The End Where I Begin (Book Four of the Glen Power Series)

Chapter 25

It doesn't take long for Mark to gather up his stuff. I think he'd already started packing long before this, to be honest with you. Glen helps him bring his things to the car whilst I sit waiting for them, and then the drive back to the house is silent. You could cut the tension with a knife.

I glance at Mark in the rear-view mirror. He's blank. Completed void of emotion. His eyes stare out in front of him, seeing nothing as he relives the day's events in his head. He isn't the man that I know. The man that I call my best friend. That man looks like he's long gone.

And then I look at Glen. He is almost exactly the same. Clearly driving on autopilot as he tries to make sense of what's happening to his life. But there's on slight difference between the two of them. I can see the defeat in Glen's eyes. I can see that he's losing the will to fight for me. He could let Mark have me...

No.

When we get back to the house, it's quite dark. Glen helps Mark carry his stuff into the spare bedroom that he will be using whilst I stand and watch. Neither of them meet my eyes as this whole thing plays out. I don't blame them. I'm the cause of this. I have to hurt one of them in the end. No matter how hard I try not to.

As Mark closes the door behind him when they're finished, Glen tries to slink past me. But I'm having none of it. I grab his arm, halting him in his tracks. He doesn't meet my eyes as I look at him.

“We need to talk,” I say seriously.

He sighs, showing his resistance. But he nods. I lead him over to the settee, watching him carefully as he sits down next to me. He isn't going to start this conversation. I don't blame him to be honest. This is going to be painful. But I know that this needs to happen. And it needs to happen now.

“You're giving up on me, aren't you?” I ask.

He winces at the words. I've struck a nerve with that one. Clearly hit the nail on the head. But I won't jump to conclusions until he's actually confirmed it. And sure enough, his body slumps in defeat and he nods. I force every ounce of heartbreak out of me as I grab his hand.

“You can't. You can't give up on me. I have no reason to go on doing this without you here beside me.”

“You have Mark,” he croaks.

“I don't want Mark. I want you.”

“I can't compete with him,” he carries on, ignoring my last statement. “Every time I've come up against him, I've lost. You've always gone to him. How can I fight when I know it's a losing battle?”

“Because I married you.”

“He married Rina...”

“Glen, look at me.” He doesn't. “Look at me.”

His eyes slowly lift. The tears shine in his beautiful blue eyes, amplifying all the pain in them. As my hands reach out and hold his face, I can see his bottom lip quivering. Oh Glen...

“Now listen to me,” I say firmly, stroking his jaw with my thumbs. “I didn't marry you for any old reason. I didn't carry on with this pregnancy for the fun of it. Everything I do is for you. For us. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have a family with you. I want to wake up every day with your smiling face to greet me before we head into the living room and see our beautiful children playing with their toys. If I didn't want that, then why do you think I'm doing all this? I love you, Glen Power. And I'm so sorry that this is hurting you so much. But I choose you.”

His hands grip onto mine as he exhales shakily. The tears spill as the force of his sobs overtakes him. This is the first bit of emotion I've seen apart from anger in so long. He wants to tell me something. I can tell.