What if Layla had accepted Joel's proposal in Book 2?
This is 6 chapters of pure angst. If you want the really angsty ending, then stop reading after the end of Part 2.
If you need a little refresher of what happened before, read up to the proposal...
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Harry
My presence seemed to always make Layla angry. I'd recognised a glimpse of something resembling the woman that I'd known when she'd turned up drunk at my house, but every other time I showed up, fury emanated off her.
When I showed up at Terry and Will's, and I saw the look on her face when she spotted me, I should have turned on my heel and left. She didn't want me there, and she was furious I hadn't contacted her; it was as clear as day. I imagined she also blamed me for her decision to cancel the wedding.
Terry was up and greeting me with a smile before I got the chance to make a quick exit. After he hugged me warmly, he whispered, "I truly was just about to tell her you were coming. Why haven't you messaged her?"
"I wanted to give her some space, and... I didn't know what to say. I felt like saying sorry would be a lie."
I said hello to everyone else first, and was surprised by Will's words of genuine encouragement as we shook hands. I hadn't met Rose's fiancee, Dee, before, but I recognised her from the photos I'd seen on Layla's Instagram, and I was grateful that she seemed far more welcoming than her future wife. Proving me right, Rose barely acknowledged me when I approached her; blue eyes cold and boring through me, like she'd happily kick me out if Layla asked.
But it paled in comparison to the chilly greeting I got from Layla, and I could see as she stood to hug me that she was seething with rage.
She quickly kissed my cheek as I muttered, "I thought he'd told you."
"Nope." Completely unimpressed, the harsh popping 'P' almost made me flinch.
"I'm sorry." I was about to ask her if she wanted me to go when she walked away, heading inside after casting what I assumed was a deathly glare in Terry's direction. I didn't blame him for not following her to make sure she was okay.
Feeling someone grabbing my elbow, I turned as Rose shoved me forward. I thought she was throwing me out, but she marched me down to the bottom of the long garden.
"You shouldn't be here, Harry," she said, as soon as we were out of earshot.
"I honestly thought Terry would have told her. After her reaction at the wedding, I thought they'd learned not to spring things on her." I looked around as Layla walked back into the garden, carrying plates and cutlery, her brow furrowed slightly as she wore her annoyance for all to see. "Should I go?"
"I don't know," Rose sighed, drawing my attention back to her. For a moment, her face softened. "Listen, Harry, I love her to death, but Layla is stubborn-"
"I've noticed. I never did before."
Expression hardening again in a way that made me clamp my mouth shut, she sneered, "The fact she took so long dumping your arse after you cheated on her - despite me telling her what a piece of shit you were - is your proof that she's always been stubborn." She delicately cleared her throat, flipping her long red hair off her shoulder. "Anyway: she is stubborn, and she needs to reach these decisions on her own. You shouldn't be here. She's not ready to speak to you, and I don't mean that she doesn't want to, I mean she's still too angry and hurt by you, and it's too soon after calling off things with Joel."
