Rose 2.39: I'll be there

     Before going to bed, I go check on Lorenzo. He's fallen fast asleep.
     Your papa is a foolish man, little Lorenzo. He invites into the household the very woman that made him do something stupid that drove your mother away. What will I say to Tiffany, if she comes back, to explain that? Willow needs help and has no one, but that is not what Tiffany will see.
     I sigh and lift him out of the swing.

     "A-ba-ba-ba ... ba-ba-ba-ba," he babbles, his little hand tapping my chest for emphasis I guess. He's started making little baby noises, and I once again wish Tiffany were back.
     "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba," I answer him, continuing our nonsense conversation.
     His little body sighs, and he rests his cheek on my shoulder. I wonder if he knows enough to miss his Mama.

     "Papa will figure something out; he won't give up," I tell my baby boy. His little eyes peep up at me for a moment before drifting closed in a contented way.

      Willow stays. I hardly see her. She makes potions and sells them, getting some money to save up to pay living expenses when she goes back to university.
      One night as a sick joke, I hear Mama tell Papa that she'd placed Tiffany's portrait at the foot of Willow's bed. The two women hate each other.
      We quickly discovered a problem with her living in the little house: Tiffany and I never built a kitchen. Willow can conjure apples to eat, but this bothers Papa that she doesn't eat well. He and Mama have a discussion/fight about letting Willow come in the house to eat. Mama accuses Papa of being yet another victim of Willow's manipulating ways. Papa actually agrees with her but also says that he doesn't want anyone malnourished if he can help it. Willow makes her visits into the kitchen as short as possible.
      Once, she sees Mama holding Lorenzo. That makes the first time she'd ever seen him. Mama doesn't appreciate her curious eyes, and she snarls at her to move along, making sure Willow knows she'll have nothing to do with her grandson.

     "You!" I hear screamed downstairs as I get out of the shower. Oh, maker! Tiffany! I rush into the bedroom to throw on some clothes.

     "What are you doing here? Already trying to wiggle your way into my old life? I don't know why I'm surprised, but I thought Donovan had told me the truth when he said he didn't love you."
     No! "Tiffany!" I yell down the stairs in a desperate voice.

     Willow fights back. "And, of course, you would assume that's what my being here means. Your husband has offered to help me get back on my feet after mine has decided to divorce me!"
     "Don't play the injured party here, Willow," Tiffany snarls while I run down the stairs. "You're not destitute. Your ex-husband may be powerful, but even you know you can take half of everything he has."
      "I'd signed a pre-nup!"

       I dash around to get in front of Tiffany, realizing too late that it might look like I'm defending Willow.
      "How could you, Donovan!" she screams at me. My parents and son are out at the park Tiffany and I built together. My mother takes Lorenzo out at every opportunity, wanting him away from Willow.
      I jump back from the raw anger in her face. Still...She's here! I want to pull her into my arms, cradle her to my chest, and just hold her, running my fingers through her hair to comfort her. Her anger is because I've hurt her deeply. I want to take away the hurt.
     "Tiffany, all she is doing is living in the little house until she can go back to university! That is all." I clench my fists at my sides in order to control the overwhelming urge to wrap my arms around her and never let go. That didn't go over very well for me the last time I tried that.
      "Still, she's here!" Tiffany yells, and I consider the irony that she said the same words I'd quickly thought a moment ago, only her meaning is very different. "How can I trust you're telling me the truth?"

