**Betrayal with a Holiday Flavour**
Emily and James were curled up on the sofa watching a series when a sharp knock rattled the door. Exchanging puzzled glances, Emily went to answer. There stood Jessica—James’s sister—her face twisted with fury.
“How could you?!” she snapped at once. “This is all your doing, Emily! I know you set this up! I’ll never forgive you!”
“Jessica, what on earth are you talking about? What’s happened?”
“Don’t play dumb. You ruined our plans. Everything’s gone wrong!”
A month earlier, James had suggested a holiday:
“Darling, let’s get away for a bit. Can you take some time off next month?”
“Of course. Where should we go?”
“How about Brighton?”
“Perfect. I’ve been meaning to visit.”
James already had it all planned—the dates, the hotel. He just needed Emily to suspect nothing. His mother wanted to join, and Jessica insisted on bringing her two restless children, aged four and seven. Emily knew nothing of this.
She’d endured a holiday like that once before—two years ago. Back then, James swore he understood how difficult it had been and promised it wouldn’t happen again.
That time, they’d travelled with his mother. Only on the train did Emily learn Jessica and the kids were coming too. The holiday became a nightmare: tantrums, his exhausted mother, and Jessica always dozing off. The burden fell on Emily and James while his family strolled about, insisting the two could “relax another time.”
Emily had made herself clear—she wouldn’t survive another trip like that.
This time, when James showed her the tickets and booking, everything was for two. Emily was thrilled. A proper getaway! How wrong she’d been.
When they arrived in Brighton and reached the hotel, Jessica was already waiting in the lobby.
“What a coincidence!” she beamed. “Fancy meeting you here! Let’s spend the holiday together!”
Emily froze. She turned to James.
“You knew? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Mum really wanted us all together…”
“And what about me? Do I not matter?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Right. I’ll be relaxing. Alone. Without them.”
And so she did—Emily began her own “holiday of revenge.” James’s phone vanished, later found stuffed in the kids’ toys. She insisted it stay in the safe. Money? She had her own cards and even “lent” him one—but kept control.
The next morning, she dragged James to the beach early while the others took a tour. They returned tired, wallets lighter, tempers short. The following day, the opposite happened. The entire holiday unfolded like this—different outings, separate paths. Eventually, James realised he was truly losing his wife.
The night before leaving, Jessica stormed into their room.
“You’ve ruined everything! I can barely keep my temper! We should’ve stayed home!”
“Why did you come with the kids, then?” Emily replied coolly. “We came to relax, not babysit your boys.”
“I couldn’t even buy souvenirs because of you! Spent everything on them!”
“We’ll get you a keychain. Don’t fret.”
“You planned this, didn’t you?”
“Who planned the trip? I didn’t book the tickets.”
At the station, they barely crossed paths—different carriages, different gazes. James no longer had doubts: next time, it would be just the two of them. Because, in the end, that’s how they finally managed to rest.
“You know,” Emily said with a smirk, “it was almost fun. Us one way, them the other. The trick is knowing who your real holiday is with.”