The next morning, I woke up to a message from his wife: “Meet me. I need to tell you the truth.”
I had always been a hard worker, loyal to the company, and I thought I had a good relationship with my boss, Greg.
He was tough but fair, demanding but always willing to listen.
It had been a few years since I joined the team, and I had put in long hours, striving to prove my worth.
I had earned my place, or at least I thought I had.
So, when Greg called me into his office one afternoon, I assumed it was for a routine meeting.
But that day, everything changed.
“Lena,” he began, not even looking up from his desk, “I’m afraid we have to let you go.”
My mind went blank for a moment.
“What? Why?” I stammered, feeling a wave of confusion and disbelief.
“I’m sorry, Lena.
We simply no longer have the budget for your position,” he explained, avoiding my gaze.
“It’s nothing personal, just a business decision.
You’ll receive a severance package, and HR will give you all the details.”
I couldn’t understand his words.
How had things changed so quickly?
I had just finished a big project, received positive feedback, and was doing everything I could to contribute to the team.
There had been no warning, no indication that my position was in danger.
“Are you sure?” I asked, my voice trembling. “I’ve worked so hard for this company. Why now?”
Greg sighed, clearly uncomfortable.
“This is above my head, Lena. It’s a company-wide decision.
I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more I can do.”
I gathered my things, my mind spinning in all directions.
As I walked out of the office for the last time, I tried to shake off the feeling of betrayal.
The shock was too much. I had given everything to this job, and now I was left with nothing.
The next morning, I woke up to a message that chilled me to the bone.
“Meet me. I need to tell you the truth. – Sarah.”
It was a message from Greg’s wife, Sarah.
I hadn’t heard from her in years, and I didn’t even know she had my number.
My heart raced as I stared at the message.
What did she want? Why contact me after everything that had happened?
I hesitated. Why was Sarah, someone I barely knew, writing to me now?
I thought about ignoring the message, but something inside me urged me to meet her.
Maybe there was something I needed to know. Maybe it was the last piece of the puzzle.
I agreed to meet her at a small café in town, hoping to get some answers.
When I arrived, Sarah was already sitting at a table, her hands nervously clasped in front of her.
She had changed, looked older, more tired, but there was an undeniable intensity in her gaze.
“Lena,” she said in a low, serious voice. “Thank you for agreeing to meet me.
I know this must be strange.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say.
“Why did you want to see me? What’s going on?”
Sarah took a deep breath, her eyes drifting for a moment toward the window before returning to me.
“I don’t know how to tell you this, but I think you need to hear the truth.
Greg didn’t fire you because of the budget cuts, Lena. It’s a lie.”
I stared at her, shocked. “What do you mean? He said it was because of the budget.”
“That’s not true. He fired you because of me,” Sarah confessed, her voice trembling.
“And I need you to understand why.”
I was completely stunned. “Because of you? What do you mean?”
Sarah’s face twisted with guilt.
“Greg and I… our marriage has been falling apart for a while. We’ve been fighting for months, and he… well, he’s seeing someone else.”
I blinked, trying to understand what she was saying. “Greg is cheating on you?”
Sarah nodded, tears in her eyes. “Yes, but not with just anyone. With you.”
The words hit me like a punch in the stomach.
My breath caught in my throat. “What are you talking about? I never…”
“I know,” she interrupted, wiping away a tear.
“But Greg thought you were the one.
He’s been obsessed with you for months, Lena.
He wanted to fire you earlier, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
That’s why he’s been distant with you lately, why he stopped talking to you in meetings.
He was pushing you away so he wouldn’t feel guilty about how he felt.”
I felt the ground slip away beneath me, my world falling apart. “So, what does that have to do with him firing me?”
“Greg and I had a huge argument the night before your firing,” Sarah explained, her voice broken.
“I found out the whole truth, and he confessed.
I told him I couldn’t live like this anymore, that I wanted him to choose between me and you.
So, he fired you, Lena. That was his way of getting rid of the problem.
He thought that if you disappeared, he could save our marriage.”
I stood there, stunned, my heart pounding. I had never imagined anything like this could happen.
Greg’s behavior had been strange lately, but I had always believed it was because of work stress or personal issues.
I had never considered that he had feelings for me, let alone acted on them.
“I’m so sorry, Lena,” Sarah said, her voice full of regret.
“I never wanted you to get caught up in all of this.
I didn’t know how to fix things, and I didn’t want you to be a victim of Greg’s mistakes.
But you deserve to know the truth.”
I barely had time to process what I had just learned.
My mind was racing, and my heart heavy with the weight of it all.
I had been fired, betrayed by someone I trusted, and unknowingly caught in the crossfire of a toxic marriage.
The whole situation felt unreal.
“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered finally.
Sarah reached out, placing her hand on mine.
“I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I just wanted you to know what really happened.
I don’t want you to think that Greg’s actions were your fault.”
I slowly nodded, still in shock. “Thank you for telling me the truth.
I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now, but at least I know the truth.”
Sarah smiled sadly at me. “Take care of yourself, Lena. I hope you find peace in all of this.”
As I walked out of the café and into the bright sunshine, I felt the weight of everything Sarah had told me pressing down on me.
My career, my trust in Greg, and even my sense of self had collapsed.
But at least now, I knew the truth.
And the truth, as painful as it was, was the first step in rebuilding my life.
