Love Always Wins

64

"Don't you trust my driving?" Michael tried again as he drove his shiny new black Mercedes AMG C63 along a quiet country road.

Chloe didn't reply; being with him felt wrong in every way, the guilt was already eating away at her and she'd clammed up. All she could think of was Seb. She'd never regretted a decision so much as she was right now.

"I'm not making you feel car sick am I?" He tried once more and glanced at her, she was silent and motionless. She'd been in this trance like state ever since they'd left her driveway, fifteen minutes ago.

He placed his hand on her knee and finally she looked at him, it was then that she remembered the last time they'd spoken - at the courthouse in Norway, the day she'd found out that she'd nearly shot him. She had the chance now to apologise and finally talk about all what had happened, she could make this her final goodbye.

"Are you back with me now?" He joked, hoping she was out of whatever trance she'd been in.

"Back with you?" She asked, sounding almost aghast. He didn't mean it like that did he?

"I mean, have you come back from whatever daydream you were in?" He gave a little laugh, he wanted her to relax, she looked so tense.

Her mind swung back to Seb; he'd hate to see her now in a car with Michael, especially less than a week away from the birth of their son. He'd go absolutely mental if he found out, he'd be angry at her and bitterly disappointed that she'd gone behind his back like this. "I can't do this." The words fell from her lips in a whisper but it wasn't quiet enough for Michael not to hear it.

A lay-by came up on the right hand side of the road and he braked sharply before diving into it and bringing the Merc to a stop.

His action startled her and she cursed loudly while putting her hand on her bump as she was jerked forward in her seat, making the seatbelt pull taut across her body, this definitely wasn't doing her blood pressure any favours.

"Are you alright?" He turned in his seat, worried that the seatbelt might have hurt her.

"Yeah." She answered shakily and undid her seatbelt. She was so close to just bailing out of the car and telling him to leave but then how would she get back home?

"I heard what you said, if you want me to take you straight back home, I will." He wasn't sure what had made her like this, was it Seb? After spending so much time in lockdown with him was she now so dependent on him that she struggled to go anywhere without him? Was she finding it almost unbearably hard being apart from him?

Chloe took some deep breaths to try and calm herself, she tried to tell herself that it was ok to be out with Michael, that she wasn't going to kiss him or anything like that and all she was going to do was talk. She wasn't cheating on Seb. "God, this isn't probably isn't doing my blood pressure any good." She muttered to herself, out loud.

"You're having issues with your blood pressure?" Michael couldn't ignore her comment.

She turned her head to look at him, it was best to be honest so she made her confession. "I've been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" He asked, sounding rattled. "You should be at home resting."

"Urgh! I'm done with resting! It's driving me crazy! I can't do anything at home without someone pointing out that I shouldn't be doing this or I shouldn't be doing that. I'm getting bored out of my brain!"

"But if your blood pressure spikes...."

"I know! I know!" She groaned."But I'm sick of being told what to do and not do!"