Page 143 of Mark

“Oh my god, stop justifying her actions. Stop acting surprised. She’s already done this before to her. She may not have touched me, but her intentions were clear on what she wanted Freya to feel. You might not like she’s done it, but you are in a position to stop it. It doesn’t matter what you missed, because it’s not on you to fix it. And I do agree to some extent. Esther isn’t hurting though, she’s broken. Something inside of her is broken because I cannot fathom why she would do something like this to her sister.”

“We know,” Maggie whispers but it almost sounds a plea.

I take a moment to compose myself, and unclench my hands from the fists they had formed in anger. “My dad and uncles had a poor upbringing. What they went through is unimaginable, and it was caused by the two people who were meant to do everything they could to protect them. But they had each other. The formed a bond so strong, nothing could break it. We were raised to witness it. And seeing how other families were together, it made us appreciate what they gave us. It made us kids stronger too. People don’t even realise most of us are cousins because of how close we are. They think we are all siblings. So I may not have the best perspective, but I do know I would rather hurt myself before I hurt one of my siblings. Whether that be physically or mentally. And the same goes for my sister’s husband’s family. He has a great mum, and if his dad were still alive, he would be a great dad too. He will fight with his siblings, but at the end of the day, they would die for each other. So the bottom line is, you need to ask yourself why Esther doesn’t have that same connection, because as far as I can see, she lucked out by getting Freya as a sibling.”

“We’ve been asking ourselves the same thing,” Mitch admits. “It all leads back to Danny.”

“If that was the case, then Esther wouldn’t need to keep hurting her. She’s just married the loser.”

Maggie takes a sip from the glass on the table. “Then we don’t know. I’ve been going over it in my head to see if it was something we had done as parents, but if anybody had something to complain about regarding our parenting, it would be Freya. We haven’t been easy on her. And trust me when I tell you, it’s my biggest regret.”

I see my dad and mum on the corner, waiting for me to finish, so I do. “You need to get Esther help. Because even if Freya somehow has it in her to forgive her again, I’m not going to let Esther near her if I think she’ll hurt Freya.”

“You speak as if she will forgive you,” Maggie whispers. “I know what you’ve told us is true, but my daughter…”

“She doesn’t give people second chances,” I finish. “I know. But she’s never been up against a Carter before. I will win her back. I won’t stop until I do.”

“Then you will have our support,” Mitch discloses. “And rest assured, we will get to the root of Esther’s issues. We will make sure she makes this right.”

“Be sure that you do,” I tell him as I get up. “Enjoy the rest of your day.”

I heard towards Mum and Dad, wishing this getaway was over already. I have places to be, a woman to see.

Because our entire future depends on her hearing me out.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Freya

Eight Days Later

I glance up from the television that is playing Charlie St. Cloud. I went into this movie thinking it would be a romance, not that I would be a sobbing mess on the sofa.

Damn this film for making me cry.

Not that it takes much nowadays.

The door clicks open and I glance up to find Summer walking in with a selfcare gift basket. A sigh slips past my lips, my heart jolting for a moment. Because I know who the gift is from.

Mark.

It’s been three days since he returned from the Bahamas, and each day, I’ve received a gift from him. First it was a mini figurine of our cruise. Yesterday it was flowers. Today it’s a gift basket, and damn him for actually putting the products I use inside.

I won’t admit this out loud, but I waited in the living room the day I knew he was due back. I held my breath as I listened to the suitcase roll down the hallway, and my heart stopped when he didn’t immediately go inside and instead knocked on my door.

“He’s persistent, I’ll give him that,” Summer mutters as she drops it down on the coffee table. “Are you going to hear him out? I’m not saying you should, but with how your mum and gran have been calling off the hook, I feel like you’re missing a huge chunk of the story.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I saw what I saw.”

She holds her hands up. “Hey, I’ll hate him on principle if that’s what we are doing,” she declares as she takes a seat on the sofa next to me. “But I know you, babe. He means somethingto you. I think he means more to you than anyone else ever has before.”

Tears gather in my eyes as I lower my gaze to the floor. I’ve been too afraid to tell her, to say the words out loud. Until now. Because I don’t think I can live here every day with him across the hall. I can’t stay locked away in here forever. I’m going to have to come out at some point and face him. And I don’t think my heart can take that kind of pain again. Not after that dreadful day. Not after what I saw.

“I love him,” I whisper.

“Which is why I’ve called your gran and mum,” she admits. “Please don’t hate me, but you need to know the truth. And you aren’t going to get it hiding away in here.”

I groan. “Why did you invite my mum?”

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