Page 96 of When Love And Destiny Collide

I love you, Noah, and I love David, but I feel trapped in a life I never chose.

I thought being married and having a child would fulfill me and make me feel complete, but I feel just as hollow now as I did the day I met you.

It’s not you, Love. It’s me. I miss London. I miss my old life, and I owe it to myself to go find whatever it is I’m searching for.

I haven’t been the best wife or mother, and I can admit that.

I crave freedom of thought and action. I’m not getting any younger, and if I don’t do this now, I will regret it later, and I’ll blame you.

The miscarriage made me realize you never loved me, and if you don’t love me, what am I still doing here?

David loves you, and even though I’ve done my best to bond and connect with him the way you have, I haven’t quite accomplished that.

He should live with you. I can admit that, too. I hope you’ll let me see him whenever possible.

Marian

P.S. Give David a big hug and kiss for me, and tell him I love him.

***

Lily insists on driving me to the airport, but now that it's time to say goodbye, the thought of not seeing her for what might be weeks or, worse, months is more than I can bear.

I look down at her beautiful face and trusting blue eyes, holding her close, determined not to let the word"goodbye"escape my lips.

"You realize not a single day has gone by without us seeing each other since the day we met?" I ask, forcing a smile, trying to keep the tears at bay for both our sakes.

She nods, a smile spreading across her face until the dimple on her cheek appears. "Ninety-seven days, fourteen hours, and twenty-seven minutes, to be exact," she says, glancing at her watch. But when she looks up, a single tear escapes and rolls down her cheek. I catch it with a kiss, then move my lips to hers. I take my time, savoring this moment—her lips, her sweetness. My hand glides up her arm and rests on her nape, deepening this amazing, intoxicating kiss that will have to anchor us together until my return.

She responds, her arms slipping around my neck, drawing me close. Her fingers weave a lazy pattern through my hair that sends shivers down my spine.

"I love you, Noah," she whispers against my lips.

"I love you too, Sweetheart," I reply softly. "I'll be back soon."

When I pull away, our eyes lock, and we both know this is it. I let the ugly word slip out, "Goodbye."

Chapter 28

Lily

Tyson Robb, the fire inspector, stands in what's left ofClay Play Daycare, clipboard in hand, and addresses me, Sam, and Adam with a calm but serious demeanor.

"Miss Cruz, I know this is a difficult time for you, and I'm truly sorry for the loss. My wife and I had enrolled our two kids to start on the first day."

"I'm sorry," I say. "I hope you will consider enrolling them again when we're back up and running."

"Yes, ma'am. We definitely will," he smiles before clearing his throat. "After conducting a thorough investigation, we have determined that the fire was not set intentionally."

"Are you sure?" I ask, thinking of Marian's open threats.

"Absolutely," he replies. "It actually originated from an electrical issue, specifically a fault in this wiring right here." He's pointing at a charred section of the wall where the blackened remnants of exposed wires tell the story of what went wrong.

"Was the installation of the wiring incorrect?" asks Adam, carefully eyeing the damage.

"The installation of the wiring appears to be up to code," Tyson says, "and the materials used were appropriate. However, the electrical system may have been overloaded due to several devices being plugged in simultaneously."

"No," I say. "The only thing we had plugged in was the computer."

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