That afternoon, when the doorbell rang in the sweltering early summer sun of London, I did not expect that the person standing at my gate was Mr. Laurence Bishop – General Director of Bishop Crown Energy Group, where my husband was working.
I am Emma Carter , 32, an accountant at a small construction company in the suburbs of Richmond . My husband, Andrew Carter , is the Head of Engineering at Bishop Crown Group – a global company in the energy industry.
We have been married for almost 7 years, have a 5-year-old son named Oliver . Life is not lavish but stable and full. Andrew is the ideal man – no gambling, no drinking, always home on time… until recently, when he started going on irregular business trips and his phone was always on silent mode.
I feel something is wrong.
And then, that fateful day came. I had just picked up Oliver from daycare when the doorbell rang. Through the security camera, I saw a tall man in a white shirt and holding a briefcase – it was Mr. Bishop , the man I had seen on my husband’s computer.
I opened the door cautiously.
— Hello, Ms. Carter, this is Laurence Bishop. I have something important to discuss with you in private.
I invited him into the living room. Oliver was shown into the playroom. Mr. Bishop did not beat around the bush:
— I came here to ask you to… voluntarily divorce Andrew.
I was stunned. My mouth smiled faintly:
— Excuse me, what did you say?
— My daughter, Sophia Bishop , has fallen in love with Andrew. She just broke off her engagement to a Singaporean businessman because of Andrew. I know this relationship is wrong, but as a father, I want my daughter to be happy. If you agree to withdraw, I will financially support you and baby Oliver, ensuring that your future life will be better than now.
I stood up, went into the room, took out a document that I had prepared three days ago – after reading the messages between my husband and “Soph My Love”.
I put it on the table:
— This is the Bishop Crown company account statement for the last 6 months. There are 7 transfers from the company account to Sophia Bishop’s personal account – totalling over £72,000 .
His face turned pale.
— And here is a copy of your company’s confidentiality agreement, which clearly states that using public assets for personal purposes is illegal. I don’t need the money. I just want you to know that if you dare to force me to divorce again, I will send these to the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) .
His face was as tense as a bowstring. I continued:
— If you are really in power, teach your daughter to respect other people’s marriages. If you think you can buy everything with money – then no, I am not a commodity.
Mr. Bishop stood up without another word. Before leaving, he turned back to look at me – his eyes filled with anger but also with fear.
Andrew came home early that evening. When he saw me sitting at the dining table with the statement and contract on the table, he paused.
– Is anyone coming today?
— Yes. He’s your boss.
His face turned from rosy to pale. I pushed the documents towards him:
— I’m an accountant. You think I don’t know these tricks?
Andrew bowed his head, his voice trembling:
— At first it was just work… then Sophia kept showing interest… I got weak…
I smiled faintly:
— What about you? Does anyone “care” about you when you are raising a child alone and waiting for your husband alone every night?
I stood up:
— If you had turned yourself in today, I might have forgiven you. But not now. I will do the right thing – protect my son, and myself.
He grabbed my hand:
— Don’t report to the authorities. Whatever you want, I’ll accept it. I was wrong!
I looked at him, but did not answer. I went into the bedroom and locked the door. I could not sleep that night, but I knew I had to stick to my decision.
Three days later, I arranged to meet Mr. Bishop at a discreet café in Notting Hill . I placed a file in front of him:
— Here are the statements, the text messages between Sophia and Andrew, photos of the two of them vacationing together in Brighton on a “business trip”, and information about the investment fund he used to legitimize the money flow.
He pondered:
— How much do you want?
I laughed:
— I want two things:
Sophia completely cut off from Andrew.
He resigned – for his honor, and to save his career.
Silence. Then he nodded.
— You’re right. Not everyone can buy that with money. You’ve earned my respect.
A month later, Bishop Crown’s internal newspaper reported that Mr. Bishop had stepped down due to “personal health reasons and a desire to spend time with his family.” Sophia “went to Singapore to pursue a master’s degree.”
I am not divorced.
Not for forgiveness, but for Oliver . But I was no longer the wife who bowed her head. Andrew was no longer promoted. He spent more time at home – living with the consequences.
As for me, I enrolled in a stock market course at Imperial College , and started a small finance channel on YouTube called “MoneyMattersWithEmma” . I was no longer a shadow behind my husband’s back – but someone strong enough to stand on my own, and sober enough not to fall again.