Learning to Forgive (8 page)

“Then
she got pregnant with Trent.”

“Bingo.
I was young and foolish and not ready for everything she had to throw at me. I
married young, and I paid the price. She was going to abort Trent, like I told
you. I threatened to smear her name if she got rid of my child.”

Molly
gripped his hand tighter then handed him the photograph.

“I
threatened to take away all my money and make sure she was left without a penny
in the dirt. The whole of Trent’s pregnancy was a nightmare. She screamed and
threatened to kill him. It was the worst time of my life. When she gave birth
and then died, I was so happy. Do you have any idea what it is like to be happy
about something like that?” he asked, turning to her. David felt the tears
running down his face.

“I
held my little boy and was told she’d passed. I felt relieved.”

“Why?”
she asked.

“Because
I wouldn’t have to tell Trent how much his mother despised
him.
Can you imagine Blaze, Chris, and Trent learning the truth about their mother?”

“
Don’t
Chris or Blaze know?”

David
shook his head. “I can give her something. She never liked anyone knowing how
spiteful she could be. When those boys were around she treated them as if they
were her whole world. Even I was fooled by her performance.”

He
began pulling out other little items and sheets of paper that Isabella had
left. Each memory he pulled out of the box was tainted with her horrid words.

“I’m
so sorry, David. It sounds awful,” Molly said.

He
began to laugh. Molly, his wife, was sorry about the horrible life he’d lived
with Isabella. “You’re sorry for me?” he asked.

She
nodded her head.

“Baby,
you should be screaming at me. You were nothing like Isabella, and yet I
treated you far worse than you ever treated me. The only thing you’ve ever done
to hurt me was hand me the papers for a divorce. That moment was a wake-up call
to me.”

He
put each picture back into the box. “I’m going to burn this,” he said.

“You
can’t.” Molly stopped him from lifting the box.
“Your heart.
The doctor said you need to rest. Don’t do anything stressful.”

“Will
you burn this for me while I watch?” he asked.

She
nodded her head.
“If you really want me to.”

David
stared at the box and nodded his head. “I think it is time to let the past go.
I’m tired of going over it and coming up with nothing. I no longer want to be
held down by it.”

Chapter Eight

Twenty years ago

David
stood in the middle of the hotel room sipping a glass of champagne while
talking with his friends. Malcolm was standing with him, along with Archer and
Elliott. Several more of his friends were dotted around the room. They were
celebrating the end of the year. Molly had insisted that he go with his friends
that year. She didn’t need him at home, and she’d be fine with the children. He
kept checking the phone in the room, just in case. If the music got any louder
then he wouldn’t be able to hear the phone ringing. They’d been married five
years, and she’d given birth to two sons.

They
were wonderful children, and his other boys were shining under her care. He
sipped the bubbly champagne as he walked over to the window overlooking the
Vegas sky line.

“She’ll
be okay,” Malcolm said, standing next to him.

“What?”

“Molly.
She’ll be okay.”

“I
know.”

“Then
why are you worried about her?” Malcolm asked.

David
looked around the room at his friends. He knew each of them had an opinion on
his wife. None of them besides Malcolm knew the truth.

“I
know. She’s probably enjoying the freedom of being a single woman,” he said
with a laugh. He couldn’t stop thinking about Isabella. Whenever he left for
time with his friends or a business trip, he’d learned she was always up to
something with another man. Would Molly be the same?

“She’s
not Isabella, David. Last time I checked with my wife, they were sitting 'round
the television watching a movie. Molly had made some hot chocolate for the kids
while
Tilly
was sharing a glass of bubbly with your
wife.”

“You’ve
talked to your wife?” David asked.

“Yes,
I want some time away, but I miss her.
Tilly
is my
whole world. When I retire and hang up my medical badge I’m going to spend
every waking moment driving that woman crazy. What about you?”

David
shrugged his shoulders.

“If
you don’t start appreciating Molly then you’re going to end up a very lonely
old man. Not many young women would have taken on your boys.
Even
with your riches behind you.”

“Molly
is not like that.”

“I
know, and you should defend her like I do when these people call her a
gold-digger.” Malcolm slapped him on the back.

The
rest of the night was spent in the casino. David won some money and then lost
some. He moved toward the front desk where he was staying above the casino to
see if they’d been any calls for him. When there hadn’t been, he asked for the
phone. He dialled the house and waited for someone to answer.

Molly
did on the sixth ring. “Hello.” Her voice came across the phone sounding
muffled with sleep.

“Molly,
hi, it's me.” He slapped his forehead at how weak he sounded.

“David, hi.
How
is
Vegas?” she asked.

“A lot of noise and money being lost.”

“And
a lot being won I imagine,” she said. He heard her chuckle over the line.

“What
are you doing?” he asked. The moment he heard her voice he didn’t want to stop
listening to her.

“I’m
in bed. I was sleeping, but someone woke me up.”

“Sorry,
I thought you’d call or something. I was worried.”

“I
didn’t think your friends would appreciate me calling every few hours, David.
They don’t like me at the best of times.”

He
didn’t say anything. His friends, beside Malcolm, hadn’t been the most
welcoming. David was struck by the shame of his friends. They’d made Molly’s
life hard when all she had done was love him. He knew she did.

