Charles, how could you hide such a hideous truth from me??" Marie broke down.

"Darling, I was afraid you would leave me. I could not imagine a life without you. And I didn't want to break your heart further."

"You already broke my heart, and you better be prepared for what I'm going to do now," Marie fumed at Charles, who had no idea what was in store for him the next day.

Charles woke up and found Marie missing again. He then found a note on the bed.

"See you at our house. I have something important to discuss, and it will change our lives. Be there, and don't be late."

As fear and anxiety battered his heart, Charles returned home and found Marie sitting on the couch. He walked in and what he saw next plucked his heart out, placing it back with joy. Amanda was also sitting on the sofa, and the two women were embracing each other.

"You're back home, at last!!" Marie exclaimed, tears of joy fogging her reading glass. "I was angry when I saw you both hugging, but my anger melted into joy as soon as you told me Amanda is your daughter. She's my daughter, too, now!"

"I always cursed destiny for not giving us a child. But my heart is pleased and light today—God answered my prayers, and I'm a mother and a grandmother now!"

Charles could not believe Marie had just said that and stood speechless before her, conveying his happiness through tears of joy that flowed freely over his creased skin.

"I may not have borne a child, but I still have the heart of a mother. Amanda and her son Johnny will live with us in our house. They are family!!"

The storm in Charle's life settled, and he regretted no more of his past wrongdoings. He and Marie accepted Amanda into their family and did all they could to help her live a more beautiful and peaceful life.

What can we learn from this story?

• Everyone makes mistakes, but that does not mean you have to pay for them for the rest of your lives. When Marie saw Charles hugging a young woman, she recalled him cheating on her with a waitress twenty-five years ago. She suspected him of cheating and left him, hoping this would make him feel sorry for the rest of his life.
• Love is an antidote that heals even the deepest wound in a broken heart. Marie's heart went out to Amanda when she learned Amanda had lost her mother and husband and was struggling with a sick little son. She decided to heal the bereaved mother and restore her zest for life with love.

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