Gina Heslop
Violeta had been married for 30 years and thought she and her husband were entering the best years of their lives.
Their children had grown up, finished school, and started families of their own. She imagined that she and her husband would rekindle their youthful romance and enjoy a peaceful retirement together. They even decided to build a house in the mountains where they could spend their later years.
But two years ago, everything changed. One evening, as they were watching television, her husband turned to her and said he needed to talk. Violeta had no idea that what he was about to say would shatter her world.
Calmly, he confessed that he was in love—but not with her. He told her he had been seeing someone else, a much younger woman, a student, and that he wanted to leave to be with her.
Violeta was sitting in her armchair when she heard the news. She was so shocked that she couldn’t even react. Through her tears, the only thing she managed to say was, “Okay, but what about me?”
The very next day, he packed his things and left. Violeta was heartbroken, but she didn’t even have the strength to argue with him or ask him to stay.
Their children were upset with her, saying she had let him go too easily. But she believed that fighting for him was pointless—if he had decided to leave, nothing she could say or do would change his mind.
Instead of drowning in sorrow, Violeta decided to rebuild her life. She didn’t try to find someone new to fill the emptiness in her heart. Instead, she focused on herself.
She traveled, met new people, and strengthened her relationships with her loved ones. Over time, she began to feel free, happy, and at peace.
Then, after a long period of silence, her husband returned. No one had known where he was or what had happened to him, but when he showed up at her door, he looked tired, sick, and broken. He told her he wanted to come back.
At that moment, Violeta finally felt all the pain he had caused her. She realized that he had treated her like a “poor weather cloak”—someone to be used when things went bad elsewhere.
With a calm smile, she told him to leave, just as he had once done to her. She reminded him that he had chosen another woman over his family and that his place was no longer with her.
Now, he is single again, no longer with the woman he left for, and still trying to rebuild his relationship with their children. But Violeta has moved on. She is happy and content, enjoying her life and cherishing every moment with her grandchildren.
At 55, she knows that life is still beautiful and worth living—on her own terms.
