‘Daisy.’ She looked shocked and – for the first time in all the time I had known her – not calm and composed. She pulled me into her and gave me a tight squeeze. I let her hold me and a part of me wished it was my own mum that I was hugging. ‘I need to ask you something and I want the truth,’ she said. ‘Promise me.’
I nodded once.
‘Good. Do you love Henry?’
I shook my head against her.
She tensed up, then relaxed and patted my hair. ‘Okay. I understand.’ She leaned back and reached out to wipe a tear from my face. ‘There’s a lot I have regretted in my life,’ she began, ‘but I started out loving my husband,’ she said softly. ‘You don’t love Henry so you don’t want this life, Daisy. Sometimes, you can feel lonelier with someone than you do alone. Remember that, okay? You are never alone anyway. You always have yourself.’
I wiped the remainder of my tears away. ‘Why are you being so nice to me?’
I was confused. She had always seemed so formidable, never what I’d describe as kind. And I was about to leave her son, and family, for good.
‘Because I’m lonely, Daisy. I made my bed a long time ago. I’m sorry I didn’t see you were feeling the same. Maybe it was because, despite what you might think, I wanted you to marry Henry and be part of the family. I thought having a daughter-in-law and grandchildren might make me happy. That wasn’t fair to you, though. I should have been thinking about your happiness. Well, I am now. Before it’s too late. Let me tell my husband and son.’
‘No,’ I said, surprising us both. ‘I need to do it. I want to do it.’ I had to finish what I had started on our wedding day. I had been second-guessing myself, worried I’d made another mistake, worried about the future, and worried about being alone but Henry’s mum was right; I didn’t want to live a life that didn’t make me happy. Even if I didn’t know what I was walking towards yet, I knew I had to walk away from this first. Then maybe I would find what I was looking for.
She smiled. ‘You can do it. And Daisy, I want you to know you can always call me. Promise me you will if you ever need to?’
‘I promise,’ I whispered.
Together, we walked back to the table.
Henry turned to me. ‘You two have been gone forever.’
His mum sat back down but I remained standing. She gave me a nod of encouragement so I took another breath and told Henry what I should have said when he first followed me to Birch Tree Farm.
‘Henry, I’m sorry but I’ve thought about what you, all three of you, have said today and I can’t do it. Any of it. When I left our wedding, it was because I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t in love with you. I have been scared of walking away from our life, from your family, from you, but I know I have to do it. I can’t be happy if I stay.’ My voice had started out shaky but it got stronger as I told him the truth that was in my heart. My shoulders relaxed in relief as I got the words out. ‘I’m so grateful for everything you have all done for me. And I want to pay you back for the wedding. I’m so sorry that it hasn’t worked out. But it would be a mistake for all of us if I came back with you. I’m going to stay in Birchbrook for a while until I decide what I want to do.’
‘You can’t be serious,’ Henry said, his eyes narrowing.
‘I am.’ I slipped my engagement ring off my finger and placed it on the table beside him.
‘I can’t believe this,’ Henry’s dad said, glowering at me. ‘After all we’ve done for you.’
‘This is because of Blake,’ Henry said then. ‘She’s back with her ex. I found them on that farm together! They reconnected and started seeing each other. And she’s chosen him over me!’ Henry whined to his parents.
‘You didn’t tell me that,’ Henry’s mum said to me.
‘No,’ I said firmly. ‘It’s not true. Blake lied when he said we knew each other. We only just met when we both came to the farm. Blake’s ex jumped to the assumption we were seeing each other. Blake didn’t like the way you were talking to me so he went along with it, and so did I, hoping it would get you to give me some space,’ I continued. ‘You said you didn’t believe it so why are you saying it’s the reason I’m ending things?’
‘I said I didn’t believe it to put a spanner in the works!’ Henry cried, turning red with anger again. ‘To make you feel like there was nothing between you two, and you belonged with me! I’m not blind. I saw the way you two looked at each other and when you were holding hands in the café, you seemed so happy…’
‘I did?’ I asked, amazed that Henry had noticed all of that. I had thought he didn’t see me but maybe it took almost losing me to finally open his eyes.
‘You lied when you said you hadn’t slept with him,’ Henry continued.
‘Henry!’ his mother cried. ‘Don’t be so crass and disrespectful,’ she said, shocked.
‘I didn’t lie. We haven’t slept together. And we didn’t know each other. But we have connected, yes. He’s been a good friend and a good listener,’ I said.
Henry scoffed loudly.
‘I do like him, Henry. I don’t know if anything will happen in the future or not. But it doesn’t have any bearing on us. I promise you,’ I added sincerely. Henry wasn’t the man for me. Whatever might or might not happen with Blake, I knew I couldn’t go back to Henry. His mum was right. I would be happier alone than doing that. ‘I really am sorry.’
‘I wasted almost five years on you,’ he spat out then.
‘And all that money we wasted on the wedding!’ his dad added.
