Leave and never return.
— Andrew, I saw an advertisement last night, Milly breathed, eyes alight with impatience, theres a threebedroom flat for sale in the exact part of Leeds weve been dreaming of. Its within our reach, isnt it? If we sell the cottage, we can help Emma finish her mortgage. Lets go and have a look. She stared at her husband as if waiting for a miracle, but he waved a tired hand away.
— Not today, he muttered, finishing his coffee in a hurry, grabbing the car keys and a stack of papers from the hallway shelf. I was up until midnight finalising a report yesterday; today Ill be late again, maybe even later than usual. He slipped out of the door and vanished down the lane.
Milly exhaled, disappointment curling in her chest, but she did not argue. Lately Andrew had been a ghost in their home, arriving home at night, working weekends, yet his salary was generous. Milly yearned to move closer to her daughter, to live in the city, and she and Andrew had been saving for years, shoving every paycheck into a joint account while surviving on her motherinlaws pension and Millys own wages. She was the housekeeper of the village community centre and ran a dance class on the side. It was hard, but the thought of a bustling city hall, a grand community centre, and her daughters laughter made the sacrifice bearable.
Andrew and Milly had met in the county town when he was in his final year at university and she was at a dance college. Their love flared so quickly that as soon as Andrew received his degree they married and moved to his tiny village. Milly left her studies after a single year, never regretting it, because now Andrew was her lawful husband and they would spend a long, happy life together.
Their new domestic chapter, however, stumbled almost immediately. Just after they arrived at Andrews cottage, he was called up for a years service in the army. Millys heart sank at the thought of a long separation, and then his mother, Margaret, entered the picture. From the moment Margaret saw her son return not alone but with a wife, she loathed the newcomer. She barely spoke to Andrew, and the only thing she said to Milly at their first meeting was, You promised! Milly tried everythinghelping, taking any job she could findto win her over, but the house seemed to echo with Margarets disapproval.
Milly pressed, Why didnt you call her before we married? What did you promise her? Why does she hate me?
Andrew explained that two years earlier his sister, only seventeen, had fallen for a drifter fresh from prison. She ignored her mothers pleas, ran away with him, and one night they rode a motorcycle to a neighbouring village. The boy, drunk, lost control; the sister died, and the boy was sent back to prison for a long stretch. After the funeral, Margaret forced Andrew to swear never to marry without her blessing. He broke that vow, and the resentment took root.
Milly declared she would not leave, that she loved Andrew and would do anything to befriend Margaret. And she succeeded. Within weeks the old womans heart softened. She saw Millys diligence, cheerfulness, and kindness. Though Margaret often grumbled about her son, she could not deny that Milly was a worthy partner. The sincerity of Millys love for Andrew and her longing for him melted Margarets ice.
Milly also confided that her own mother had died eleven years before, that her father had remarried a woman with two small children, and that the stepmother had declared there was no room for Milly any longer. Dont think I married Andrew for those reasons, Milly blushed under Margarets frown, I got a hallofresidence place, a scholarship for excellent grades. Without Andrew I couldnt survive. I love him, I love him deeply.
Margarets eyes welled, then she embraced Milly, tears of sorrow and joy spilling together, and felt a strange lightness, as if some weight had been lifted.
A year later Andrew returned, took a job at the district office, commuting daily on a shift system. Milly became the organiser and head of the dance club at the new town hall. Their salaries were modest, and their daughter Emma arrived, adding to the financial strain. Margaret helped them, spending time with her granddaughter and never holding back. Then Andrew moved to a larger firm, travelled for business, and earned promotions that swelled his pay. The modest village hall was replaced by a spacious community centre, and Milly was appointed its manager, yet she never abandoned her beloved dance troupe, taking the girls to competitions where they won prizes. Life settled into comfortable rhythm: they bought a pricey car, renovated the house, and took seaside holidays.
Everything was fine until Emma left for university in Leeds and married there. Milly missed her daughter and remembered her own dream of working in a grand cultural centre, so she suggested to Andrew that they save to buy a flat in the city where Emma lived, sell the cottage, and help her clear the mortgage. Andrew thought for a moment, then gladly agreed, noting that their company had a branch in Leeds, so he could transfer. He warned it would be tough: all his wages would go into a savings account, and they would live on Margarets pension and Millys earnings. The family council approved, and they began to save.
