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Amelia knew he hated the thought of being outside in the cold temperatures for any longer than absolutely necessary. But she didn’t care. She wanted to make the most of the salty air while she could. Outside, the sky was low and grey, and the diminishing view of Arran made her want to weep as she watched it slowly move further away from her. Her heart contracted. Surely she shouldn’t feel so bereft about this decision, should she? Leaving to return with Declan was her choice. In a bid to distract herself she sent a quick text to Suna.
Guess who’s on the way to the airport to catch a flight to London?
She put her phone back into her bag when she spotted Declan walking towards her with two coffees.
‘I’ll be glad to get a decent cup of coffee when we’re back in London,’ he said, shivering and looking at the sky in disgust. ‘Looks like there’s going to be a downpour any minute.’
‘There was nothing wrong with the coffee at the café. In fact it was one of the best cups I’ve tasted.’ His comments had once again irritated her.
‘At least you’ll be able to appreciate some decent shops again,’ he said, clearly trying to lighten the mood. ‘Did you miss them? I know how much you love shopping.’
She shook her head. ‘I haven’t missed them a bit.’ Amelia stared at the choppy, dark waters, which unsettled her stomach. When the raindrops started to fall, she conceded defeat and went inside. Once again she followed behind Declan, dragging her heels, and they found a seat in the café. They made the rest of the journey in an awkward silence, and when they got into the taxi at the ferry terminal, she pretended to be asleep. But instead of a restful slumber, her mind whirred with a mix of complicated thoughts. All she’d ever wanted was to settle down with Declan and start a family, and she’d never questioned that life may have different plans in store for her.
She bit her lip as she remembered walking down the aisle towards the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. When she’d told him later that night that she couldn’t wait to start a family with him, he hadn’t been quite as overjoyed as she’d thought, given that she thought they were on the same page about having a baby. The amazing scenario she’d envisaged in her head, where he would gather her in his arms lovingly, hadn’t quite transpired. His face had paled and he’d gone quiet, eventually coming round after a while and smiling and kissing her tenderly on the lips. But when her mind dwelled on that scene, she realised that it had been a precursor of what was to come. Perhaps if she was really being honest, then the news that he was leaving her shouldn’t have come as such a big surprise . . .
Why oh why did she now feel as if she was making a huge mistake? Why had she let herself be talked into this?Because, Amelia, she told herself,you have been over this, and if you didn’t come back with Declan you would always have wonderedwhat if? She reached over to clasp his hand, reminding herself that she needed to try a bit harder. He had come to her and begged forgiveness and repeatedly apologised. If they were going to get through this, they needed to move forward and that meant she had to forgive and forget.
At the airport she went to buy a magazine for the journey while Declan hung around the departure lounge. She’d always been an anxious flyer and so wanted to distract herself with some of the glossy mags. Just as she put her purse away, she frowned when she saw her phone flashing. It had been on silent and when she pulled it from her bag, she realised there were several missed calls and text notifications from Suna. She opened the messages.
Call me now. Urgent!!!
Please call now xx
Amelia I really need to spk with u x
She dialled her number and it rang once before Suna answered.
‘Suna!’
‘Oh, thank God, Amelia. Where are you?’
‘At Glasgow Airport . . .’
‘What?’ she screeched. ‘What in God’s name are you doing there?’
‘I’m . . . I’m coming back. That’s what I said in my text.’
‘But why?’
‘What do you mean?’ she said, confused. ‘Do you mean you don’t know? I thought you told him where to find me?’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Declan turned up on Arran yesterday. I have no idea how he knew where I was. I assumed you told him.’
‘No.’ She sounded shocked. ‘I wouldn’t have told him. No way. Absolutely not.’
Amelia detected a trace of venom in her voice, which was unlike her.
‘Please tell me you are not abandoning your idyllic island life to return with that shitbag.’
‘Suna, what’s wrong? This isn’t like you. I thought you liked Declan?’
‘I did until he left you, and then . . .’
Amelia’s heart had started racing. ‘And then what . . . Suna, what is it?’
‘Look, I have been trying to work out what to do about this. This is why I’ve been avoiding your calls and texts these past few weeks. I’m so sorry. I was just glad that you sounded like you were happy and settled. It sounded like the perfect place to go to try to heal your broken heart . . .’
