Chapter 30
Hayleigh
Twenty-four hours earlier…
My hands shake as I grip the steering wheel so tight my knuckles threaten to pop. My skin prickles, and my stomach turns a million times a minute as I stare up at my parents' home.
The last time I were here, my mother made it very clear that I wasn’t to come back, I wasn’t welcome after all, and if it weren’t for Thea, I wouldn’t be here.
I close my eyes and think of her defeated look before she left my home.
She doesn’t want this, but she has no idea that my parents are manipulating her.
I have to help her, and if, after I’ve told her everything she needs to know, she decides to stay, then that’s on her. At least I can say I’ve tried.
So with that, I grip the handle of my car, and I open the door. I need to take this one step at a time, and the first step is done. Now move your feet, Hayleigh, and walk to the front door. My steps are tentative, but that’s okay, this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon, and one I am going to win.
I reach the door, but I don’t knock. How did I not see this before? The paint is chipped in several places; there are mud splashes on the bottom, and as I slowly turn around, it’s as if a veil of rose-coloured glasses has been lifted, and I see this place for what it truly is.
Derelict.
The house, garden and driveway are unkempt, and as I look around, there’s more and more evidence of disrepair. My parents have been struggling for a long time, and all I can seem to feel for them is pity.
I whirl around and bang on the door. It takes a few moments for it to open to my mother's stony face. She looks down her nose at me, her voice is as venomous as always.
“Didn’t I tell you, you weren’t welcome here?”
I nod. “Yeah, but I’ve never done as I’m told.” I push past her and into the hallway. Looking around the ceiling, and sure enough, there are cobwebs and dust.
My mother saunters by me. “She’s not here.”
I bristle at that. “Then where is she?” I grit out.
My mother sits by the fireplace in the living room and picks up her glass of red wine, and although it’s daytime, her curtains are closed. It feels claustrophobic.
She examines the glass of wine before taking a gulp. “Buying her wedding dress, or more so Rupert, is. She’s due back soon, but don’t think she’s changed her mind.”
I study her face, but she doesn’t meet my gaze, and that’s when I notice—the lines of exhaustion or poor health. Morgana Wallcroft once had it all, but now she’s been left with nothing and no one because she used people up and spat them back out.
Myself included.
Her eyes flick to mine, as if she can hear my thoughts, and she nods towards the chair opposite her. “Don’t stand around, you’re making the place untidy.”
I slowly walk to the chair and sit; it’s worn over time, and so I sink into it a little. My mother still doesn’t meet my eyes. It’s probably why I find myself asking.
“Why do you hate me so much?”
She scoffs and rolls her eyes, which is very unlike Morgana. “I do not hate you, Hayleigh. You’re my daughter.”
I shrug. “And? What does that mean exactly?”
She waves her hand back and forth. “It means that I don’t hate you. I don’t particularly like you either, but I don’t hate you.”
Now I roll my eyes. “Jeez, thanks so much.”
Another gulp of wine slides down her throat, and she smacks her lips before saying.
“I never bonded with you, I don’t know why, because you were my first, but there was…
something about you.” I bite the inside of my cheek as she carries on.
“It was probably because my father preferred you so much. The apple of his eye, he’d call you.
I was never the apple of his eye.” Her eyes cut to mine, and that’s where she lets me see the raw pain in them.
My voice is small. “I was a child. I needed my mother.”
Morgana sniffles and places her wine glass on the side before putting her hands on her knees.
She stands. “Yes, well, unfortunately, that’s not an option because I despise everything about you and if you think I’m going to let you take Thea and this opportunity away from me, you have another thing coming.
” She walks towards the living room door before stopping and looking over her shoulder.
“You’re welcome to wait here until she comes back. I’m going for a nap.”
Sitting here with my thoughts whirling around in my head won’t do me any good; I refuse to let her get to me. I find myself getting up and heading back to my car, back to safety. From here, I can keep an eye out for Thea coming back home.
I take my phone out of my bag and dial Emmy’s number, and breathe a sigh of relief when she answers.
“Is it bad?” Emmy’s voice sounds through the speakers of my car.
I huff out a laugh. “You could say that. She’s fucking awful to me, Em. I half wish I had never come.”
“Sweetie, you’re not there for her, you’re there for Thea. Where is she?”
I pick at the lint on my sleeve. “She’s getting her wedding dress with her fiancé. Hopefully she’ll be back soon.”