     "I have never lied to you. Why would I start now?" I ask. Willow silently excuses herself, knowing that her very presence in the room angers my wife.
     "No, but you have kept things from me! If you had told me what had happened right after it happened, I would've been furious, yes, but I would've eventually forgiven you, calling it a mistake. But you KEPT IT FROM ME LIKE YOU HAD SOMETHING TO HIDE!"
     "I wanted to forget it ever happened. I didn't want to tell you; you're right. Why would I want to tell you that? It was a mistake, better forgotten and left to die." I pant, barely able to control myself. "Please, Tiffany. Please understand."
     "I do understand, but also, how can I know for sure that it won't happen again? How can I know it's happened if it happens again? I can't trust you. If you'd told me, we would've had a crazy fight about it, but we would've eventually been okay. But you didn't tell me. I can't live like this! I'm here to tell you I've filed for divorce. You should get the papers in a few days."
     I've always heard how people feel like the walls are closing in on them. I've only experienced that once in my life: when Shauna told me she couldn't see me anymore. Now, I'm experiencing it again. My heart pounds in my ears as I whisper, "No." My chest aches.

     "I'm moving back to Starlight Shores. I've been offered a job as a newscaster, and I'm going to take it."
     "Tiffany..." I plead, having difficulty filling my lungs.
     She looks upstairs in the direction of Lorenzo's room and winces. Then she rubs her forehead and shakes her head no, looking down. "I'm going home, and I've come to tell you. I'll even take pity on you, which you don't deserve, and offer to let you have Lorenzo for six months out of the year. I'm being more than generous, and it's mostly for your parents' benefit." She looks up and glares fiercely at me. "I don't want any of your possessions, only the freedom from always having the worry in the back of my mind that you'll cheat on me."

      "I don't want a divorce," I gasp, still unable to breathe properly. "I want to spend my life with you. Please, don't do this."
      Her angry expression cracks, and her immense pain shows through before she can try to cover it again. It doesn't work, and she hides her face, bawling. I reach out to hold her wrists, wanting to uncover her face.
      "No," she whines. "I'm leaving you."
      "Do you think that will make me stop loving you?" I quietly ask on just the other side of her hands. "I will move to Starlight Shores. I will do anything to win you back."
      She moves her hands just enough so she can look at me as I stand very close to her. Her fantastic, flowery scent fills my head, and I'm finally able to breathe again.
      A spark resides in her beautiful eyes, telling me that I have a chance. She still loves me, and she can't hide it. "I love you," I breathe to her.

      I cannot take it any longer. I must kiss her, and I surprise her when I do.
      I am in incredible danger from my powerful wife, but I'm willing to risk it. She takes frightened breaths through her nose, but she doesn't try to push me away. She also doesn't embrace me. I keep trying, needing to show her that I love her, that I meant it when I said I'd do whatever it takes. As long as I see that spark of hope in her eyes, I won't give up.
      She kisses me back! Her arms wrap around my neck and shoulders, and her fingers ball into fists in my hair. She kisses me with more passion than I've ever felt from her, and I devour every second, knowing without a doubt that she loves me. She's angry and hurt, but she can't stop loving me.

      Suddenly, she jerks back and shoves me away. "Do whatever you think you need to do, Donovan, but I'm leaving you. That was a kiss goodbye."
      "No, it wasn't," I disagree. She doesn't like it within herself, but she wants me to prove it, to prove that I'll do whatever it takes. "That wasn't a kiss goodbye. It was a challenge."
      She quickly blinks twice and breathes in. She knows I'm right, but her pride won't allow her to admit it. "Think what you will. In three months, I should be settled in Starlight Shores. I'll come for Lorenzo then, and we'll start the six month thing."
      "You won't have to come for him," I promise her, "because I'll be there."
      She walks away, wary of me. I let her walk away. I know she needs to. I will let her have time to think and then I will chase her like I've never chased any woman in my life.

      "Goodbye, Donovan," she tells me while I stand alone in the living room. My heart cracks, but I use it, letting it fuel my determination to get her back.

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Legacy notes: Willow doesn't actually sell potions. I made that up for story purposes. She currently has no job.
BTW, every time I see the title to this chapter, I get that song in my head. Here it is in case it's not in your head yet:

Not a real big fan of Mariah Carey, but this is the version my brain is most familiar with.
Didn't really intend to have this song as part of it. I just like sharing the torture of an earworm.

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