by Lacey London
‘Tell them, Mollie.’ Max teased, standing behind his parents and grinning widely. ‘I’ve brought them here for you to tell them our big news face-to-face. I could have told them myself, but I didn’t want to ruin the big moment for you.’
He hadn’t told them. Wishing the ground would swallow her up, Mollie gulped as a wave of nausea washed over her.
‘Alright, I’ll tell them.’ Max said enthusiastically, walking around his parents and positioning himself next to Mollie. ‘We have invited you out for dinner this evening because we have a huge announcement to make.’
‘We already know that!’ Tiffany cried, stamping her Jimmy Choos. ‘So, what is it?’
‘Let’s just get to the restaurant and all will be revealed.’ Max replied, taking Mollie’s hand in his before she could protest. ‘Right, Mollie?’
Following his lead, Mollie silently seethed. So, this was how Max was going to get his revenge. He was going to make her sit through the most awkward meal imaginable before revealing to his parents the news that would rock their world. Mollie knew that she should put a stop to the charade. She knew how easy it would be to snatch her hand from his and blurt it out right there in the street, but for reasons known only to her, she didn’t. Half of her wanted to go along with it just to prove to Max that nothing he threw at her would stick. Mollie wanted to show him that he could test her with as many difficult situations as he could think of, but absolutely nothing would change her mind.
‘This is all very intriguing.’ Tiffany said eagerly, struggling to keep up with the pace as they approached a Thai restaurant up ahead. ‘I feel like I’m on a murder mystery night!’
‘Murder might not be far from the truth...’ Mollie mumbled, releasing Max’s hand as he led the way into the restaurant.
‘You’re going to have to tell them.’ Max whispered in Mollie’s ear. ‘This is your mess.’
‘I think you’ll find this pantomime is your mess.’ Not flinching, Mollie removed her hand from his. ‘But don’t worry, I’ll clean it up. Just like I do with everything else…’
‘We have a table booked.’ Max said to the smiling waitress. ‘The name’s McQueen.’
Tapping the book in front of her, the waitress nodded and motioned for them to follow her through the bustling restaurant. As they came to a stop at a secluded booth next to the bar, Mollie cautiously sat down in the seat next to Max.
‘Can I get you some drinks while you look over the menu?’ The waitress offered, passing around a selection of glossy menus.
‘Drinks.’ Mollie repeated. ‘Drinks would make this a whole lot easier. We will take a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, please.’
‘Make it Champagne.’ Max added, seemingly calling her bluff as his parents took their seats. ‘It’s kind of a special occasion.’
Waiting until the waitress disappeared to fetch the fizz, Max wrapped an arm around Mollie’s waist and laughed when she kicked him beneath the table.
‘I can’t take this any longer!’ Tiffany squealed, taking off her bolero and placing it next to her. ‘The suspense is killing me!’
Never one to show his emotions, Ralph simply smiled eagerly.
‘You’re certainly keeping us on our toes, kids.’ He said dryly. ‘I’ll give you that.’
Keeping her left hand hidden as she did during her lunch with Margot earlier, Mollie grinned back at them and tapped her foot impatiently. She almost felt bad for Ralph and Tiffany. Max had spitefully invited them there under false pretences. He had talked them into joining him for a dinner that Mollie didn’t even know existed. Little did they know the big news they were expecting wasn’t compiled of cupcakes and rainbows, but this wasn’t Mollie’s doing. It was Max’s. He could have told his parents privately. He didn’t need to cause such drama, but he had, and it was all the ammunition Mollie needed to shoot him with his own stupid idea.
Spotting the waitress returning with a bottle of bubbles, Mollie felt her heart pound in her chest. As confident as she was in her decision to walk away from her marriage, she was very aware that once she told Max’s parents, there really wasn’t any way back. She couldn’t inform her in-laws she was leaving their son and then take it back later, claiming it was a slip of the tongue or a moment of madness. Once words of that nature escape your lips, no one will ever forget you once said them.
Slowly counting to ten, Mollie waited until everyone had an ice-cold glass of fizz in front of them before clearing her throat.
