I wrap a towel around myself and rush into the bedroom to call the only person I can rely on. My sister, Poppy. She recently moved away to attend university. She is studying to become a vet, and I couldn’t be prouder of her.
Poppy answers on the first ring, and she listens while I pour my heart out to her. I tell her what happened with Jaxon’s school and the message from his scout leader, and I tell her what Greg has done.
“Paige, you need to get out of that town. There’s a small house for rent not too far from my university. I went to view it today, but the bus route is not good, and it was just too far for a daily commute to uni without a car. It’s a sweet little place with two bedrooms, and it’s fully furnished. The town felt homely and welcoming. Pack up your stuff and have a fresh start at this end of the country with me. There’s nothing left for you there,” Poppy says.
“But what if…”
“He’s not worth it, Paige, don’t give him a second chance,” Poppy cuts me off.
My eyes fill with tears. She is right. There is nothing left for me here. Poppy has moved away, my parents are dead, Jaxon has no school, Greg is leaving me for another woman and I have already accepted that Ryder’s isn’t coming back for me, so why stay in a place that holds more bad memories than good ones?
Moving to a new area wouldn’t be too difficult. My job as an editor means I can work from any location, and with Jaxon no longer having a school here, there really is no reason to stay. Poppy is right. A fresh start in a new place is exactly what we need.
“Okay, Pops. Send me the details of the house.”
** Paige’s POV **
“I know what you’ve been doing, Greg,” I say, when I come downstairs the next morning to find him eating a bowl of cereal at the dining table.
The words have barely left my mouth before his face twists into a bitter scowl. He looks up at me, spoon halfway to his mouth.
“Oh, and what is it you think I’ve been doing?” he says, his tone mocking.
I dropped the phone on the table in front of him. The screen lights up with even more texts. Her name. Her face. The texts.
Leanne: Good morning, handsome.
Leanne: I miss your touch.
Leanne: Tonight, after she’s asleep?
Leanne: You make me feel alive again.
Alive!
I was here slowly dying while he was in someone else’s arms, making them feel alive.
“Do you love her?” My voice cracks a little. I hate that. Hate how small and weak I sound.
Greg stares at the phone like it’s a weapon, and maybe it is because I’m finally done playing the soft-hearted fool who cleaned up the mess and smiled through neglect.
“She doesn’t mean anything,” he sighs. “It’s complicated.”
“No,” I step back, wrapping my arms around myself, so I’m not tempted to hurl the bowl at his head.
“It’s actually very simple. You lied. You had sex with her while I was here with Jaxon, while I was working hard to pay for this house, while I was trying to believe we could still save our marriage.
A heavy silence fills the room.
“I needed something for me, Paige,” he says. “You’ve been…God, you’ve been gone since the moment I met you. You never let me in because you were always holding on to ghosts, always waiting for your precious Ryder to return.”
I open my mouth to speak, then shut it again. Is he right? Is this my fault?
“You’re right,” I breathe. “Maybe I’ve been holding on to the girl I used to be. To the pieces I’ve tried to glue together. To the hope that you might learn to love me the way I am. I’m never going to be the person you are trying to mold me into, and neither is my son.”
“Mummy,” Jaxon’s voice calls faintly from upstairs, and I turn to leave.
“Where are you going?” Greg asks, his chair scraping the floor as he stands.
“Somewhere we can breathe. Somewhere far from you and this lie. I want a divorce.”
Then I walk upstairs and pack two duffel bags for me and Jax. Greg doesn’t bother to say a word to stop us or even attempt to apologise before I walk out of the door and leave the life I thought I built here.
Jax is quiet as we pull away from the house, and I glance at him in the rearview mirror. His eyes look worried as he clutches his grey wolf teddy to his chest. He senses something is wrong and I hate that he will have to suffer for Greg’s actions too.
“How about we stop at the cafe for pancakes for breakfast?” I ask.
“Is Greg coming?”
“No, baby. It’s just us now. We are going on an adventure,” I say, trying my best to sound cheerful.
“Where are we going?”
“To live near Auntie Poppy,” I smile, but Jaxon’s eyes well up with tears. “It’s going to be okay, buddy, I promise,” I say, trying to reassure him.
“But what about my friends, and Granny and Grandad?” He asks in a quiet tone.
“You are going to make lots of new friends, and Granny and Grandad will be with us in spirit; they’re always watching over you.”
Whilst Jaxon eats his pancakes, I make some phone calls. The landlord of the house Poppy had sent me is very sympathetic to our situation and, after running a few checks on me, he agrees to let us move in today.
Poppy had been right. The house was sweet. I had only seen the pictures online from the link she had sent me, but I trusted Poppy when she said it was exactly how the pictures had shown.
It was smaller than our current house, but it was perfect for me and Jax. I couldn’t find much information about the town, but the local school looks wonderful, and after a telephone conversation with the headteacher, I think Jaxon will thrive there. I make an appointment to visit the school tomorrow afternoon.
After breakfast, we call into the florist shop next door, and I let Jax pick out all his favourite flowers whilst I pick out some lavender and blue roses and add them to the bouquet to leave on my parent’s grave.
My mind flashes back to Ryder. He would often present me with a single rose, and then explain what each colour represented. I notice a few black roses as I’m paying, and I pick up a single one to add to my purchase.
“Do you want this added to the bouquet?” the florist asks.
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