Mollie McQueen is NOT Getting Divorced

by Lacey London

  Resisting the urge to tell her that whatever their problems, Evangelina would most likely sprinkle her glitter over their relationship and all would be okay with the world, Mollie reached for her handbag as her name was called by the receptionist.

  ‘Maximilian and Mollie McQueen, you can go through now.’

  Not moving from her seat, Mollie waited for Max to make the first move before standing up. The walk to Evangelina’s office seemed to take a lifetime for Mollie as she followed in Max’s snail-paced footsteps. Coming to a stop outside the door, Max took a deep breath and reached for the iconic handle before leading the way inside.

  ‘Okay…’ Evangelina said slowly, giving the folders in front of her a quick glance as Max and Mollie took their seats. ‘So, how was it?’

  Taken aback by Evangelina’s sudden shoot-from-the-hip attitude, Mollie gulped nervously and waited for Max to speak first.

  ‘It was fine.’ He replied, the tone of his voice indicating it was not fine in the slightest.

  Evangelina remained silent and studied Max’s face carefully before moving her gaze across to Mollie.

  ‘Mollie?’ She prompted, unflinching in her direct approach. ‘How was your date?’

  ‘Fine.’ Very much wanting to move the conversation along, Mollie decided to bluff her way through Evangelina’s questions. ‘Absolutely fine.’

  Leaning forwards in her seat, Evangelina frowned accusingly.

  ‘Do either of you care to elaborate?’

  ‘No.’ Max and Mollie answered in unison.

  Evangelina smacked her lips together and dropped a heavy folder onto her desk with a thud.

  ‘I’d like to take a moment to remind you both of clause seventeen in the contractual agreement you signed upon embarking on this course.’ She said confidently, fishing out two sheets of paper and sliding them across the desk. ‘Honesty. It’s the one thing I asked from you and the one thing you promised me.’

  Honesty, Mollie repeated silently. She wasn’t being honest with herself, let alone with Max and Evangelina. If she had been honest from day one, they wouldn’t have been there in the first place. It sounded so simple in Mollie’s mind, but as she sat there, in a plush office in Chelsea, purely being honest seemed to be the hardest thing in the world. Being honest meant admitting she was wrong. It meant holding her hands up and confessing she had let this go too far. It meant breaking down in tears because her persistence in marking Max as the bad guy had resulted in him agreeing that they should go their separate ways. It meant…

  ‘My date went well.’ Max said suddenly, causing Mollie’s heart to break a little more. ‘Ana was great. She was fun, she was beautiful, she was a pleasure to be around. But she wasn’t Mollie.’

  Cautiously lifting her head, Mollie looked at Max out of the corner of her eye.

  ‘I can’t deny I was intrigued to begin with, but as soon as Ana walked into the restaurant, I felt guilty just for being there.’

  ‘Guilty?’ Evangelina repeated, taking off her glasses and placing them on the desk. ‘Did you expect to feel guilty?’

  ‘No.’ Shaking his head, Max looked up at the ceiling and sighed. ‘But the guilt was overbearing. I felt like I was being suffocated by it. I felt guilty when Ana laughed. I felt guilty when I realised she liked me. I felt guilty when I looked at my bare ring finger. I felt guilty when I agreed to no-strings sex with Mollie, all the while knowing it could never be no-strings when it comes to her…’

  Trailing into silence, Max turned to look at Mollie as Evangelina’s silent stare burned into him.

  ‘Last night meant more to me than you could ever know. As far as I’m concerned, it wasn’t the perfect way to say goodbye. It was the perfect way to start again.’ Reaching for Mollie’s hand, Max inched his chair closer to hers. ‘Yes, we have our problems. Hell, we have a ton of them. But this, us, it’s worth holding on to. It’s worth fighting for.’

  Mollie froze in her seat as she lost herself in Max’s words, letting everything else in the room melt away.

  ‘We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it.’ He continued, his eyes shining as he spoke. ‘If we give this another go, I’ll stop leaving wet towels on the bed. I’ll throw the damn PlayStation away, and never again will you find my laundry on the bathroom floor.’

  Allowing a laugh to escape her lips, Mollie clasped her spare hand over her mouth.

  ‘I’ll stop leaving empty food containers in the fridge.’ She whispered, not knowing whether she was crying sad or happy tears. ‘I won’t work unsociable hours, I won’t mock your no-food-with-a-face beliefs, and I won’t hog your side of the bed.’

  Max squeezed Mollie’s hand in response and ran his thumb over her fingers.

  ‘I never wanted to split, Mollie. I just went along with this in the hope it would make you realise what we have is special.’ He admitted, reaching over and wiping a tear from Mollie’s cheek. ‘I can’t promise you a perfect relationship going forwards, but I can promise that if you’re willing to try, I’m willing to stay…’

  ‘Okay.’ Evangelina said gently, breaking the spell by rapping her nails on her desk. ‘It seems we have made some fantastic progress here. Everything I’m hearing is very positive and exactly as I would expect at this stage in the course.’