‘Here we go, Ralph!’ Tiffany shrieked, grabbing her husband’s arm excitedly. ‘The big announcement!’
Licking her lips, Mollie tried to steady her racing heart as she fixed her focus on Max. The very moment she anticipated would be a walk in the park now seemed so extremely difficult. Her mouth was dry, her hands were clammy, and she had an unshakeable urge to use the bathroom.
‘You’re pregnant, aren’t you?’ Tiffany cried. ‘I knew it! What did I tell you, Ralph?’
‘Definitely not pregnant.’ Mollie replied, taking a gulp of her drink to prove her point.
‘Oh…’ Sounding awfully disappointed, Tiffany stuck out her bottom lip. ‘Are you getting a cat?’
‘Nope.’
‘Has Max finally turned over his first million?’ Ralph joked, resting his elbows on the table. ‘Have you brought us here to tell us you’re moving to Malibu on the back of his overnight success?’
‘I’m afraid not.’
‘Then what is it!’ Tiffany demanded. ‘Spill the beans!’
Deciding to take the bull by the horns, Mollie took a deep breath before speaking.
‘Max and I have invited you here tonight to tell you that we are separating.’ She said cautiously, being very aware that she sounded more like a mouse than the independent lion she hoped she would.
Ralph and Tiffany stared at Mollie vacantly, in the same way that Max and Margot did when she told them of her desire to split.
‘Just to be clear…’ Ralph said slowly, pulling his glass towards him. ‘We are talking about divorce here?’
‘No.’ Mollie answered, struggling to regain the use of her tongue. ‘We are not getting divorced. Right now, we are simply separating.’
‘And the difference is?’ Ralph asked.
Mollie wanted to tell him the difference was a divorce may result in her being eaten alive by a pack of cats and a separation did not, but instead, she looked over at Max for his help.
‘Don’t look at me.’ Max scoffed, holding his hands in the air. ‘This is all your doing. I’m just being dragged along for the ride.’
Shooting him a glare, Mollie placed her hands face down on the table.
‘I know this has come as a shock to you, but we are separating.’ She said quietly, not daring to look at a flabbergasted Tiffany. ‘We have decided to go our separate ways.’
‘You have decided.’ Max corrected, pointing his finger at Mollie accusingly. ‘Don’t make this my decision.’
‘Okay…’ Brushing back his white hair, Ralph exhaled loudly. ‘May I ask why?’
‘You might want to order another bottle.’ Max laughed and took a sip from his glass. ‘This could take a while.’
‘Why is this funny to you, Maximilian?’ Tiffany asked furiously, seemingly finding her voice. ‘Please enlighten me as to what could be remotely funny about this?’
‘Mum, she is leaving me because I don’t eat anything with a face.’ Max chuckled. ‘You have to admit, that’s pretty amusing.’
‘I don’t get it.’ Tiffany stammered, screwing up her new nose and frowning. ‘Is this one of those jokes of yours that I don’t understand, Max, because you know how much I hate those?’
‘There’s no joke, Tiff.’ Mollie placed her hand on Tiffany’s arm reassuringly and gave it a little squeeze. ‘Max and I are separating, but it’s going to be okay. We’re splitting amicably, aren’t we, Max?’
Before Max could respond, Mollie felt Tiffany tense beneath her touch.
‘Where’s my mother’s opal?’ S
he said stiffly, her voice higher than usual. ‘My mother’s engagement ring? Where is it?’
Mollie searched for a better alternative to admitting the last time she saw her mother’s opal it was drowning in a kale smoothie, but Max beat her to it.
‘Don’t worry, Mum. I’ve got Grandma’s ring. Mollie had the decency to return it to me. Didn’t you, Mollie?’
Managing a tiny nod, Mollie suddenly wished she had told Ralph and Tiffany outside Payne and Carter and had done with it. Normally, she was a fan of ripping off the plaster and tackling things head-on, but her desire to play Max at his own game outweighed her longing to get the big reveal over with.
‘Where has this come from?’ Tiffany asked. ‘You have such a lovely relationship. I just don’t understand.’
‘It’s certainly come as quite a shock.’ Ralph added. ‘There isn’t something you haven’t told us, is there?’