“How
was your day?” he asked.

Some
of the female guests passed behind him while he was on the phone. The sound of
their giggling annoyed him. “Look, I’m going to cut off for a moment, and then
I’m going to my room. Please, don’t fall back to sleep.”

“I
don’t mind, David, if you want to get back to enjoying your time.”

“No,
I want to talk to you.”

“Okay.
I’ll wait.”

David
handed the woman behind the desk the phone then charged toward the elevator.
His friends stopped him as he hit the button.

“Where
are you going?” Elliot asked.

“I’m
going to make a call.”

“To the wife?
I don’t
think so. We’ve got a surprise for you.” They picked him up and carried him
into a secluded part of the bar. “You didn’t get your bachelor party, and I’m
sure Molly will forgive you.”

“Guys,
please, this is not necessary.”

“This
is a right for every man to have. You’re going to have some fun with a
stripper, and you’re not going anywhere.”

They
pushed him into a chair,
then
tied rope around his
waist stopping him from moving. David looked at the clock.

“Come
on, guys. Be serious. I want to go to my room.”

“Molly
can wait.”

He
was about to protest more as a blonde woman came walking over the room. She
perched on his lap. David noticed she was attractive, but all he could think
about was getting back to his room.

“For fuck's sake!
Get off
me.” He shouted the words for the whole bar to hear. His friends were staring
at him as if he’d grown three heads. The blonde stopped gyrating on his lap.
Malcolm walked in when David was about to start yelling. “Untie me, Malcolm.
Molly is waiting for my call.”

His
friend came and untied the rope for him. The blonde moved away when she
realised he wasn’t interested.

“David,
your wife can wait. She’s at home with the kids. You know what they say, ‘what
happens in Vegas—’”

”I
don’t give a shit. You may not like Molly, but she’s my wife and will remain my
wife for the rest of our lives. If you can’t accept that then I suggest you
terminate our friendship now.” David ran his fingers through his hair. He
needed to clear his head. It was too much for him at the moment. Molly was
waiting for him. How much time had passed already?

“Are
you seriously going to put that woman before us?” Elliot asked.

“She’s
my wife, Elliot. I’d put her before everything. If you don’t want this, then
fine. I’m going to my room.”

He
passed Malcolm, who patted him on the back. “It’s about time.”

When
he made it to his room, an hour had already passed. He cursed and kicked his
room door as he shut it. David didn’t bother with a shower. He went straight
for the phone and dialled her number.

She
picked up on the second ring. “Hello,” she said. Her voice didn’t sound as
welcoming as the last time.

“Molly,
honey, I’m sorry. The guys stopped me from coming to the room, and then there
was a stripper.”

“Look,
it's
fine. Enjoy your stripper and time, David. I’ve
got stuff to do.” She put the phone down before he had chance to explain. He
looked at the phone in his hand then slammed it down into place.

Another
moment had been lost.

Chapter Nine

Molly
carried the box out to the barbecue pit. Coals, fuel, and matches were next to
the pit. She started pouring in the coals followed by the fuel then threw a
couple of matches amongst the coals until it set alight. After a few minutes it
was burning away. David sat in a chair watching her.

“Are
you sure you want this burning?” she asked.

He
nodded his head. “I’m not going to regret this.”

She
picked up each photo and threw them on the fire watching the images burn. These
had been part of his life for so long that they now felt part of her life.

“The
biggest mistake I ever made was telling you I’d only care about you,” David
said.

Molly
turned to face him. “What?”

“I
told you I could never love you. That was the biggest mistake of my life.”

She
turned her back on him adding more pictures to the glowing fire. No matter what
happened, she’d given him everything.

“Isabella
was a very lucky woman,” she said.

“Do
you remember that night when I went to Vegas with the guys?” Molly nodded her
head. She’d never forget that night. He’d called and filled her with hope only
to squash it an hour later. Without saying a word she added more pictures to
the glowing embers.

“Well,
I told the guys that you were my life. I can’t remember everything I said. Too
many glasses of bubbly, but I told them they either had to accept you or get
out of my life.”

She
knew what his friends had been saying about her behind her back. They thought
she’d been after his money. If only her love for David Sinclair had been as
simple as money. “I’m sorry you had to put your friendship on the line for me.”

“I’d
put everything on the line for you.”

How
she wished she could believe those words. It would be so easy to turn round,
hug him close, and forget the last twenty-five years. However, she couldn’t do
it.

Instead,
she remained silent as she burned every piece of visible memory that David had.

She
took a seat waiting for the fire to die down. “I never married you for your
money,” she said after some time had passed.

“I
know.”

“Sometimes
I think it would have been easier if you were in love with Isabella.” She
stared up at the bright blue sky hoping for some answers to her own problems.

“Why?”
he asked.

“Because
I wouldn’t have to deal with the fact you never loved her. At least you loved
someone.”

He
cupped her cheek forcing her to look at him. She fought his hold for several
moments. “I don’t want to look at you,” she said.

“Please,
Molly.”

The
earnest way he spoke made her give in. She turned to look at him and wished she
hadn’t. Tears were streaming from his eyes. David had barely cried in all of
the years she’d known him.