Chapter Twenty
Madelyn watched Trey get into a truck and drive off. Thinking it might be the last time she ever saw him made her feel nauseous, and the pain was unbearable.
She turned back to her suitcases, packed the rest of her things, and set the bags by the door.
She’d already written the men letters telling them how much she enjoyed being with them. She also told them she knew it was time to leave, and she wasn’t going to make it harder and wait for them to ask her to go. She loved them too much for that.
One more time, she glanced around before picking up her cases and taking them downstairs. Daisy was not there, so she wrote a little note for her before heading to say goodbye to Pearl.
Pearl tried talking her into staying and talking with the men because she knew they both loved her and wanted her to stay.
They had talked about her moving in with them, but that’s it. There were no words of emotion or a future commitment, and she didn’t want to wait another week or month for it, and then it never happened. If she left now, she figured it would be easier.
After hugging the older woman and promising to keep in touch, Madelyn reached her car and drove out of the driveway before her hands started shaking. She knew she needed to cry, but she wanted to be several miles from the lodge to find a place for the night.
Madelyn tried to think of anything besides her heart breaking. Anything to keep from crying. She didn’t know if she’d ever tell her children about how her vacation ended or what had happened. Some things had to stay private.
An hour later, she pulled into a motel that looked decent and parked. She got out of her car and looked around. There was a restaurant attached to the motel, but she wasn’t hungry. Hell, the way she was feeling, she’d never be hungry again.
An older man met her at the tall counter inside the motel office.
“How can I help ya, ma’am?”
“I’d like a room for the night, please.”
“Sure. I’ll give you the best one we have since the place is almost empty right now. It’s not much to look at, but it’s clean. My Margaret makes sure of that.”
“That would be fine,” she said and signed the paper he’d put in front of her. After giving him her credit card and signing the receipt, he handed her the key.
“If you need anything, dial one.”
“Thank you, that’s very nice of you,” Madelyn said.
At her car, she grabbed her small bag and unlocked the door to the room. She looked around and agreed that the place was clean but outdated. It would work for the night.
Madelyn locked the door and pulled the things she’d need for a shower from her bag. In the bathroom, she turned on the shower and undressed.
Once she got under the spray, a sound tore from her throat, and then she started sobbing. She sank to the floor and cried until she could take a breath without pain. The water started to cool, so she hurriedly washed her body. Her hair got wet, but it would dry. She didn’t have the energy to blow-dry it.
She quickly dried her body and wrapped another towel around her head. She pulled on a nightgown and walked back into the room after grabbing the roll of toilet paper. Since there were no tissues, it would have to do.
There was nothing else she needed. Before she slid into bed, she turned the ceiling light off and turned on the one by the bed. That’s when she let herself go. The sobs started again, but this time, they didn’t want to stop.
She had always scoffed at the idea of a broken heart affecting someone’s health, but she was now finding out it was very real. She felt twenty years older than she was, and her body ached.
After a while, she closed her eyes to rest. If she slept, maybe she wouldn’t feel the pain. She truly hoped so.