Page 60 of Happy Days Ahead in the Cornish Village

‘The clothes in the washing machine, you not wanting anyone to drive you home after you sprained your ankle, trying to change the subject when Flora began talking about visiting Lisa from the bed and breakfast…’

Megan grimaced and stabbed a pasta shell with her fork. ‘It was that obvious?’

Jay shook his head. ‘No. Not to everyone.’

‘But to you?’ She took a mouthful of pasta, the tangy flavour of tomato filling her mouth. She’d missed this. She’d missed home-cooked food. Heck, she’d missed food other than crisps and biscuits full stop.

Jay took a sip of orange juice and shrugged.

‘Are you sure nobody else realised?’ she asked.

Jay smiled. ‘I’m sure. Don’t you think Flora would have had something to say about it if she had?’

‘That’s true.’ Megan nodded. Flora would have. ‘And you won’t tell them?’

‘I won’t. But I think you should.’

‘What? No. No, I can’t do that.’ She shifted in her chair.

Why would she tell them? Anyone? She hadn’t even wanted Jay to know.

‘Why not?’

‘Why? Because…’ Wasn’t it obvious? ‘I don’t want to. I just don’t want their pity.’

Jay frowned. ‘They wouldn’t pity you.’

‘Of course they would. A few months ago, I was living in a huge five-bedroom detached house and now, now I have nowhere. I have nothing. Of course, they’d pity me.’ She swiped a tear that had slid down her cheek. ‘I’m supposed to be doing this on my own. I’m supposed to be able to.’

‘And you are.’ Jay gently touched her hand. ‘You are doing this on your own, but sometimes people need to take a bit of help from others.’

‘No, I’m not. And that’s final.’ She laid her cutlery down across her plate and pushed her chair back, standing up. ‘Thank you for the shower, but I’m going to get going now.’

‘Megan.’ Standing up, Jay looked at her. ‘Don’t go. The weather’s awful. Anything could happen.’

Slumping back in her chair, Megan covered her eyes with her hands. ‘I just can’t do this. I left him and he’s still trying to control my life. He’s still there.’

‘Lyle?’ Moving his chair closer, Jay wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

‘Yes, Lyle. All these years I’ve stuck by him, I’ve done what he wanted to, when he wanted to and now, now I’m left with nothing.’ She leaned her head against his shoulder, allowing the tears to run, her body wracked with sobs.

‘It’ll be okay. This won’t be forever. When the divorce has gone through and the financial agreement has been finalised, this will just be a blip in your memory.’

Megan looked up at him and wiped her eyes with the back of her cardigan sleeve. She knew she looked a mess, even more so now she’d been crying. ‘It won’t. This is it. This is my life. I signed a prenup. I won’t get a penny from him.’

Jay opened and closed his mouth, seemingly looking for something to say.

‘See what I mean? He’s still playing with my life. I’m being punished by trying to do the right thing, but what else could I do? I couldn’t stay with him, not after everything he put everyone at Wagging Tails through. I saw him for who he’d become. He wasn’t who I married, he wasn’t who I wanted to stay with for the rest of my life. I had to leave him. But now, now what?’

‘Megan, I’m so sorry you’re going through this.’ Jay swallowed. ‘Things will get easier, though.’

She nodded. His words were empty, but she knew he spoke the truth. They would. If this was rock bottom, then there was only one way left to go.

‘I can only go up, right?’

‘Exactly. I know it probably feels impossible, but you’ll get through it. You’ll be able to carve a life for yourself again. One that you want this time.’

‘I suppose so.’ She leaned back in her chair and looked at him. ‘I’m so sorry.’

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