AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If she were still alive, I think she would have adored to visit me here, and I know she would have loved Daisy. And Sebastian.
Stop it…
I drop the heavy newspaper on the table, and it lands with a satisfying thud, and the supplements slip out of the main newspaper and scatter across the surface. I’m just about to go back into the other room when my eye catches sight of a familiar face. My breath catches and I stare at the photo.
Stretching out my hand, I pull the supplement into the centre of the table and pore over the front cover. Sebastian’s handsome face stares back at me, and my stomach churns as my eyes move to the glamorous woman at his side. She’s got her arm in his and they look very much like a couple. By now, my heart is doing somersaults and I feel sick.
The woman is everything I’m not. She exudes wealth and confidence. I see by her expensive jewellery and outfit that she’s no stranger to designer clothes and wears only the best. Reading the article, I discover her name is Elizabeth Archer, and she is the granddaughter of John Archer, the legendary banker. The article goes on to say that Lizzy attended the grand opening of the Rochester Cannes with Sebastian and then mentions a list of celebrities and business icons who were at the party.
I can barely swallow. My throat has closed over and it’s like a deadly virus has struck me. My head hurts and I feel weak, so I sink into a chair with the article laid out in front of me.
Sebastian looks heart-stoppingly handsome in his tux, which reminds me of our night at the ball when we danced. I imagine him whirling Elizabeth Archer around the dance floor and my eyes fill with tears.
He didn’t mention he was dating anyone, and he certainly didn’t mention his trip to Cannes was also a romantic one.
Why would he, you idiot? He doesn’t have to explain himself to you.
Thoughts are cascading through my mind, and my impulse is to run upstairs, pack my bags, and jump on a flight to Paris.
‘Nathalie. Can we swim soon?’ Daisy asks, wandering into the room. Her voice is squeaky, and I can tell she’s excited. The sun is already high in the sky. It’s a glorious day, and I promised we’d spend the afternoon in the pool.
‘Yes, of course. Pop upstairs and put your costume on,’ I say. ‘I’ll be up in a minute.’ My voice doesn’t sound like mine, and my throat is choked with emotion.
She wanders over and says, ‘You sound funny.’ As she approaches, I quickly wipe my eyes, so she won’t notice I’m crying. But she’s a sharp kid and doesn’t miss a thing. ‘Nathalie, why are you crying?’ she asks. Her small arms shoot up to my shoulders and she stretches to hug me. ‘Please don’t cry, Nathalie.’
I raise my face to hers and look at her. She is the sweetest child and the concern in her eyes touches me and makes me feel even more emotional. ‘I’m okay,’ I say. ‘I got some bad news from a friend, that’s all. But it’ll be fine.’
‘What bad news?’ she asks, ever curious.
‘It’s nothing. I don’t want you to worry.’
Her father’s photo catches her eye as she moves her head. ‘It’s Daddy! What do they say about my daddy?’ Her face creases as she tries to make sense of the words and reads some of them slowly. ‘What do they say, Nathalie? Please read it to me. Who is this pretty lady with him?’
‘It’s the business paper. They’re talking about the hotel opening in Cannes, sweetie.’
She keeps asking what they say, and I struggle to reply as the tears block my throat.
‘That the hotel opening was a success and your daddy’s a brilliant CEO of Rochester Hotels,’ I say.
‘Are you crying because my daddy is with that lady, and we didn’t get to go on holiday with him?’
I shake my head and fold the newspaper over so I can’t see their smiling faces anymore. ‘No, of course not.’
Clapping my hands, I stand up and touch her small shoulders. ‘Everything is fine. Let’s go swim, shall we?’
‘Yay!’ Her glum expression transforms into a sunny smile, and we go upstairs and change into our swimwear.
The afternoon passes in a haze, with images of Sebastian and his date swirling around my mind, as Daisy and I play catch in the water, and lounge about on the pool inflatables. I do my best to act normally for Daisy, but I’m counting the hours until I can be alone. All I want to do is cry, but I hold myself together and go through the motions of the day in a robotic fashion.
At dinner time, my phone rings and I see it’s Sebastian. He rarely calls me, but as he’s in France, I guess he wants to speak to Daisy.
‘It’s Daddy,’ I call out to her. ‘Come and answer the phone.’ I don’t want to speak to him and he’s calling for Daisy, anyway.
I accept the call and hand my phone to her. ‘Daddy,’ she squeals and tells him all about our pool games and what a fun afternoon we’ve had.
I can hear his deep voice echoing through the phone. They chat for a few minutes, and she tells him we saw his photo in the newspaper with a pretty lady. After a while she loses interest and they say goodnight and she wiggles the phone at me. I jump like I’ve been bitten. The last thing I want to do is speak to him now.
He knows I’ve seen the photo in the paper. How embarrassing.
