Love Always Wins

43

Sitting on the grassy bank of the lake, Chloe rubbed her tired, tearful eyes and then wiped her nose on the sleeve of her long grey cardigan. Feeling the chill of the breeze as it came off of the water, she pulled it snugly around her body; her pale blue, thin cotton pyjama bottoms and white vest top offered her no warmth, getting dressed this morning had been far from her thoughts. She looked out over the lake, the water was still and almost like a mirror, except for the breeze causing the tiny ripples that mattified the surface and slightly blurred the reflection of the mountains on the opposite side. Her breaths were shallow and shaky, catching in her throat as she tried to calm herself; in the end she'd been unable to contain her grief and the sheer scale of her emotions, heightened by pregnancy hormones, meant that she'd just fled from the house. She simply couldn't have stayed there, not when she desperately wanted to be in Southampton. All she could think of was her poor nan dying alone, without her family by her bedside and only a nurse dressed in full scale protective equipment to hold her hand during her last moments. She hated that her nan had died like that and that no one had been able to say goodbye. She also hated how the last time she'd seen Catherine was at New Year and that she'd been angry with her because she'd agreed with her mum and dad about going home and leaving her with Seb. Her guilt, even though she'd spoken to her nan on the phone many times since, only added to her profound sadness. She knew it was highly unlikely that she'd be able to go Catherine's funeral and knowing that only her mum, dad, brother and his wife, Michelle, would be attending without her made her feel even worse. Stuck thousands of miles away in another country, Chloe felt angry, isolated and terrible that she wasn't there to grieve with her family when they needed her the most. While she knew that none of this was Seb's fault.......Seb! His kids! She'd left them on their own!
"Oh no!" Her posture stiffened and she looked around her as she realised what she'd done. She'd left his kids alone, she'd left the house without giving them a second thought while he was busy in his gym. He'd trusted her to take care of them and she'd got so caught up in her own thoughts and feelings that she'd literally abandoned them. She started to panic and frantically patted the pockets of her cardigan and pyjama bottoms for her phone, only to discover it wasn't there. She had no watch on and no idea what the time was or how long she'd been here.

"Chloe!!" Seb's voice sounded from a distance behind her as he ran towards her.

She froze; he'll be mad at me! I left his kids on their own when he'd trusted me to at least keep an eye on them. I hope they're ok. What if he's had to get Hannah to come and pick them up? What if she's mad too? She might not let Mia and Leonie come over again and then Seb will see less of them and it'll be all my fault! How the fuck am I going to look after a newborn baby if I can't even manage to keep an eye on two kids while their dad is working out?

"Liebe!" He panted as he arrived at her side and dropped down to his knees beside her. "Thank god!" He threw his arms around her, pressing his forehead to the side of her head and breathing heavily into her ear.

"The girls Seb!" She cried, struggling against his hold, desperate to know they were ok.

"They're fine, they're absolutely fine. Heikki is with them, don't worry." He said reassuringly between breaths.

The huge breath of relief she let out quickly gave way to another surge of tears as her guilt overcame her. Was he not mad with her? He didn't seem as though he was, it still didn't make her feel any better though.

"It's ok, it's alright." He cooed softly and moved to sit down properly. He pulled her onto his lap, holding her tightly while she continued to cry with her face pressed against his neck and his navy T-shirt balled up in her fists. He could feel her tears wetting his skin, how cold she felt beneath his hands and he wanted to get her back to the house as soon as he could but right now she was in no fit state to move.