I FOUND HIS EX-WIFE'S LINGERIE… IN OUR BEDROOM

For Samantha Brick, 50, adapting to life as the new wife wasn’t straightforward

- Samantha Brick

After opening up the wardrobe, I began looking for hangers and some drawer space. I had been living with my husband for two weeks and was finally getting around to unpacking. The wardrobe was dark inside. I put my hand in a drawer and found… it was not empty. Inside was a woman’s bra. Not mine.

I jumped back, dropping it to the floor, then perched on the edge of the bed to recover. After composing myself, I peered once again into the drawers. More underwear. It could only belong to his ex-wife.

In 2007, when I first moved in with Pascal, I knew he had an ex. But I never worried about her presence in my life. They split up 18 months before we met – enough time for both of them to form separate lives. She had moved out of the family home and I naively assumed I would not be living with her ghost. How wrong I was.

For six years, they had shared the cosy cottage, two up, two down. During those first months, I discovered that this was plenty of time to create memories together, as well as a home.

ANOTHER’S BELONGINGS

I tried – how I tried – to establish some space for myself in my new home. Yet each time I tackled another room or cupboard, I came up against something belonging to her. It was hard. It put an end to our honeymoon period.