Love Never Dies (an Unconditional student/teacher romance)

Chapter Sixteen - The Pretence of Zante

Chapter Sixteen - The Pretence of Zante

Winter, 2018, Enough is Enough!

I have to find him. It's too much now. I cannot go on living my life without him. I'm thirty-two now, not a mere in love sixteen year old. My mature self wants nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him.

Apperently that was too much to ask for years ago, but now. Now! It's not too much. I'll give up everything if it means I'll be able have him.

I phoned Emily this morning. We spoke casually until I urged for her to put Mr. Radcliffe on. Apprehensively, she did so. Mr. Radcliffe said he was alone, and I begged him to help me. I need to find him, I sobbed. Please, can't you get me his number?

"I can, yes." He replied. "After all, I am his cousin. But he's not that hard to find, Ruby. He lives in Leeds right now."

I choked on the air for a moment, before screaming, "LEEDS! But no! He lives in Zante. He told me so. That's why he left, because he had to go home and arrange his father's funeral. He said he'd most likely not return!"

There was a long pause before the man on the other line spoke, and when he did, his voice was full of guilt. "Yes, he did go back. And he did sort his personal life out. My uncle died and left everything to Leo. Humph! But it only took a few weeks of preperation before he came back. I picked him up from the airport myself." I sobbed and he stopped. "Aw, come on Ruby! Surely you didn't think dealing with my uncles funeral was going to take ten years?"

"No... But I.... I... Can you give me his number please?"

"He'll be shocked. In fact, I swore that if you came interogating me - even if it was twenty years later - I wasn't to tell you. He just wants you to be happy, Ruby. To be happy and move on from him. That's all he's ever wanted for you, so he said."

I knew if I continued to speak, I'd break down in tears. "PLEASE!"

Finally, I was given his mobile number. "Look, don't tell him that I gave you his number OK, but if you mention his ad - the one he's been hanging up the in Bookies - then he'll never know I was the one to betray him. His ad said something about renting out his fathers house back in Zante."

"Yes... I'm... I can't talk..." I tried to pull myself together. I rushed over to the other side of my frozen-cold study, and sat down. "Thank you, Alex. Honest to God you've no idea how much this means to me."

Then I hung up. I had sliced the digits into my palm by using my sharp pen. I bled, but the numbers were still legible. I began to, shakily, punch the numbers into my mobile.

It wasn't much rings later, when I knew he wasn't going to answer. So I left a message.

"Hello, my name is Leah Lonsdayle. I'm phoning regarding your ad in the news-angents. If you could please ring me back as soon as you get this, that would be much appreciated."

Heartache tying around my ribs and choking me, I put down my phone and went downstairs to join Adam for dinner.

And dinner wasn't nice that night. The food was adequate, but Adam's behaviour and manners towards me, was not adequate.

Over the years, Adam really grew to hate me. Or so I told myself. Maybe it was I who grew to hate him. Yes, that's it. Of course! I not only hated Adam, I loathed him, and this caused him to hate me back because of that very distinct reason. Why I married him all those years ago, I'll never know!