‘Oh, please tell me you haven’t had an affair, Mollie.’ Tiffany gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. ‘I’ve seen the way you look at my personal trainer, but I thought you had more sense than that. I really did!’
‘Of course I haven’t had a bloody affair!’ Mollie replied haughtily. ‘And if I was going to have an affair it certainly wouldn’t be with your gormless PT! Give me some credit, Tiff.’
Tiffany responded with a scowl and Mollie felt her heart sink. The hope that she could keep a close bond with her in-laws was fading by the second.
‘Look, I don’t want to fall out with anyone. That is not my intention at all.’ Mollie sighed. ‘I know this has come as a shock to you both.’
‘And me.’ Max added, much to Mollie’s annoyance.
‘It really doesn’t have to be a big deal. People separate and get divorced every day of the year. Some marriages work, and others do not.’ Mollie explained. ‘There’s been no affair. There’s no big secret that is waiting to come out. We just fell out of love. That’s all there is to it.’
‘Well, I think I speak for both of us when I say we are truly saddened to hear this.’ Adjusting the collar on his pink polo shirt, Ralph nudged Tiffany gently. ‘Isn’t that right, Tiff?’
‘I’m sorry, Ralph, but I’m not going to sugar-coat it.’ Tiffany replied angrily. ‘I’m devastated. I’m utterly devastated.’
‘Oh, come on.’ Ralph protested. ‘No one has died. There’s no need to overreact here.’
‘Overreact?’ Tiffany repeated. ‘This is a tragedy! Our son is thirty-two years old, he’s jobless, and he’s going to be divorced. Tell me, Ralph, exactly how am I supposed to react to this?’
‘Erm… I’m sitting right here, Mum.’ Sounding rather hurt, Max frowned and folded his arms. ‘Can you at least wait until you get home before you start ripping into me?’
‘I’m sorry, Max.’ Tiff said apologetically. ‘I just want the best for you… And you, Mollie. I want the best for both of you.’
Mollie hung her head as Max tried to convince his mother a separation wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen since pickled eggs.
‘Can I just point out that it’s not a divorce, it’s a separation.’ Mollie interrupted, hearing the word divorce being thrown around yet again.
‘A separation?’ Tiffany repeated carefully.
‘No one is getting divorced. We are simply taking a break.’ Recognising that this might be the best way to get them onside, Mollie licked her lips before continuing. ‘Maybe the separation won’t end in divorce. Maybe it will. Right now, we are simply taking some time apart while we work things out.’
‘See?’ Ralph said lightly, giving Tiffany a quick hug. ‘There’s no need to go over the top here. They just need a little space while they work on their marriage. We’ve all been there.’
Not wanting to admit that her mind was already made up, Mollie smiled in agreement. There was no point in making it any worse for Tiffany by hammering it home. She now knew they were separating and that was good enough for Mollie.
‘So, just how deep does this separation run?’ Ralph asked playfully, presenting Mollie with a menu. ‘Are we going to eat together, or do we have to ask the waiter to separate the tables?’
A light titter echoed around the booth as Mollie accepted the menu and flipped it open. Making the decision to separate isn’t a tragedy. Staying together and being unhappy is what would be really tragic, and given time, Mollie was confident that Tiffany would see that too…
Chapter 10
‘Well, that was weird.’ Mollie grumbled, taking off her jacket and draping it over the coat stand. ‘But it could have gone worse, I suppose.’
‘It certainly could.’ Collapsing into an armchair, Max picked up a newspaper and immediately settled into the cushions. ‘Mum didn’t have a heart attack and we managed to make it through three courses without anyone mentioning the d-word again.’
Resisting the urge to remind him they weren’t getting divorced, Mollie removed her clip and allowed her hair to fall around her shoulders. They may have survived the evening, but that didn’t change the fact Mollie had spent the last two hours wanting to drown herself in her soup.
