Presley Estates, Wesbury
‘A curse has been placed on her family?’ my grandmother asks, her eyes drilling into me.
Standing on my grandmother’s patio, her piercing gaze on me, I feel the full weight of what I’ve done to Aisling. It’s crushing, like a thousand stones bearing down on me.
‘Yes, grandmother,’ I nod, confirming her question about the curse, a noose of despair tightening around my chest.
‘And you actually believed that?’ she asks, disbelief etched on her face.
‘I didn’t, not really. But I guess a part of me thought it might be true,’ I admit, the shame of it burning in my throat.
‘Why didn’t you come to me with this, Duke?’ Her voice is strained, carrying a mix of disappointment and concern.
I let out a heavy sigh. ‘What was the point, grandmother? You were fixated on me having a child to secure my position. This… curse, it wouldn’t have mattered to you,’ I say, each word heavy with regret.
“Why didn’t you tell me about it sooner?” Her voice is sharp with accusation.
‘Would it have changed anything? Really?’ I challenge her, the words hanging heavy between us.
The room falls into a suffocating silence. We’re just looking at each other, and I can feel the agony in my eyes.
‘You let me down, grandmother,’ I say softly, as I rise to my feet. ‘You pushed me into betraying our marriage. And now, I’m not sure Aisling will ever forgive me.’ The words are a confession, a lament, filled with a pain that’s too deep to express.
Her eyes are filled with grief when she finally looks up at me. ‘I’m sorry, Duke.’
‘The damage is done,’ I say, the words heavy with regret and heartache.
‘But it’s not over yet,’ she tries to reassure me, but her words feel empty, hollow.
‘I’m not sure we can ever go back. She doesn’t want this marriage anymore,’ I admit, feeling like I’m being torn apart from the inside.
‘She’ll come around,’ my grandmother says, trying to inject some confidence into the conversation.
I can’t take it anymore.
I turn towards the door, needing to escape. ‘I need a break from all this. I’m heading to Cayland tonight.’
Her concern is evident as she asks, ‘When will you return?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe a month, maybe longer.
Brayden will handle things here.”
