He Learned Too Late

Synopsis

On our third wedding anniversary, my husband Stephen Reed was nowhere to be found. It wasn't because of a business trip or some work event. It was because the woman he could never forget, Claire Sutton, had come back to the country. He went to the airport to pick her up, drove her to her hotel himself, and even had dinner with her. Meanwhile, I sat alone at a table full of cold food, waiting for him from seven in the evening until one in the morning. My phone lit up three times with messages. The first time was at five in the afternoon. Stephen: [Got a business dinner tonight. Won't be home for dinner.] I replied: [Okay.] The second time was at nine in the evening. [Go ahead and sleep. Don't wait up for me.] I replied: [Okay.] The third time was at half past midnight. It wasn't a message from him, but a photo someone posted on social media. In it, Stephen was pulling out a chair for Claire at a restaurant. The angle was tricky, but it happened to catch that gentle smile on his lips, the kind I'd never seen in all three years of our marriage. The caption was simple: [A perfect match.]