Living became noticeably harder, yet Milly never complained; she had never been spoiled. Andrew, however, started staying later and later at work, citing extra responsibilities that brought higher pay. Milly trusted him, but a cold knot formed in her chest. When she hesitantly voiced her unease, Andrew snapped, I work from dawn till dusk to earn more, and youll fill my head with nonsense? Decidedo you want me at your side or a flat in Leeds near Emma? Do you want a grandchild, or will you be shuttling on a bus? Just bear with it.
Milly endured, but the tension did not fade. One night, after Andrew staggered in at half past one, Milly finally broke, saying she no longer wanted to move, that she wanted to stay as before but with him at home in the evenings, sharing moments, visiting friends, sleeping not as strangers but as a loving couple. Andrew listened, stripped, and lay down facing the wall in silence. The next day he was late again.
Then Andrew vanished. He left for work in the morning and never returned that evening. By the next morning his phone was dead, and Milly could not reach any of his colleagueshe had never spoken of his job. She called the morgue and the hospital, her voice trembling with fear. At dawn she decided to drive to Leeds, to the firm where Andrew supposedly worked.
While she packed, Margaret stood nearby, breathing heavily, her face drawn and sleepless.
Dont worry, Mother, Milly whispered as calmly as she could, embracing her. Hell be found, alive and well. She tried to convince herself, tears welling, throat tightening, but she clenched her teeth and repeated, Hes alive, I know it.
A familiar voice startled her: a friend on a bus stop called out, Hey, Milly, you heading to Leeds? Well go together. You buying a new car, right? Maybe youll sell yours cheap?
What are you talking about? Milly snapped, bewildered.
Your Andrew withdrew a heap of cash from the bank a few days ago. I thought he was buying something, so I paid my council tax and saw the transaction, the friend shrugged. You didnt know?
Milly went pale, horror flooding her. She drove to Leeds and rushed to the office, only to learn that Andrew had recently quit. The secretary said hed moved to another job, but no one knew where. Milly then reported his disappearance to the police, who took her statement seriously and promised a search.
The next day the police called her back.
Why didnt you tell us youd divorced three months ago? the officer asked, irritation thinly veiled. That changes everything. Perhaps he simply left without informing you. You didnt find any of his documents at home, right? He took everything?
Milly stared, bewildered. The officer showed her a copy of a divorce decree and a marriage register entry. She was stunned. When she returned home, she told Margaret everything. Margaret gasped, covering her mouth with both hands, eyes wide with terror.
What? Milly barely managed.
Forgive me, its my fault, Margaret whispered, fingers trembling, Andrew told me the court would send summons in your name for a loan fraud. He asked me to hide them so you wouldnt be upset. He promised to sort it out; he knows a good judge. I didnt know the divorce was part of that plan. I swear I didnt know.
So he tricked us into a divorce? For real? Milly whispered, sinking onto the sofa, the world turning cold.
Morning he texted mehes left with another woman, theyll marry soon, Margaret said, voice breaking, He took all the money, said it was his salary. I thought Id move into a care home and hand it over to you, hoping youd forgive me.
Milly rose, stepped outside, and stood in the yard, trembling as if an icy wind pierced her from within. She recalled planting lilacs and birch trees by the fence years ago, the sturdy trunks now towering like their marriage once seemed. She remembered winter afternoons when Andrew pulled their little daughter on a sled, the day a piglet escaped the farm and the whole family chased it, laughter echoing. Tears flooded her, the emptiness in her heart vast.
I wont let you go, Mother, Milly said firmly, returning to the house. Andrew betrayed me, not you. I love you as my own mother, I know youd never hurt me. She embraced Margaret, both weeping.
Later that night, Milly and Margaret called Emma and told her everything. Emma, horrified, swore she would never forgive her father. Then she suggested the two women move in with her.
I wanted to surprise you later, but we need help now. Were expecting twins, so we need you, Grandma. Sell your house, move here. Our flat has three bedrooms; therell be room for all of us. Agree?
Milly and Margaret exchanged glances, tears turning to smiles. They agreed.
Andrew occasionally visited the city, but Emma never let him into her flat. Perhaps he hoped to return to his family, perhaps notno one waited for him any longer, not even his mother.
