Several years ago, I (Nkem) worked at a financial institution where I had a kind and supportive boss, Mr. Chris. He had a close friend named Dan who would visit the office from time to time. Dan always made it clear he liked me, and although he flirted occasionally, even joking that he would have married me if he had met me earlier, I never thought much of it. I was married and believed it was all harmless.
But back at home, things were far from perfect. My husband, Manny, had lost his job and struggled for months to find another one. The pressure wore him down, and he began to take out his frustrations on everyone at home. When he eventually decided to start a business, I supported him fully, even investing my savings into his idea.
Around that time, my boss, Mr. Chris, resigned and relocated abroad. My new boss was difficult and made the work environment toxic. I eventually applied for a short break to breathe. But a few days into my leave, I received an email that the company was downsizing and I had been affected. It felt like the floor had just opened beneath me.
I didn’t know what to do. All I had ever known was my job. There was no backup plan. Still, I wasn’t going to let the loss define me. I took time to reflect and decided to pursue a new path. Event planning and interior decorating had always interested me, so I threw myself into it. But it was not an easy start. While I struggled to build something from scratch, my husband’s business took off. He started making a lot of money, and with it came a sudden change in attitude.
He became unrecognisable. Proud, arrogant and dismissive. He stopped coming home regularly and didn’t care who noticed. His infidelity was no longer a secret because he flaunted it. And whenever I tried to talk to him, he brushed me off like I was an annoyance. The man I married had turned into someone I couldn’t even talk to. I felt invisible.
Then one day, Mr. Chris reached out. He was planning his mother’s 80th birthday party and asked me to handle it. That event changed everything. It brought me visibility and opportunities I never imagined. I started getting referrals and gigs from people who attended.
Dan was at the party too. Not only had he lost his wife to a long illness, but he also seemed more grounded than ever. He invited me to lunch to discuss a business idea, and that lunch led to many more. He became my biggest supporter. He invested in my dreams, connected me to the right people and created space for me to grow. In three years, he did what my husband hadn’t done in fifteen. And he never once asked for anything in return.
Meanwhile, Manny had disappeared—travelling and showing off on social media, while our marriage silently crumbled. Dan never asked me to choose. He never pressured me. But the truth is, I’ve grown close to him. Very close.
Now I ask myself… should I continue clinging to a marriage that has been emotionally empty for years, or should I open my heart to a man who has redefined what it means to be seen, supported and truly loved? A man who has shown me through actions, not promises, that friendship can be pure, commitment can be selfless, and love doesn’t always come in the package we expected.
It’s not an easy answer. But sometimes life leads you to the place you were meant to be, even if it’s not where you started.
