Off The Record
I Thought My Husband Died Years Ago — Until I Found Him Living A New Life On The Beach
I believed my husband had passed away three years ago, so I assumed I had buried my past with him. However, I saw him alive, grinning, and holding hands with a woman and a young girl on a far-off beach. Once more, my world fell apart. Was he the one? Furthermore, why was he with a different family?
When you get married, you picture yourself aging alongside your spouse, experiencing all of life’s significant events together. However, nobody tells you that it might not occur.
that you two might never become parents. That you may never see your husband’s first wrinkles around his eyes or the first gray hairs on his head.
That one day, even though your heart continues to beat, you continue to make meals, go to work, and meet friends, he might just vanish and take a piece of you with him. You will no longer be alive, but you will still be breathing.
My Anthony had a deep affection for the sea. He used it as an escape from the ordinary. He frequently took his small boat out to fish, swim, and simply enjoy the water.
He usually accompanied me or one of his pals, but on that particular day, he chose to go alone.
All day, I had been plagued by a terrible feeling that I couldn’t describe: a weight of anxiety. I was concerned that there might be a problem with the unborn child because I was still in the early stages of my pregnancy.
However, something inside of me screamed when Anthony announced that he was taking the boat out.
I pleaded with him not to leave. I begged him to remain. However, he simply grinned, assured me that everything would be alright, bid me farewell with a kiss, and left. I didn’t see him again after that.
The storm was unexpected. Even though it had been sunny all day, Anthony’s boat overturned as the wind increased and the clouds moved in.
Without a trace, my husband disappeared. His body was never located. I was not even given the opportunity to bid them farewell.
I broke. I went into a frenzy. The baby was also taken by the stress of it all. I lost everything. I was abandoned, ruined, and left all by myself.
It has been three years since then. It’s only now that I’m beginning to feel better, like if the pain is lessening slightly.
I’ve been unable to get close to the water for years. It was excessive. Too scary. Too hurtful. But in the end, I made the decision that I had to face it if I wanted to recover.
It would have been intolerable for me to visit our town’s beach. I therefore purchased a ticket and made travel arrangements. By themselves.
My mother seemed really worried when I decided to go alone.
“How are you able to go alone?” “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Mom frowned.
“I’ve decided on something. It’s better that way,” I said coolly.
“Bring with a friend or two. Or allow me to accompany you,” she demanded.
“I no longer have any friends,” I shrugged.
And that was accurate. I had pushed everyone away after Anthony’s death, including those who attempted to help and those who cared.
I didn’t want anyone to approach me closely enough to cause me harm once more. They eventually stopped trying.
Then, Mom said, “I’ll come.”
“No. That is not what I desire. I gave a stern response, I need to be alone.”
“You’ve been by yourself for three years,” she retorted suddenly.
“I need this!” I let out a yell. “I must recover!”
Mom murmured quietly, “Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” “Adhere to your moral convictions.”
“I’m grateful.”
I had already reached the resort two days later. Even after checking into my hotel, I was still unable to get myself to visit the beach.
I left the room a couple of times, went down the corridor, and then immediately turned back. I therefore chose not to exert myself. I would go after getting some rest the following day.
I finally put on my swimsuit, packed my beach bag, and went to the beach early the following morning.
It felt like stones were attached to my feet, and every stride was unbelievably heavy. However, I continued to walk till I eventually arrived at the shore, one step at a time.
Laying my towel down on a lounge chair, I sat by myself and gazed at the lake. The sea was quiet. Not a wave. Just the sparkle of sunshine off the surface.
People laughed, splashed, and swam. In the sand, kids constructed castles.
However, I was unable to get myself to approach it. Not even to take a quick look. I simply sat there and let my skin get warmed by the sun.
Hours went by. I eventually made myself get up and walk a little distance in the direction of the river. My legs were rubbery.
I believed they might collapse at any moment. However, I persisted, getting closer and closer. I noticed them at that point.
three members of the family. Laughing and attempting to decide where to set up their beach umbrella, they strolled along the sand. A mother, a guy, and a young girl, no more than three years old.
The ground vanished beneath me as soon as I saw the man’s face. I lost my ability to breathe. My lungs tightened, and I started to breathe heavily.
“Hello, Anthony!” I let out a cry and then fell on the sand.
Desperate to take a breath, I gripped my throat as though doing so would somehow help. The woman and Anthony hurried over. He fell on his knees next to me.
It’s alright, it’s alright. Simply take a breath. Does an inhaler come in handy? Anthony’s question was urgent.
He spoke in a soothing, soft, but strange voice. He treated me as though I were a complete stranger. Still unable to speak, I shook my head.
“All right. Out and in. Out and in.” He gently said, “You’re okay,” until my breathing eventually decreased.
I touched his cheek with shaky fingers and muttered, “You’re alive.” “You’re alive, Anthony.” Anthony’s forehead wrinkled.
The woman asked him whether he knew her.
“I’m afraid you thought I was someone else,” Anthony said, perplexed. “My name is Drake.”
“No, it isn’t! Anthony is here. I’m Marissa.” Tears were streaming down my cheeks when I said, “Your wife.” He was still alive!
He said, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I don’t know who you are,” and got to his feet.
