“Get on with it,” I demanded, my voice thick.
I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear his name or how he felt or how she thought he felt.
I was done. So done.
I wasn’t going to let my heart get broken by this family again.
“He’ll never admit it to me,” Anna said, softly this time. “He’s never shared anything like that with me. I might have pushed him too hard towards a certain kind of person because it worked for my parents, but Hugo isn’t me, and he’s not George, either. George and I were lucky to fall in love. We were pushed together and happened to fall the way we did.”
My throat was so thick with emotion that I was almost nauseous.
I was either going to cry or throw up.
“You’ve had a lot longer than two minutes,” I told her scratchily.
“Hugo has spent the last decade telling me that he’ll fall in love with the right person at the right time.” Anna’s gaze was focused entirely on me. “And he was right.”
“Are you done?” I whispered.
“He’s in London,” she said softly. “He hasn’t left since the day after the party when he went to your flat the second time. He refuses to come home unless it’s with you, and Camilla won’t give him your parents’ address.”
“That must be devastating for you.”
“He loves you!” For the first time since I’d sat down, there was a fire to her voice. “He bloody well loves you, Sophie. He’s done nothing wrong in all of this. At least speak to him and hear him out. Let him tell you himself how he feels without anything other than the two of you.”
Slowly, I turned to meet her gaze. “I never meant to deceive you,” I told her quietly. “I wanted to do what was right by my best friend, and we were both betrayed by someone you should have been able to trust.”
“I know.”
“I… I never intended for any of this to happen, but you have to know that I am so in love with your son that it hurts, and it’s so ridiculous because I haven’t known him long enough to love him the way I do, yet here I am.”
Regret filled her eyes.
“Rejecting him is the single most painful thing I have ever done in my life.” I pressed my hands flat against my stomach and fought back the tears that threatened my eyes. “But I would do it again and again because I want him to be happy.”
“You are that person. You are the one who makes him happy.” Anna leaned forwards, and her eyes welled with tears. “Please do not punish Hugo—or yourself—because of my actions.”
I closed my eyes, even as they became thick and wet with emotion. “I don’t. You and he are not the same person. But I have to move on from this.”
Anna pressed her hand to her face and nodded. “I understand. If that’s your wish, I will respect it. Hugo will, too. Just… please think about what I’ve said today.”
I didn’t know if I’d be able to stop thinking about it.
“I’ll think about it,” I said after a moment. “But not because you asked me to.”
“Take this.” She reached into her bag and pulled out another small envelope. Slowly, she untucked the flap and pulled out a silver key. “This is a key to our London house.”
I stared at it.
“The address is on a slip of paper in here.” She returned the key to the envelope and secured it again, then set it on top of the envelope that included the cheque. “If for any reason he comes home and you haven’t seen him, I’ll let you know.”
“What about the key?”
“Just post it back. Or I’ll have the locks changed.” She shrugged, then reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear. “But I think he’ll be there for at least another week before estate work will call him home.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“I’m sorry?”