“And who’s that, then? You said yourself you don’t even know me!”
“Yes, I do. You’re the girl I fell in love with twenty years ago. That girl came home drunk two nights ago. Last night, she let me make love to her, telling me it’s never been that good, and later, she slept in my arms.”
“That girl isn’t me.”
Prentice glared at her.
Bella glared back.
Then he tore his hand through his hair and, at that gesture, Fiona knew he was losing patience because she’d seen him do it many times before.
“This is ridiculous,” he clipped.
Yes, losing patience.
“I agree, just let me go.”
His eyes narrowed. “I told you, this time I’m keeping you.”
She put her hands to his chest and gave a hearty shove. Prentice’s torso rocked back but then came in closer.
“You can’t keep me,” she snapped. “I don’t want to be kept.”
He put his face close to hers. “Bollocks.”
She pulled in breath through her nose and looked at the heavens.
When she looked back at him, she asked, “Prentice, don’t you see?”
Fiona shouted, No! No, he doesn’t see! You have to tell him. You have to tell him so he can sort you out. He has no idea. You HAVE GOT to TELL him.
Bella shook her head to clear Fiona’s words.
And then she said, “It’s for the best. It was twenty years ago, and you can’t deny that.” His mouth got tight at that and Bella went on, this time quietly, “It will be again. You’ll find happiness, Prentice. It’s just never something you’d find with me.”
Prentices eyes got hard. “Elle, you get in that car and drive away, that’s it. You leave me and the children this time, if you get second thoughts and you come back, I’ll no’ make you work for it. There’ll be nothing to work for.”
To Fiona’s shock, disappointment, anger and sadness, although Bella’s face paled and her throat convulsed, her head nodded.
Prentice felt those same four emotions and he didn’t hide them.
His voice was gruff when he stated, “The last time, even though I didn’t know it, you were taken from me. This time, if you leave, it’s all you.”
Fiona saw Bella’s eyes flash with indecision.
“Prentice,” she whispered.
Don’t get in that car, Bella, Fiona shouted, Don’t do it.
Then, seeing Bella make her decision (the wrong one) and shift toward the door, Fiona tried yelling at Prentice.
Don’t let her go. She needs you to save her. She needs her knight in shining armor, not a man who’d let her go. This is twice, Prentice, and you don’t even know this is all on you. Twenty years, and it’s all YOU. You should have gone to save her the last time and you let her go. This is the same. She isn’t leaving you, she has this idea that she’s saving you. This is NOT her LEAVING. This is YOU LETTING HER GO!
As usual, Prentice didn’t hear a word Fiona said.
And by the time she was done yelling, Bella was in the car and she didn’t even look at Prentice’s angry, tight face as she reversed the rental out of the spot and she didn’t look back as she drove away.
Chapter Ten