I was at my lowest… heartbroken, insecure, and questioning everything about myself. That’s when Martin came into my life, like a breath of fresh air. From the moment we met, he was nothing but kind and attentive. He’d listen to me ramble about my day for hours, never once checking his phone or looking bored.What really won my heart was how he showed up at my doorstep with homemade chicken soup and my favorite rom-com movies downloaded on his laptop. “Everyone needs a little TLC when they’re sick,” he said with a warm smile. This is it, I thought. This is the man I’ve been waiting for all my life. One of the things that endeared Martin to me was his cute little quirk. He’d stammer when he got nervous or stressed, and I found it absolutely adorable.There was this one time, about a month into our relationship, when he was taking me out to this fancy Italian restaurant for our “monthiversary” (yes, we celebrated those back then). Martin was all dressed up, telling me about this new accounting software his firm was implementing, getting all excited and animated. “It’s going to revolutionize how we handle client data,” he said, waving his fork around for emphasis. Suddenly, the fork slipped from his fingers, clattering to the floor and splattering tomato sauce all over his shirt. His face turned red in an instant.”I-I-I’m so s-sorry,” he stammered, looking mortified. “I d-didn’t m-mean to… Oh g-god, what a m-mess.”I couldn’t help but find his flustered state endearing. I reached across the table and took his hand. “Hey, it’s okay,” I said softly. “These things happen. Besides, red is totally your color.” That got a chuckle out of him, and soon we were laughing about it. Later, over tiramisu, he admitted that he tended to stammer when stressed or embarrassed.As our relationship progressed, Martin opened up more about his past, particularly about his ex-wife, Janet. “She was always after more,” he’d say, shaking his head. “More money, more things, more status. Nothing was ever enough.”According to Martin, their marriage had crumbled under the weight of Janet’s insatiable greed. He told me stories of maxed-out credit cards, arguments over designer clothes, and tantrums thrown when they couldn’t afford lavish vacations.”That’s why we broke up,” he explained one night as we cuddled on the couch. “I just couldn’t keep up with her demands anymore. It was like I was drowning, and she kept pushing my head underwater.” How could anyone treat such a wonderful man so poorly? I thought. That day, I vowed that I would never be like that. I would appreciate Martin for who he was, not what he could give me.When Martin proposed a year into our relationship, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Our wedding was small but beautiful, and it was the best day of my life. Fast forward to last Tuesday. I had just spent the weekend at my mother’s place and was looking forward to getting home. I decided to surprise Martin with his favorite lasagna for dinner. However, as I pulled into our driveway, I saw something that made me slam on the brakes too hard.There, in our front yard, were two people digging up my beloved garden. And not just any two people. It was Martin and a woman I recognized from photos as Janet, his ex-wife. I sat in the car for a moment, blinking rapidly, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me. But no, they were there, digging up all the flowers I had worked so hard to grow. What was Janet doing here? Why was she with Martin? And why on earth were they destroying my garden?At that point, I got out of the car and marched over to them. “What’s going on here?” I demanded, my voice trembling with anger.Martin’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock. “M-M-Margaret!” he exclaimed, dropping the shovel with a clang. “Y-you’re h-home e-early.” He’s stammering, I thought. At that moment, all my worst fears came rushing in. Martin only stammered when he was truly stressed or nervous. But why? What was he hiding?My mind raced with possibilities. Was he cheating on me with Janet? Had they never really broken up? Or was it something even more sinister? Why else would they be digging up our yard in secret? “W-we were just…” he started, but Janet cut him off.”Oh, you didn’t tell her?” she began. “Love, she DESERVES to know that 10 years ago we buried a time capsule.” “A time capsule?” I repeated numbly.”Yes, we buried one when we were still together. When we lived here,” she revealed, gesturing to a muddy metal box near her feet. “We always planned to dig it up someday.” Martin nodded, looking sheepish. “Y-yeah. We, uh, we thought it would be fun to look back on our memories.” “Your memories,” I echoed. “So, you decided to destroy my garden for your little trip down memory lane?” “I-I’m sorry,” Martin stammered. “I d-didn’t think—””No, you didn’t think,” I snapped before storming into the house. Inside, I paced the living room, trying to process what had just happened. How could Martin do this? How could he keep this secret from me? And how dare he prioritize his past with Janet over our life together? I heard the front door open and close, followed by hushed voices in the hallway. Then Martin called out, “Margaret? Can we talk?”I took a deep breath and stepped into the hallway. Martin and Janet were standing there with the muddy time capsule between them. “What’s there to talk about?” I asked coldly. “Please, let us explain,” Martin pleaded. “It’s not what you think.” Janet nodded. “We just wanted to reminisce a bit. There’s nothing —” I held up a hand, cutting her off. “You know what? Fine. Go ahead. Reminisce. Dig up your past. I’ll be outside.”I brushed past them and went outside. As I looked at the mess they had made of my garden, an idea formed in my mind.So, I started gathering wood for a bonfire. By the time I had a good blaze going on, the sun had almost set. I could hear Martin and Janet in the kitchen, laughing over something they’d found in the time capsule. “Hey,” I called out. “Why don’t you guys bring that stuff out here? We could have a nice little bonfire.”A few minutes later, they joined me outside, and Martin put the time capsule on the ground. “This is nice,” he smiled. I nodded and reached into the box to grab a handful of its contents. I had a few old photos and letters in my hand. “Margaret, what are you —” Martin started, but his words died in his throat as I tossed everything into the fire.”What are you doing?” Janet demanded.”Burnt bridges should stay burnt, don’t you think?” I said firmly. “It’s time to focus less on the past and more on the future we’re supposed to be building together, Martin.” I watched as the flames consumed their memories, thinking this wasn’t how I imagined our life together. However, it also gave me hope that maybe we could build something new from here. Something honest and real. Looking at Martin, I also realized he wasn’t the perfect man I thought I’d married. He was just as flawed as the rest of us.Suddenly, Janet broke the silence. “I think I should go,” she said, backing away from the fire. Neither Martin nor I tried to stop her as she hurried out of the yard. Once we were alone, Martin turned to me with tears in his eyes. “Margaret, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I never meant to hurt you. I just… I didn’t know how to tell you about the time capsule.” I took a deep breath, “Did you think I wouldn’t understand?””I was afraid,” he admitted. “Afraid you’d think I still had feelings for Janet, afraid you’d be upset about the garden. I thought if I could just dig it up quickly while you were away, it would be over and done with. But I guess I was wrong. I messed up, big time. Can you ever forgive me?””I don’t know, Martin,” I said honestly, staring at the fire. “You’ve broken my trust. That’s not something that can be fixed overnight.””We have a lot to talk about, and a lot to work through,” I continued. “But not tonight. Tonight, I need some space.” “Of course,” Martin nodded. “I’ll… I’ll sleep on the couch.” As he returned to the house, I remained by the fire, watching it slowly die down. The garden needs to be replanted, I thought. New seeds, new soil, new life. Maybe our relationship could be the same way. Only time would tell which path we’d choose. But one thing was certain, my thoughts regarding Martin would never be the same again.What would you have done if you were in my place?
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