Chapter 52
The accusations Sarah had levied had haunted Lily all night to the point that sleep had completely eluded her. She’d tried to convince herself that what Shay’s ex-fiancée had said wasn’t true, but deep down she believed her.
Lily had, after all, been hoping for something more between herself and Shay, something that could only have happened if Sarah was out of the picture.
Yes, initially she had wanted to be his friend and help him through his heartbreak, but somewhere along the line her heart had gotten involved and she’d wanted more.
She’d conjured up the idea that she was content to even pretend there could be something, but inside she knew it was a lie.
Lily didn’t want to pretend anymore. She wanted Shay in her life.
It was a realisation that had struck her deep in the night and it was a bitter, painful pill to accept.
She and Shay would never be, and if she spoke to him again, the longer it would take for her to accept it.
The more difficult her pain would be. Or worse, she’d have to hear him say the words that would make her worries a reality.
And Lily knew she couldn’t bear it.
‘Morning,’ she said to Dee blearily once she’d finally managed to rouse herself from bed to get breakfast. She’d need the energy, today especially.
‘OK, what happened?’ her friend asked resignedly, as if everything Lily was feeling was written on her face.
Work had been so busy that, up to now, she’d successfully managed to avoid her friend’s curiosity about her various jaunts with Shay over the last while, to say nothing of how she was feeling.
But now she had no excuse.
‘It’s the Irish guy, isn’t it?’ Dee probed, then shook her head, despondent. ‘I knew it. Tell me everything.’
‘What does it matter?’ she replied, through building tears. ‘He’s leaving tomorrow and nothing I feel, nothing I can say, can change any of it.’
Her friend sighed. ‘Lily, please tell me what happened.’
‘Sarah’s here – in St Lucia.’ There was a long pause. ‘The fiancée. Who abandoned him at the airport?’ she added, and Dee nodded.
‘I see.’
‘Now she says she made a mistake and wants them to get back together,’ Lily divulged and then the horrible thought struck her that maybe Sarah would want to go through with the wedding too.
Which meant Lily would have to face not only watching the guy she’d fallen for marry someone else, but actually carry out all the arrangements for it too.
That was one outcome she hadn’t mentally catastrophised until now.
‘How do you know that?’ Dee asked.
‘I was there when she said it. She was waiting in his room last night when we got there—’
‘Actually, I already know this,’ her friend said calmly, much to Lily’s shock.
‘You do? How?’
‘I talked to Shay. Your phone kept ringing all morning and when I saw all the missed calls from him I figured something was up so I answered.’
‘What did he say?’ Lily questioned, slumping into a nearby chair.
‘I think you should talk to him yourself.’
‘What did he say, Dee? You’re always straight with me.’
Her friend faltered briefly but stuck to her response, much to Lily’s annoyance.
‘Just call him back.’
But no matter what anyone thought, Lily simply wasn’t prepared to hear what Shay had to tell her.
She wasn’t ready to hear him say goodbye.