My name is Alexander, and I am 45 years old. I’ve always had other women, convinced that my wife, Helen, never knew anything. But recently, I saw her with another man—and my world came crashing down.
It felt like lightning striking a clear sky. They were walking along Thessaloniki’s seafront, holding hands, as if the whole world belonged to them. They were smiling, laughing, oblivious to the people around them. How could she do this? Didn’t she feel any shame? What if someone we knew saw them? What would they say? It seemed like she didn’t care at all. And what if our children, Maria and Dimitris, happened to see her with him? I couldn’t even think about it—my heart tightened in pain.
I had always been careful. When I wanted to have fun, I made sure no one would ever find out. For years, I had other women, but I kept everything a secret. Helen believed I was faithful to her. And I considered that normal. I’m a man! Don’t I have the right to unwind sometimes? We live in a time when people aren’t ashamed of their desires. Surely many do the same, just… without the courage to admit it.
But when I found out that Helen was cheating on me, something inside me broke. Anger, bitterness, confusion—all mixed together. How could she do this? After all these years together! I brought her gifts, took her to restaurants, we traveled to the islands every summer! And now… we ruined everything we had. A woman should keep the home, remain faithful—not betray her husband for a stranger.
That day, I walked into a café to relax. We ordered a slice of sour cherry pie—the waitress said it was freshly baked. And then, through the window, I saw her. Helen was sitting at the veranda table with another man. They were holding hands, their eyes sparkling. I froze. I wanted to charge at her, scream all the words I had held in for years, but my legs felt glued to the ground. There were too many people around, and I didn’t want to cause a scene. I decided to speak to her later.
In the end, I sat alone on the balcony, staring at the sea, wondering if there was any way to fix what had been broken.