The Perfect Gentleman ✔

46: Let him go

Sara didn't know how long she sat there crying but her nose were blocked and her eyes were swollen by the time a soft body pulled her into a hug. Accepting the embrace when she saw it was Hailey, she sank into it, crying harder.

"I love him so much. Tell me why does he insist on doing this to me?" She wailed, feeling like her heart was breaking again and she realized with a pang she had fallen in love with him, again.

"There, there. Let it all out. Then after, you and I are going to have a long talk about this issue between you two," Hailey said, stroking her quivering body.

When she calmed down, Hailey led her to the study located towards the far right of the living room, saying that what she wanted to talk to her about needed no interruptions.

They sat down on the brown leather sofa inside the study that overlooked the bookshelf. Then, Hailey walked to the cabinet beside the shelf to pull out a bottle of Johnny Walker and two glasses before coming back to sit on the sofa. Sara accepted the drink she offered and swallowed it in one gulp while grimacing at the burning taste.

Hailey took a sip of her drink and studied the younger woman judiciously. "I really wish you'd stop feeling this way because of my son."

Sara looked at her quizzically. "I don't understand."

She sighed. "I'll admit quite ruefully that I'm not exactly proud of my son's ways. But as his mother, I've learnt to tolerate it, live with it even and it has not been easy. That however doesn't mean I know what it's like being married to him.

"Over the years, I've learnt to love him, compromise even just because I'm his mother and it's my duty. So I've put in more effort to love him. Love they say is sacrifice, Sara," she finished blandly, taking another sip.

She eyed the older woman, trying to grasp the hidden meaning behind her words. "Are you saying I didn't put effort in loving him?" She shook her head in disagreement. "No, you're wrong. He's the one who didn't put effort in staying faithful in our marriage." Sara was infuriated by this woman's claims.

Hailey nodded, dropping her glass on the side table. "Let me tell you a story, my dear. My love story. You see, I was horribly naïve when I met Eric, my husband. He was handsome, rich and smart, the total package. Let's just say I was hopelessly in love when I became his girlfriend, when I married him and most especially when we had our children. I was the happiest woman on earth. Never once did I think of our future, or the fact that he was from another country, another continent and one day was going to go back there.

"So, imagine my surprise when he came home one day and said he suddenly had to go back to Nigeria and I had to leave with him too. I was enraged by this so we argued and fought like crazy over his decision. I threatened to get a divorce and leave with my children and he swore he would not let me have my way. It was horrible. My family said they wouldn't interfere, that it was my cross to bear for being so blind.

"A week to our departure, I ran to the judge who had gotten us married and asked for our divorce papers to be processed. He called me to come receive it the eve of our departure and he wouldn't stop asking that I think it over. I didn't listen to him. I returned home late to find Eric had gone to the ticket office to process our plane tickets and travel passes. I walked into our bedroom to pack my bag and leave, only to find my three year old son and his one year old sister asleep on our bed. He woke up as I entered to tell me Amanda had been crying nonstop and he brought her to our room so she could be closer to mom." Hailey paused in her tale to sniffle, casting a shadow of a smile at Sara who was listening to her keenly.

She continued when she had controlled her emotions. "I wasn't even angry the nanny had left the children all by themselves. All I could do was climb into bed with my children and cuddle with them. That night I realized I couldn't leave them. I couldn't break them up with their father. He was the exact reason I had them, it was the love I felt for him that made me agree to have them and they didn't deserve to be punished because we couldn't reconcile our differences. The next morning, Eric returned with his brother and a friend, obviously prepared to drag me off to the airport if I put up any resistance. I can tell you he was surprised to find his family ready and all dressed up to go."