When she first decided to do this, Mollie was adamant she wasn’t going to allow the separation to come between her and her in-laws, but after tonight, it would appear she couldn’t have her cake and eat it too. She could feel the resentment in the air, she could sense the daggers she received when they thought she wasn’t looking, and she could see the way everyone froze when the waiter asked if they would like their photograph taking for the celebration board. Somehow, Mollie didn’t think the restaurant had many pictures of my son’s marriage is over celebrations amongst the hundreds of birthday party images and romantic anniversary dinners.
One thing that surprised Mollie throughout the course of the evening was Max’s bizarre behaviour. While she pushed her food around the plate and attempted to fill the silences with idle chit-chat, Max devoured each and every dish that was put in front of him. He appeared at ease. He appeared carefree. He almost appeared… happy.
Looking at him now, as he leisurely flipped through the local paper, Mollie felt a rush of concern. She wasn’t sure how a husband was supposed to react to the news of his wife wanting to leave him, but she had a feeling that carrying on as normal and pretending everything was fine wasn’t it.
‘Blue Planet is on in a moment.’ He said casually, reaching for the remote. ‘Do you mind if I watch it, or do we need to split the television time?’
‘Why aren’t you taking this seriously, Max?’ She asked, taking the remote before he could pluck it from the coffee table. ‘You do understand this separation is going to happen, don’t you? Because after that charade with your parents, I get the feeling that you don’t.’
‘I understand perfectly.’ Max answered, making a grab for the remote. ‘Don’t you worry about that.’
‘Then why are you acting so nonchalant about the whole thing?’ Holding the remote out of his reach, Mollie stepped aside. ‘I know you’re laid-back at the best of times, but this is pushing it, even by your standards.’
‘What are you expecting me to do, Mollie?’ He said coolly, giving up and turning the television on at the plug. ‘Do you want me to ride up on a white horse and carry you off into the sunset?’
‘No!’ Mollie replied crossly. ‘One, because you know I’m afraid of horses, and two, because you couldn’t ride the teacups, let alone a bloody horse.’
Max laughed and snatched the remote from her grasp.
‘You don’t believe that I’m going to go through with this, do you?’ She exclaimed.
‘No, Mollie.’ Max answered vacantly. ‘I don’t believe you.’
Even though Mollie suspected as much, she was still thrown to hear Max say the words out loud.
‘If this is because I played things down in front of your parents, Max, don’t underestimate me. I did that for their sake, not yours.’ She said harshly. ‘Why can’t you just accept this is over?’
‘You’re leaving me because I�
��m a vegetarian and don’t handcuff you to the bed every night!’ Max retorted sarcastically, only adding to Mollie’s fury. ‘Not because I’ve had an affair or blown all our savings on a secret gambling habit. It’s ridiculous. I know it, you know it, and if you don’t already know it, you soon will. You’re in for a rude awakening. I can tell you that much.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ She demanded, not liking the tone of his voice.
‘It means you will soon discover the grass isn’t greener, my love. If you’re looking for a perfect relationship, you won’t find one. Marriage is about compromise...’
‘Compromise!’ Mollie jeered. ‘That’s rich coming from you! If you ever compromised, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.’
‘Wait a minute…’ Max said suddenly, pushing himself into a sitting position and turning to face her. ‘Is all this talk of a separation because you turned thirty last month? Are you having an early midlife crisis? Is that what this is?’
Despite her efforts to stop it, Mollie felt her cheeks burn. Max was right. Her milestone birthday had contributed to her desire to part ways, but it wasn’t the only factor.
‘I’m right, aren’t I?’ Max gasped, recognising the look of guilt on Mollie’s face. ‘Oh, Mollie! Now it makes sense!’
Taking both of her hands in his as he spoke, Max beamed brightly.
‘You don’t need to freak out about being thirty! I know it seems scary at first, but age is just a number...’
As she stared at Max, Mollie couldn’t help but feel bad for him. He didn’t get it. No one seemed to get it. Max, along with everyone else, just didn’t appear to see the problem with a marriage like theirs. They seemed to think that she should accept what she had and simply go with it. As a teenager, Mollie promised herself she wouldn’t settle for anything less than butterflies, but her marriage to Max had drifted so very far away from anything of the sort. Mollie was ashamed to admit the last time she felt anything that resembled butterflies was after a dodgy kebab and one too many G&Ts.
