Page 41 of Love, Accidentally

‘Alternative arrangements would be sleeping in the spare room because someone is snoring, Luke. This is way bigger than that. Why did you try to make out that Tilly was a fantasist?’

‘Because I was trying to protect you, of course! Look, I know what I did was unorthodox, so I was trying to avoid exactly this situation. You need to think about the baby and what you being stressed could do. As a man, I have certain needs, and I was merely using Tilly to fulfil them while you were out of action, so to speak. I did it for you, in a way.’

‘Can you hear the shit that’s coming out of your mouth?’ Cindy yells suddenly, making us all jump. ‘You didn’t do this for me. You did this because you’re a selfish bastard who can’t keep it in your pants or have a wank like a normal man would. And to think I nearly believed you when you said Tilly was making it up. Dear God, I need my head examined.’

‘Cind—’

‘Shut up! I don’t want to hear another word fall out of your filthy, lying, cheating mouth, do you understand? We’re done.’

‘You don’t mean that.’

‘Of course I do. When Richenda rang me, there was a tiny part of me that wanted it not to be true, but deep down I knew it was. I just needed to hear it from you.’

‘Look, I can see I’ve made a mistake, but we can fix this. We could go to counselling, whatever you want.’

‘I’ll tell you what I want. I want you out of my life. I’m going to go home now, and I’m going to put all your stuff in bags. You can collect it from outside the front of the house later.’

‘It’s our house,’ Luke says, his tone suddenly mutinous. ‘I have just as much right to be in it as you.’

‘Fine, then I’ll go. Give me a couple of hours to pack.’ She gets to her feet and turns to me. ‘Tilly, I wish I could say it’s been a pleasure meeting you, but I’m sure you understand. Anyway, he’s all yours. Good luck.’

Without saying anything to Richenda, she flounces out and we all flinch as the door bangs behind her. After a long, uncomfortable pause, Luke turns to me.

‘Well,’ he says with a smile. ‘I’m sorry you had to witness that, Tilly, but I can’t tell you how relieved I am now the truth is out in the open. No more skulking about, we can be together in plain sight now. You wanted me to give you more, and now I can give you all of me.’

If I thought we were done with the gut punches, I was evidently wrong.

‘I’m sorry? You’re joking, right?’

‘I’ve never been more serious about anything,’ he says, stepping forward. With horror, I realise he’s intending to wrap his arms around me, and it’s all I can do to stop myself from kicking him in the balls. Instead, I place my hand on his chest to prevent him coming any closer.

‘I don’t think so,’ I tell him firmly.

To my amazement, he smiles again. ‘I get it. I don’t seem so exciting now the danger has gone. We’ll just have to find other ways of upping the ante.’

‘No. Let me explain it to you. I don’t have relationships with married men.’

‘I think, given the way today has turned out, that’s unlikely to be an issue for much longer.’

‘OK, I can see you’re not getting this. You’re a liar, Luke. You lied to Cindy and you lied to me. You lied about your mother, and you also tried to make out I was some kind of lunatic to save your own skin, which makes you a coward to boot. To be honest, I don’t know what I saw in you, but my eyes are well and truly open now, and I want nothing more to do with you. You’d better not dream of making any sort of complaint about me, because I’ll be straight in with everything I know about you, and it won’t go well for you. You stay away from me, do you understand?’ Without giving him an opportunity to reply, I turn to Richenda. ‘I’m sorry, for everything,’ I tell her.

‘Likewise,’ she replies, but I’m already heading for the hallway and my coat, with nothing on my mind except getting as far away from here as possible.

18

‘I’m sorry, love, but I’m not entirely sure why you’ve tied yourself up in such knots about this,’ Mum says as she sets a mug of tea and a plate containing a large slice of carrot cake in front of me.

After leaving Richenda’s, I quickly realised I needed someone to help me decompress and unravel everything that’s just happened. The only person I could think of that wouldn’t be at work was Mum, so I headed over to Paddock Wood, but I’m starting to realise that this might have been a mistake.

‘I’ve just ended a marriage, Mum!’ I exclaim. ‘I’d say that’s worthy of tying myself in a few knots about.’

‘Nonsense. His wife ended the marriage, not you.’

‘Because of me.’

‘No, because of Luke. Marriages end all the time, darling, for all sorts of reasons. We don’t all get the privilege of marrying the right person first time around. It’s not the end of the world, just look at your father and me. And Luke’s right. If he and… what’s her name?’

‘Cindy.’

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