Page 102 of Twilight Tides
He shook his head, seemingly horrified. “That was never … London, no?—”
But I couldn’t see past my blinding heartbreak and fury. “You’re just like Nick. Trying to control my life to suit yours.Alienatingme from Nee! She won’t even talk to me!”
I barely registered the way Murray stumbled back like I’d hit him.
Heavy, awful silence fell between us, interrupted only by the sounds of the water and the seagulls overhead.
Murray looked at me like he’d never seen me before. “I shouldn’t have said what I said to Tierney. She approached me about it, and I couldn’t lie. I wasn’t thinking beyond wanting your happiness. But how fucking dare you compare me to a monster whoabusedyou.” He turned and yanked open the driver’s door and jumped inside.
I stumbled out of the way as Murray swung the large vehicle around and sped away from me just as fast as Nee had.
This morning we’d been lying in bed together and I was happier than I’d ever been in my life.
How had everything changed so quickly?
A sob burst forth before I could stop it. I cried so hard, my ribs ached. I wanted to call Nee, but she wasn’t talking to me. I couldn’t call Taran or Cammie because we were all supposed to leave for Glasgow today and I didn’t want to ruin Taran’s bachelorette weekend.
I felt so alone.
For the first time since Murray and I got together for real, I felt so deeply alone.
37.London
Ididn’t see Murray before Quinn arrived to pick me up. He was dropping Taran and me off at the ferry terminal that afternoon. I’d already said goodbye to Kelly at breakfast, so I locked up the house, hoping my misery wasn’t written all over my face as Quinn got out to take my small carry-on from me.
Giving him what I hoped was a breezy smile, I thanked him as he loaded my luggage into the back of the truck with Taran’s.
“All okay?” Taran frowned at me over her shoulder from the front passenger seat as I slid into the back.
“Excited.”
My friend narrowed her eyes but didn’t respond.
Poor Quinn tried to make small talk, but I couldn’t seem to force out anything more than one-word answers. By the time we reached the harbor, I wished I’d made my excuses not to go to Glasgow. I didn’t want to ruin such an important weekend for Taran.
Once Quinn pulled the truck to a stop, Taran squeezed his arm. “Sweetheart, can you get the luggage? We’ll be out in a second.”
He flicked me a look before leaning over to give his fiancée a peck on the lips. Then he jumped out to give us privacy.
Taran half turned in her seat. “London, what has happened?”
Her concern made me feel even guiltier. “I don’t think I should go. Nee isn’t talking to me, and I don’t want to cause drama for you this weekend.”
Her brows drew together. “Why aren’t you and Tierney talking?”
Renewed hurt and heartbreak reared its ugly head, transforming into anger. “Murray broke my trust and told her something he shouldn’t have. Now she’s not talking to me and he’s—” I looked away, almost choking on his betrayal.
Taran let out a heavy sigh. “Well, there’s no way you’re not coming to my hen weekend, so get your arse out of the car. We have an entire ferry journey to sort it out. And if that isn’t enough time, we have an entire train ride to Glasgow. And if that still isn’t enough time, you two can duke it out while trying on bridesmaid dresses. What we aren’t going to do is not sort it out before we get home. Okay? Mummy has spoken,” she joked before sliding out of the truck.
And despite how awful I felt, I couldn’t help but let out a little snort of admiration.
To our credit, Nee and I attempted not to make our current disagreement awkward and weird for Taran and Cammie. We engaged in conversation with our friends but carefully avoided talking directly to each other. Taran and Cammie kept throwing each other little worried glances that Nee and I pretended to be oblivious to. It was not at all how I’d imagined this weekend. I’d been so looking forward to spending time with my friends and in a new-to-me city.
At least on the train down to Glasgow, I could lose myself in the passing scenery. Which was spectacular and made me long to travel around the rest of the country.
We arrived at our hotel in the middle of the city center tired and ready for bed. We’d eaten on the train and decided to retire for the evening inside the Victorian terraced hotel. The plan had been for Nee and I to share one of the two rooms we’d booked, but without even discussing it with us, Cammie and Taran made the executive decision that I’d share with Taran instead.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized as soon as the hotel room door shut behind me and the bride-to-be.
