Lisa Portsmouth, 50, shares her real life story:
Gulping down the last of my wine, I took a deep breath and strode towards the bar.
I walked up to the best-looking bloke there and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Will you marry me tomorrow?” I asked.
As pick-up lines went, it was pretty bold! But I’d been staring at him all night and wanted to get his attention.
Luckily, his eyes widened and he burst out laughing.
“Of course,” he said. “But let me buy you a drink first!”
He told me his name was Martyn and when he mentioned he was single, I could feel the sparks flying.
Sadly, there was a catch.
Martyn lived 370km away from me!
“But I’m here every weekend,” he told me. “I’m a coach driver.”
He explained that he drove passengers from his hometown to the big cruise ships near where I lived.
With his frequent visits, I thought maybe there was a chance things could work between us.
We met up the following day. It was hot so we just grabbed some lunch and sat in the park together.
Martyn told me all about his young son from a previous relationship. When he showed me a photo of a little boy in a footy kit, his face lit up and I could tell he was a really caring dad.
I thought Martyn was the one for me.
“I see him as much as possible,” he said. “I never miss his footy matches.”
When he said that, I knew he was the one for me.
We started dating and saw each other whenever Martyn drove his coach to my hometown. Sometimes he’d just stay for a night, but other times we’d have the whole weekend together.
I looked for Martyn on Facebook so we could stay in touch and share photos, but I couldn’t find him.
“I don’t do Facebook,” he said.
So we did it the old-fashioned way – talking on the phone every night.
Happy months passed, although sometimes it was tough being so far apart.
“I want us to live together,” Martyn said one day. “I’ll pack my bags and turn up on your doorstep.”
But I knew it was impossible. Martyn couldn’t live so far away from his son and I didn’t want him to.
I thought it was best if we both stayed put for a while.
“You spend these precious years with your son,” I said. “I’ll wait for you for as long as it takes.”
We talked about marriage, too, but wanted to wait until we lived together. I didn’t mind. I didn’t need a ring to know Martyn was mine.
Martyn always came to visit me.
After three years together, Martyn told me he was taking his son on holiday for two weeks. It meant I wouldn’t see him for a while but I accepted that.
It did make me think about things, though.
For our entire relationship, Martyn had always visited me. I’d never seen his home or met his son.
“Why don’t I come to stay with you when you get back?” I suggested.
“It’s too much hassle for you,” he said.
I felt a bit upset that he’d dismissed the idea so easily, but I soon forgot about it and we carried on as we were.
Before I knew it, we’d been together for five years – not bad for a long-distance relationship!
Then, one evening I was scrolling through Facebook when a list of suggested friends came up.
One of them was Martyn.
But he wasn’t on Facebook?
I clicked on the profile and began to scroll through the photos.
My stomach lurched as I saw picture after picture of Martyn with his arm around another woman.
I’d never seen her before but she bore a striking resemblance to me.
I clicked on the next photo and my jaw dropped.
It was of Martyn in a suit, and this time the woman standing beside him was wearing a long white dress and cutting into a wedding cake!
If I hadn’t been sitting down, I’d have collapsed.
When I looked at the date on the photo, I started to sob. It had been taken two years earlier – during a time when Martyn had said he was taking his son on holiday.
I simply couldn’t take it in.
Desperate to find out who the woman was, I clicked on her profile.
It turned out she was the daughter of his boss. How could Martyn have been so stupid? He’d cheated on his boss’s daughter with me!
I saw their Valentine’s Day photos from six days earlier and thought I was going to be sick.
But Martyn had picked the wrong woman to deceive.
I typed out a message to him: I’m telling your wife everything.
I wanted her to know exactly what her husband was really like. I sent her a message explaining everything but she never replied, so I tried something different.
I went on the Facebook page for Martyn’s coach company and began to write a review.
I’ve been using Martyn’s services for five years. I had no idea he is now a married man with a beautiful wife. So I definitely give him five stars for the five years of what I now know was only an affair.
It wasn’t long before Martyn phoned me.
“Lisa, I’m sorry,” he said.
“Why did you lie to me for five years?” I demanded.
“I don’t know,” Martyn said. “I love you. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s a bit late for that!” I cried.
He asked how I’d found out and I told him about how he’d come up as a ‘suggested friend’ on Facebook.
That’s when it dawned on me.
“You’ve had that profile all this time but blocked me, haven’t you?” I said.
Martyn admitted it was true. He’d temporarily unblocked me so he could have a look at my page and forgotten to put the block back on.
If he hadn’t of done that, I might never have found out.
A few days later, he texted me: I’ve lost everything.
It turned out he’d been sacked and his wife had kicked him out.
I felt bad for him but he’d brought it on himself.
I still can’t believe he strung me along for five years while playing happy families with another woman.
I’m now trying to move on with my life.
Martyn still messages me every now and then but I’m not interested. I want a man who wants to be with me, and only me.
I just hope he’s out there somewhere.
I’m moving on with my life. Credit: Take a Break UK Bauer Media
Martyn said:
“Lisa and I were together more than five years ago. I got sacked because of what happened.
My wife’s dad owned the business. It’s my own fault, but you can imagine how I feel so I don’t really want to take part in anything.”
