Scarlett isn't sure her life could fall any further apart. On the morning her husband, Captain James Tamworth admits to cheating on her, she's diagnosed with cancer.
In the midst of caring for their two small children, battling through her health t...
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I'm determined to spend the morning out of bed. I get up slowly and attempt to wash myself, exhausted by the time I sit on the couch in front of the telly. Elsie is at play school and Lucas is currently on a walk with mum and her keep-fit friends.
James is working a twelve-hour shift to make up for all of the early finishes, and I'm grateful for it. I know he means well, but he's smothering me and we still need to have a conversation about his cheating.
There's some sounds coming from the hallway until Amber appears, letting me know she let herself in because I stupidly didn't lock the door. "Hey, gorge. I brought you some of those brownies you like from the posh deli in town."
My smile is so big it hurts. "Hey, honey, thank you so much."
She puts the box beside me and leans in to give me a quick cuddle. "You're so welcome. I know you probably need to be eating more nutritious things right now, but you also need some joy."
"Oh, don't, you sound like James. All he keeps trying to feed me is vegetables, meat and pasta. The smell honestly turns my stomach," I reply.
Her face turns sour at his name. "Oh, so he's still living here?"
One thing to note about my best friend is she will sadly let a lot of people walk all over her and not mutter a word, yet if someone hurts anyone she loves, then she's out for their blood.
I nod. "I need the help, but he's sleeping in the guest room."
She moves around to get comfortable. "And how do you feel about it all?"
My fingers press into my forehead in an attempt to rub away the tension. "I'm grateful for his concern, but I need him out. It's not like he's done something silly and we can push it aside, he slept with another woman."
Her nostrils flare out. "It's just so not like him. I'm completely shocked."
"Things haven't been the same for a few years. I thought having Lucas would bring us closer together, but in a way, it did the total opposite. During the pregnancy, he struggled with his anxieties and then once Lucas was born, he became way too overprotective," I say.
Amber chews on her nail. "I remember him getting angry when anyone held him."
Yeah, and more. Even our parents had to wait until he felt he could trust them.
"I love him and I'm worried my feelings are going to stop me from making rational decisions. I keep wondering if I could move past it, but then I get these awful images of him thrusting into someone and it makes me hate him."
"Oh, god, babe, too much information," she gags.
"I'm sorry, but that is where my brain is at right now," I say.
She nods. "I get it. I once had a dream Grant cheated on me and I honestly couldn't look at him for days."
That makes me chuckle, and she does too until a soft expression comes over her. "I wish this was a dream. Do you think it's me? Did I do something to make him stray?" I say.
