The morning began badly from the start. The hairdryer broke, the scrambled eggs burned, her husband was grumpy again, and Lily, skipping breakfast, barely squeezed onto the only free seat in the bus. Sitting down, she turned wearily to the window, unable to bear the irritated faces around her. Everything annoyed her—the noise, the jostling, the dusty streets—but most of all, the unease gnawing at her, a feeling she couldn’t place.
Something told her this wouldn’t be an ordinary day.
Then she felt it—someone’s gaze. She turned her head, and her heart dropped. Across the aisle sat *him*. Rob. Her first love. Her heartbreak. Her past.
He looked straight at her and… smiled. That same smile. The one that had once made the world vanish.
“Hello,” he said softly. “Recognised you straightaway. You haven’t changed much.”
Lily answered automatically, “Hi. Didn’t expect to see you.”
“How’ve you been?”
“Fine. You?”
Her stomach twisted. She waited, half-hoping he’d say his life was a mess—that he was divorced, lonely, miserable. Instead, he said,
“Can’t complain. My wife’s working, my son just graduated, off on holiday now…”
He was about to say more when he glanced out the window and stood abruptly.
“Sorry, this is my stop.”
With a wave, he was gone—perhaps for good, perhaps not. Her heart pounded as if she were sixteen again, every unsaid word lodged in her throat.
*Why today?* The question haunted her all the way to work. Nothing got done. Her thoughts scattered. The day was ruined. At home, when her husband called saying he’d be late, she sat in silence and simply… drifted back.
Back to where there had been love, betrayal, tears.
Once, she and Rob had been happy. He read her poetry, picked wildflowers for her, held her hand. They’d been introduced by her old friend Veronica—Rob’s neighbour, full of advice. *”Have a row, then make up—it strengthens things,”* she’d say. Lily believed her. They fought, they reconciled, until she grew tired of the game and just wanted… peace.
Once, she’d met Rob’s mother—a warm, kind woman. Lily had thought, *I might be part of this family one day.* She was wrong.
Things soured when he missed her birthday. Veronica claimed he’d gone to care for his grandmother—*no one to chop wood, fetch water.* Lily believed her—until she spotted him outside the pub, laughing with friends. He glanced at her… then turned away. She walked home in a daze and sobbed like never before. Later, Veronica returned.
“Forget him. He’s with someone else.”
And Lily saw it. Saw him holding another girl’s hand. Saw him marry her. Saw him smile as they left the church. She stood frozen on the pavement, unable to look away, knowing it was over.
But she hadn’t realised it was also a beginning.
She left. Started anew. A year and a half later, she married James—steady, reliable, solid. At first, she wondered, *Do I love him?* In time, she understood—fate had given her what she needed. A home. A family. Two sons.
She rarely thought of her hometown anymore, except for occasional visits to her mother. Until one visit changed everything.
Heading home from the shops, she heard,
“Lily? Is that you?”
She turned—and barely recognised the woman. Veronica. Aged, hollow-eyed, the lively friend she’d known reduced to a shadow.
“Veronica? Goodness… how are—?”
“Not well, Lily. Alone. No one needs me. Married a few times—never worked out. No kids. Listen… I’m the one who split you and Rob up.”
Lily froze.
“What?”
“I lied to him. Said you were waiting for some soldier to return, that you’d marry him. I introduced him to Sarah, told her to get pregnant to force a wedding. I destroyed you both. Out of envy. No one ever gave me flowers… read me poems…”
“Veronica… *why?*”
“Because I was lonely. And you were happy. I didn’t know the pain I caused would come back to me. Maybe God punished me. Maybe life did.”
Lily stared, unsure what to feel. Years ago, she might have cursed her. Now? She had a family, peace. And Rob… just a face from the past.
“He still lives near you,” Veronica added. “Never knew. Thought you’d never cross paths… but fate had other plans.”
Lily didn’t forgive her then. Not straightaway. But today, on that bus, seeing Rob’s smile—she realised she’d let go. Of Veronica. Of Rob. Of the hurt she’d carried all these years.
Sometimes, the past returns not to haunt you, but to set you free.
Now, she had everything. And perhaps leaving when she did had been the wisest choice—walking away to find what truly mattered.
