This trip away was either going to make us or break us, I thought as I placed the last of the clothes into the suitcase and zipped it shut.
James and I had been together for almost 8 years but lately we'd done nothing but argue. It wasn't fair on anyone, especially the kids, Joe, who was 5, and Libby, 3. We'd booked a nice little holiday home down on the south coast for a week, hoping the break would help us to sort things out.
"Lauren, come on, we need to get going otherwise we'll never get there" James shouted up the stairs. I sighed, dragging the heavy case down the stairs and out to the car. We hadn't even left yet and the arguing had started. I left him to put the case in the boot while I locked the house up and jumped into the front seat of the car. "Okay, everybody ready?" I asked as I looked round at the kids fastened into their seats. "Yay, let's go on holiday" Joe shouted in excitement.
I decided to put my iPod on. The kids were happy singing along and it meant I didn't have to try and engage James in much conversation. The drive only took a couple of hours and by the time we arrived both kids had fallen asleep. We quickly carried them into the house and put them to bed, grabbed the luggage and sank into the sofa. "Lauren, there's something I need to tell you" James began. I looked at him questioningly. I knew we needed to talk, but so soon? We'd only just arrived. "I'm leaving" he stated.