Emmy doesn’t speak right away, but when she does, her voice is quiet. “Hayleigh, if she’s buying a wedding dress, that kind of seems like she wants to get married.”
I gulp, feeling nauseous at the thought of that being my line of thinking. “I know, but I have to try at least and let her know everything. If she decides she still wants to stay, at least I’ve tried.”
“You sound tired.”
I smile. “You’re such a mum…but I’m okay. I love you.”
She laughs. “I hope I’ll be a good mum, I love you too.”
“You’re perfect for the job. Speak to you tomorrow.” I end the call and look out at the dreary sky.
It’s getting darker now, and there’s still no sign of Thea.
**********
I wait inside my car for another three hours, and in that time I’ve spoken to Nate and Archie and downloaded a new game on my phone. I’m now the proud owner of a farm called Hayleigh’s Farm with two cows, one pig and six chickens.
And a very low battery.
Headlights sweep the driveway as Rupert pulls up outside my parents' door. He doesn’t get out of the car and rush to the other side to open it for Thea, as Nate does with me.
He doesn’t even turn to kiss her when she leans over, instead keeping his eyes forward and his hands on the wheel at ten and two.
What a fucking robot.
Thea climbs out of his car, pulls a dress bag from the back, slams the door, and watches him drive away. That’s when her eyes snag on my car; she drops the dress bag on the floor and runs towards me. I get out in time for her to collide into my arms, sobbing.
I brush my hand down her hair. “Shh, it’s okay, I’m here. I’m here.”
We stay like this for a few more moments before she pulls away. “What are you doing here?”
I look behind her towards the house and nod at my car. “Get in, and I’ll explain everything.”
She climbs into the passenger seat as I get in my side and turn in my seat to face her. She wrings her hands, so I lean over, placing my hands over hers.
“Thea, they lied to you. They’re broke, completely and utterly broke, and they’re using you to marry Rupert for his money. That’s all.”
She shakes her head. “If I don’t marry him, then you get nothing, Hayleigh.”
I smile at her. “They lied about that, too. I’ve seen a lawyer and had him help me with everything. They legally can’t take it off me.”
“So, that means that I don’t have to marry Rupert?”
I shake my head. “Not if you don’t want to.
” My mouth goes dry, and my stomach lurches, but I power through it.
“I can’t offer you a perfect life, I can’t even promise that we’ll like each other all of the time, but I can promise you that as your big sister, I love you more than anything, and if you want to come back home with me and start a new life, then you can.
The choice is yours, but whatever you do choose, I will always love you and support you. ”
Tears spring to her eyes, she nods, and then we’re hugging over the centre console, both sobbing into one another.
When she sits back up, she wipes her eyes, and I see the true Thea; her face is relaxed and no longer tense. She looks at the house. “We’ll have to tell them tomorrow, mother will be in bed by now.” She looks back at me. “Stay?”
I nod. “Of course, I’m not leaving here without you. I’ll follow you in. I need to make a call first.”
As Thea picks up her discarded wedding dress, I dial Nate’s number, desperate to hear his voice, to ground me and remind me that everything will be alright.
**********
We sneak into Thea’s room with snacks raided from our parents' fridge, a half-bottle of wine, and some lemonade to make it last. Then we sit on her bed and eat everything we have in sight while watching Practical Magic.
Thea sighs. “I can’t believe I have never seen this movie before. It’s amazing.”
I nod, smiling. “Oh my god, this was one of my all-time favourites growing up.” My smile fades. “I’m sorry, Thea, for not being there for you before.”
She smacks me on the arm, and I rub the spot as she points at me. “None of that. You were still young, and you didn’t deserve what our parents put you through.”
I roll my eyes playfully. “Okay, so tell me about today and how it was with Rupert.”
Thea sighs dramatically. “The man is honestly a complete wet blanket.”
I bark out a laugh as she carries on.
“I thought that this was my life now, so I had to make an effort with him. The dress I picked out, he side-eyed and said it was respectable. Respectable.”
I wince. “Ouch, he didn’t even tell you that you looked beautiful?”
She shakes her head. “He barely even looked at me.”
I whack her arm. “No self-pity parties remember.” I give her a pointed look. “He doesn’t know what he’s lost. Plus, he probably has a limp dick anyway.”
Thea blushes and squeaks out a laugh, and before I know it, I’m joining in until my cheeks hurt and eyes stream with happy tears.
Tomorrow I’ll take her away from all of this.
Tomorrow we’ll start a fresh life.