How I Handled an Awkward Moment at My Husband’s Work Event

The company gala was everything I usually dreaded. Too much small talk, too many polite smiles plastered on faces that clearly wanted to be anywhere else. But I went for him. My husband. He always said these events were important, a chance to network, to show we were a united front. And I loved him enough to put on a sequined dress and pretend I enjoyed discussing quarterly projections with strangers.

The night was droning on, a predictable hum of clinking glasses and forced laughter, when she approached. She was striking, with intelligent eyes and a calm, almost serene smile. I’d never seen her before. My husband was across the room, deep in conversation, oblivious.

“You must be her,” she said, extending a hand. Her grip was firm, her touch surprisingly warm. “It’s so lovely to finally meet you. He talks about you… constantly.”A pleasant enough introduction, right? But the way she said it. The pause before “constantly.” The slight tilt of her head, as if weighing something. And her eyes – there was a depth to them, a sadness mixed with something else I couldn’t quite place. Not malice, not rivalry, but… knowledge. An unnerving familiarity.

A serious man in a suit | Source: Pexels

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