Holly waited on the perfectly manicured grounds of Hugo and Alexia’s school. The perfectly manicured lawn and the children in flawlessly pressed uniforms did not provide the best backdrop for the awkward conversation she was about to have.
They may not have been her biological children, but they meant as much to her as if they had been. To Holly, they were a family unit, and the fact that someone was messing with them, and therefore effecting the lives of her children, angered her to no end.
A familiar Town Car pulled up on the driveway, amongst the other luxury vehicles.
Holly took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Alexia had a sixth sense when something was wrong and when she was being lied to. In some respects, the girl was the exact replica of her mother; in others she was the polar opposite. Holly couldn’t help but think she would go very far in whatever she chose to do with her life.
Hugo noticed Holly first, then gestured to Alexia. They approached and Holly felt her heart thumping in her chest.
“What are you doing here?” Alexia asked. “Why were you not at home this morning?”
Holly and Victoria had agreed that they would say that Holly was working that morning to save Victoria from a barrage of difficult questions. Unfortunately, the youngest Hastings didn’t seem to have accepted that.
Holly wrapped an arm around Alexia’s shoulders, gesturing with her head for Hugo to stand on her other side.
“I came to tell you that I’m staying somewhere else for a few days,” she began.
“What did Mom do?” Hugo asked immediately.
“Nothing, it was me,” Holly said. “I’m not going to go into it all with you, it’s between your mother and me, but I wanted to tell you that I love you both very much and I will be back very soon. This is just a temporary thing; I’m giving your mother some space.”
“Why don’t you just stay in the guest room?” Alexia asked.
“Because that’s not enough space.”
“That’s silly,” Alexia said. “What if I need to talk to you?”
“Then you can call me, text me, video-chat me, email me…” Holly chuckled. “Whatever you like, I’ll always be there for you, you know that.”
Alexia looked crestfallen. “But I want you at home with us. What about movie night? Will you come to movie night?”
Holly shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, honey. I have to stay away for a little while.”
“Did you argue?” Hugo asked.
“I bet Mom said something,” Alexia added, looking up at her brother.
“She didn’t,” Holly reassured. “Your mother isn’t to blame. I am.”
Hugo looked unconvinced, and Alexia looked broken. Holly had known the conversation would be difficult, but she had no idea it would be this tough.
“I’m just so sorry that you have to be involved in this. And that I have to ask you a favour,” she said.
“What?” Alexia asked.
“If anyone asks, you need to say, ‘No comment.’ You know how the press will be if they find out that we’re having a break. They’ll hound your mom more than usual. So, try not to say anything to anyone. And… be nice to your mom. This really isn’t her fault.”
“What did you do?” Hugo asked, suspicion lacing his tone.
“I promise that I’ll tell you everything when I move back in. I just… I just can’t go into it all now. And please don’t try to wheedle it out of your mom either.”
They both nodded, albeit reluctantly, and Holly squeezed them close to her. She wanted to tell them the truth, but she couldn’t risk the plan. The fewer people who knew the truth about their separation, the less likely there would be a leak in sensitive information. Their breakup needed to look legitimate, without making the children worry that their perfect little world was about to fall apart.
They’d agonised over what to say to Alexia and Hugo, eventually agreeing on a halfway house between truth and fiction. Not a full breakup, just a break. Even that was almost too much for Holly.
“I love you both, so very much,” she whispered, clutching at them.
She’d always known that she loved them, but it was only now that she realised how desperately she needed them in her life. Seeing Hugo running around the house searching for his school tie, hearing Alexia complaining about her milk-to-cereal ratio was an important part of her life.
“You promise you’ll come home?” Alexia asked.
“I do, I absolutely promise.”
The school bell rang, and their time together was cut short. Holly gave them one last squeeze before letting them both go.
“Okay.” She wiped at her tears and sniffed. “Okay. You two go and learn stuff. Be good. Remember, I love you. Be good for your mom.”
Alexia wrapped her arms around Holly’s waist and hung on. Holly softly patted her back, looking up at Hugo who was looking at her curiously. She offered him a tight smile, knowing that he wasn’t quite convinced of what she was telling him yet. She couldn’t blame him; he was old enough to remember his mother’s divorce from his father.
“Come on, we need to go,” he said, tugging on Alexia’s sleeve.
Alexia sadly pulled away. “I’ll text you,” she promised Holly.
“Good, just not in class,” Holly reminded her. The last thing they needed was another visit to the principal’s office.
Alexia nodded, and they both walked towards the building. Holly watched them until they were safely inside and out of sight. Once they were gone, she shoved her hands into her pockets and hurried away.
She had a feeling she was being watched, a feeling that had been with her since the previous afternoon. In some ways she hoped that she was being watched. At least then all of this would be for a reason.
She didn’t have to worry about putting on a good show for any potential voyeur. Tears had started to stream down her cheeks.
This can’t be over soon enough, she thought.