LIVING IN THE PRESENT

Mindy*, 36

Seeing a friendly face, I took my chance.

‘Excuse me, do you know where the lifts are?’ I asked the kind-looking gent in the office corridor.

‘Oh, I actually don’t, sorry, I’ve just started today!’ he replied.

‘That’s weird, me too!’ I giggled.

Tom* and I got on straight away, and in a very short space of time, it felt like I’d known him for years.

Our office friendship at the construction company we worked for quickly became romantic.

Tom admitted after a few months that he was in the process of divorcing his wife, who he described as ‘abusive’.

‘I’m so sorry, I’d never treat you like that,’ I reassured him, feeling sad for what he’d been through.

But when I met his family, his sister confided in me that she knew he was still seeing his wife regularly, which he flat-out denied.

I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and after a few months, he moved in with me.

At first, our life together