“Do you not recall me? It’s me, Anthony, please,” I pleaded.
The woman politely inquired, “Are you staying at the hotel nearby?” My wristband must have caught her eye. “We can assist you if you’re feeling ill.”
“I don’t require escort assistance! My husband needs to stop acting as though he doesn’t know who I am.” I yelled. The young girl flinched in terror, as I witnessed.
Anthony grabbed her hand. He said to the woman, “Come on, Kaitlyn,” and the three of them left.
I remained on the sand, crying and trembling, unable to comprehend what had just transpired. Anthony was still alive.
His life had changed. He was also acting as though I didn’t exist. To be with this other family, had he staged his own death?
I eventually retrieved my belongings from the lounge chair, got myself together, and took a leisurely stroll back to the hotel.
The old emotion from three years ago came back. As though I had been depleted once more. As though I had lost him twice.
However, someone knocked on my door that night. I opened it after getting out of bed. The woman from the beach was there. The woman from whom I had lost Anthony.
“What are you requesting from me?” I yelled.
She continued softly, “My name is Kaitlyn, and I just want to talk.” “Please.”
I hesitated for a few seconds before letting her in. “What brought you here? To intimidate me? To inform me you were picked by Anthony? I lost my temper.”
“I came to explain,” Kaitlyn said quietly in response. I had no idea that his true name was Anthony until today. Neither he nor I knew anything about his past.
“What are you discussing?” Stunned, I inquired.
One day, Drake—or Anthony, I suppose—washed up on the beach. Nothing, no ID. Kaitlyn murmured softly, “He was in critical condition and went into a coma.”
“Oh my God,” I said, putting my hand over my mouth. The horror he must have experienced…
“I was his nurse. I looked after him,” she added. The physicians discovered that he had lost all of his memory when he eventually woke up. He had no idea what his own name was. I was there for him at every stage of his recuperation. We also fell in love.
“And the kid?” I asked thoughtfully.
“I own her. Drake, however, took her as his own. We started a new life together. I adore him. You are his wife, though.” Her voice cracked as she acknowledged, “I have no right to take him from you.”
“May I speak with him?” I inquired.
Indeed. Kaitlyn nodded, and I could see tears in her eyes. “He’s a little shaken after what happened on the beach, but yes, you should talk,” she said.
After leaving the room, we got into her vehicle. Neither of us said anything. Neither of us had anything to say.
I immediately rushed into Anthony’s arms when we got inside the house, but he stood motionless, not knowing how to respond. I took a step back.
Whispering, “I’ll give you two some space,” Kaitlyn entered a different room.
“Are you sure you don’t remember me, Anthony?” Quietly, I asked.
“No… I… I apologize,” he whispered.
I said, “I can show you our pictures,” and Anthony nodded slightly.
We sat on the couch while I accessed my phone’s gallery, which included pictures of us on our wedding day, at home, and on vacation.
They might set off something, I hoped. Anything. However, he gazed at them as if they were strangers.
As if he hadn’t been in any of them. And he stared at me just like that, too. Then I saw the picture from the ultrasound. Anthony scowled.
I whispered, “We were supposed to have a baby.” “But I lost the baby and couldn’t cope with the grief when you vanished.”
With regret in his voice, Anthony added, “I’m so sorry you went through that.” However, I don’t recall any of it. Right now, I feel like a complete jerk.
It’s alright. I answered, “Perhaps it will return,” but I didn’t seem very convinced.
“Perhaps,” he muttered.
The little girl from the beach hurried in as the door suddenly sprang open. She leaped directly into Anthony’s embrace.
“What’s up, crazy one?” Anthony laughed.
“You said we’d play, Daddy!” She sobbed while pouting.
Kaitlyn entered the space. “I really apologize. I was powerless to stop her. She apologized and reached for the infant, saying, I’ll take her now.”
That’s when I noticed it. The manner in which Anthony gazed at Kaitlyn. That look was familiar to me.
He used to give me that look. The kind of glance that gave me the confidence that, with him at my side, I could conquer the world.
That’s how he looked at her now. Not me. I was merely a lady who had interrupted his tranquility.
Kaitlyn left the room with her daughter in tow. As I looked around, I noticed the pictures of the three of them smiling together on the walls. They were a family.
“No.” “This is impossible,” I muttered.
“What do you mean?” Perplexed, Anthony inquired.
“I am unable to remove you from this life. Three years have passed since the death of the guy I loved, Anthony, who was mine. Now you’re a different person.” My voice was shaking as I continued, “Your heart no longer belongs to me; it belongs to her.”
“I sincerely apologize,” Anthony muttered.
“Avoid becoming. Perhaps I was in need of this. I never had the opportunity to bid them farewell.” I answered, “I can now at last.”
He said, “So what happens now?”
“You return to your familiar life. And I’ll begin living mine at last,” I informed him.
“You don’t want to see me again, then?” Gently, he inquired.
“No. I don’t. I wish I had my Anthony back, but that isn’t going to happen. Goodbye, Anthony. Or Drake,” I remarked as I got up and left the home.
I was able to breathe for the first time in three years. His life was his, and mine was no more. It was time for me to move on and live my life.
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