The Fall - Tom Daley Going for Gold sequel (Fanfic)

The Calm Before the Storm

Tom's pov

It's time she knew. This had been going on for a while now and I don't have the heart to carry this one. I've never been a cheat, I've seen similar things happen to Sophie in the past, and I swore to kick the bastard's head in. Now I'm the bastard, but this is so much worse.

Four years ago I vowed to love Ellie through everything, but this is making me question everything, including my definition of love. Did I love Ellie? Or did I love that she was good for me and took care of me. Did I love the thought of her more than I loved her? Did I love her because our close relationship distracted me from who I really was? Because I'm not so sure I can keep this up.

My thoughts were distracted when Ellie came bounding into the bathroom, she stopped abruptly as she saw me, evidently it wasn't just me who felt the intrusion. She smiled weakly and spun on her heel, leaving the room and shutting the door gently behind her. 

It had been like this for weeks, since our son Rob's third Birthday, to which I attended late after training took longer than expected. Ellie had planned this extravagant party for him, with the biggest and best bouncy castles money can buy rented for the occasion. As well as master chefs for the caterers, slightly over the top for a toddler's Birthday party in my opinion, but I know Ellie just wants the best for him. 

The Birth was traumatic for Ellie, Rob was delivered prematurely through emergency c-section after a miscarriage scare. Ellie was awake for the whole thing, and as Rob was 'born', Ellie held her arms out, expecting to be greeted by her new baby boy. Instead Rob was rushed to the special care baby unit. The first time me and Ellie were allowed to see him was a few days later, he had tubes coming out of every inch of his tiny body, he looked so frail. It was heartbreaking to know you can't hold your son, the only contact we had with him for the first few weeks of his life was to stroke his delicate hand through a hole in the incubator type contraption he was in. He was a fighter, just like Dad was, it was at that moment I knew Rob would be his name.

Ellie then spiraled into postnatal depression, even when Rob was eventually allowed home. She was constantly by his side, especially when he was asleep. I wondered if she got any sleep the first 6 months of his life. After my Dad being such a huge part of my early life, I'd always wanted to be a Dad who was heavily involved, but shortly after his death, I began my training for the next olympics, meaning days on end in training, and that wasn't the worst of it. The hard times came when it was time for the training camps, most of which were in various exotic countries, meaning Rob wouldn't be able to travel, so Ellie had to stay at home with him. 

"Tom, you've been in the shower for over an hour, you've used all the hot water up," Ellie snapped, knocking me from my thoughts once again.

A shiver ran through me as my body was finally forced to react to the icy cold waterfall of water which was cascading down from the showerhead onto my muscular physique. I quickly turned the water off and strolled out of the shower onto the comfort of the fluffy shower mat below. My hand reached forwards towards the mirror, placed above the porcelain sink, and wiped away what was left of the condensation caused by the shower when it was hot. I gazed at my reflection, dark circles under my eyes from late nights looking after Rob, or that's what I blamed them on to anyone who asked. They wouldn't understand if I told them the truth. My forehead showing the slightest sign of aging too with the slightest wrinkles, which seemed to be intensified the longer I looked at them. My life seems to be going too quickly, especially when I feel there is so much more I want to do, in my career especially. It's funny, because in the press I'm called 'lucky' on a daily basis, because I'm surrounded by family and friends, especially Rob and Ellie. But I've never felt so alone. The only time I feel happy, young and alive is - is when I'm with him.