Page 63 of Only You

MILLIE: Meet at mine.

GEORGE: I’ll be there shortly.

Ana wiped her face and put the car into gear, pulling out of Andrew’s driveway. The roads were empty, so Ana made it through London to Millie’s house in record time.

Like Andrew, Millie’s parents were wealthy. Ana pulled into their drive and got out of the car. The front door was flung open, and Millie ran out to greet her, sweeping her into a bear hug. Followed closely by George. Ana dissolved into tears in her friends’ arms. She had never been a crier. What was happening to her? For once, however, she didn’t want to put on a brave face, so she let her friends see all her pain. Millie and George simply held her until her tears turned to hiccups.

“Come on, let’s get you inside,” Millie said, taking Ana’s hand and pulling her towards the house.

They passed Millie’s mum, who shot her a sympathetic smile before saying, “The kettle is on. I’ll make you all some tea.”

Ana didn’t listen to Millie’s reply. She simply let her friends lead her.

Chapter Forty-one

Andrew

Andrew’s heart sank as he watched Ana walk away. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to Eva, his always-controlled temper finally rising.

“I’ll ask one more time. Why are you here, Eva? Last chance,” he said, storming back over to the coffee machine and refilling his mug.

“I’m sorry, Andrew,” she said quietly. “I honestly didn’t come here to cause trouble.”

When Andrew looked over, her eyes were firmly on her lap. She was twisting her fingers frantically as if trying to pull something off them. He watched for a moment before moving over and resting a hand over hers. He recognised stress when he saw it.

Her eyes flew to his, and the devastation he saw there almost took his breath away. This was not the super-confident Eva he remembered. He stared into her pain-filled eyes. Was he being played? She had always been a master manipulator. Did he owe her a chance to say her piece? No. But would he? Yes, if only for his daughter’s sake.

“Let’s start over,” he heard himself saying. “Bring your coffee, and we’ll sit in the sitting room.”

Andrew left the kitchen, not waiting to see whether Eva followed. He needed a few moments to centre himself. His head was spinning. All he could think about was how he was glad he was Olivia wasn’t here. If that was what she was hoping, she would be sorely disappointed.

Andrew watched as Eva followed him in.

“You have a beautiful home,” Eva said before motioning to the photographs that had fascinated Ana when she had first been in this room. He nodded and gestured for her to look.

Andrew pushed aside his memories. They were something he would have to deal with later. He just hoped Ana was okay. Last night, they had gone somewhere he’d never thought they would go. He was unhappy they’d not had a chance to talk. Ana had taken his breath away when she had entered his room. When she touched him... he had never felt such a connection to another person... This was not how he had foreseen their morning. His idea had been a leisurely breakfast in bed, followed by their much-needed talk and more lovemaking. But until he had removed Eva, he knew she would not want to come home. And this was her home. His heartbeat kicked up a notch. He realised he wanted this to be Ana’s home, but he needed to temporarily shelve those thoughts.

He watched as Eva zoomed in on the photos of Olivia. She ran a finger down the latest picture, her throat contracting. After about five minutes, she spun around to face him.

“Thank you,” she said before moving and taking a seat opposite him. “She is beautiful.”

“She is. So?”

Eva took a deep breath. “I actually came to London looking for Santana,” she said. “You were due to be second on my list.” Andrew watched as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Maybe you need to start from the beginning,” Andrew said, sitting back.

Eva took a few moments to centre herself. Leaning forward, she rested her forearms on her knees as she cradled her coffee mug in her hands. Staring down at the liquid, Andrew watched as she zoned out momentarily.

“I don’t know what Santana’s told you about after we split?” she said, still not looking at him.

“Not a lot. She said you left about a year after we split, but she didn’t have any details other than you went to the US.”

Eva gave an empty, harsh laugh. “She wouldn’t. They certainly wouldn’t have told her what was happening. It wasn’t their style.” The bitterness in her voice was palpable.

Eva finally looked up and stared at him. “A year after we split, I transferred my speciality training to a hospital in the US. I’ve been there ever since.”

Andrew remained silent; he wasn’t sure what she wanted him to say. Good for you. Glad you got to train in the US, having abandoned both your husband and your daughter. Something must have shown on his face because he watched her blanch and found he didn’t care. Why should he? After all she had done.

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