  ‘It is?’ Mollie asked, slightly disappointed that Evangelina wasn’t witnessing a miraculous fairy-tale ending.

  ‘It certainly is.’ Evangelina replied confidently. ‘Recognising and acknowledging your faults is a behaviour seen in the majority of my clients after the initial seven days have passed. It’s an extremely positive sign.’

  Max and Mollie exchanged smiles before Evangelina’s stern voice snapped them back to attention.

  ‘But…’ She added, wagging her finger. ‘That isn’t to say your problems have miraculously been erased. I haven’t cast a spell over your marriage. Unfortunately, no one can do that. What I have done is brought you to the realisation that you can turn this relationship around. However, you still have a long way to go.’

  Feeling her heart skip a beat, Mollie nodded in agreement with Evangelina.

  ‘Now you must decide whether you wish to continue under my guidance, or if you would prefer to discharge yourselves from my services. There’s no pressure. There’s no right or wrong answer. The choice is entirely yours.’

  After a week of counselling, a roller coaster ride of emotions, and a whole world of self-discovery, this is what it boiled down to. Did they keep fighting to save their marriage, or did they walk away and continue the journey alone? Deep down, Mollie knew they would be foolish to believe a single week had fixed their problems, but after Max’s declaration a few moments ago, she wasn’t sure he felt the same.

  ‘I’d like to remind you that whether you choose to stay with me or not, the progress you have made here is purely down to you two.’ Evangelina said platonically. ‘It’s all to your credit.’

  As she waited to hear Max’s decision, Mollie studied her naked ring finger and thought how amazing it would feel to slip her rings back on and pretend this whole thing was one big nightmare, but she knew that wasn’t the answer. Burying her head in the sand is how they got into this mess in the first place. Marriage isn’t a fairy tale, Mollie was long enough in the tooth to realise that, but Evangelina had given them a chance to rewrite their ending and make it as magical as it could be.

  ‘I want us to stick with you.’ Max said finally, entwining his fingers with Mollie’s. ‘I want us to see this through to the very end and come out of the other side. What do you say, Mollie?’

  The smile on Mollie’s face answered his question without her needing to breathe a word, and Evangelina took this as the response she was hoping for.

  ‘Excellent!’ Evangelina replied, clapping her hands together happily. ‘By continuing with me, you will discover a new-found respect for one another, bullet-proof loyalty, a sense of envy-inducing contentment and so much more.’

  ‘Can you stop Max leaving wet tow
els on the bed?’ Mollie asked, causing Maximilian to push her playfully before wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

  ‘I’m good, Mollie, but I’m not that good.’ With a twinkle in her eye, Evangelina dropped their folders into a box next to her desk. ‘Now, this is where we go from here…’

  Chapter 31

  Sitting opposite Margot in their favourite café, Mollie enjoyed reliving the dramatic turn of events which took place in Evangelina’s office that morning. Her skin prickled with adrenaline as she spoke, causing her lips to stretch into a smile when she finally stopped for breath and looked at Margot expectantly.

  ‘That’s so great, Mollie.’ Margot mumbled, staring into her coffee cup with the same scowl she had been wearing all afternoon. ‘I’m very happy for you both.’

  ‘You don’t sound it.’ Shooting her sister an accusing look, Mollie narrowed her eyes. ‘You sound as happy as a witch who’s lost her broomstick.’

  Blowing a strand of hair out of her face miserably, Margot let out a groan and folded her arms.

  ‘Well, come on then.’ Mollie pressed. ‘Why do you look like a bulldog chewing a wasp?’

  ‘Because we all knew you would get back together, Mollie.’ Margot retorted, rolling her eyes. ‘Everybody but you two could see this was just a mid-marriage crisis and would blow over as quickly as it started.’

  Biting her lip, Mollie pulled her mug towards her and tried to decipher how she felt about what Margot had said. She was pleased people could see her marriage wasn’t heading off a cliff, but also slightly disappointed she wasn’t receiving the fanfare she was expecting.

  After their meeting with Evangelina, Max and Mollie floated out of her office on cloud nine. From the many envious glares they received as they strolled hand in hand through Chelsea, Mollie knew they had that smug couple glow and she planned to embrace it for as long as it lasted.

  ‘You aren’t going to dull my sparkle, Margot.’ Mollie sang, taking a sip from her coffee cup. ‘Today is a good day to be alive…’

  ‘That’s alright for you to say!’ Screwing up her nose, Margot scoffed loudly. ‘You might have slipped back into marital bliss, but I’m stuck being Margot Waddles for the rest of eternity.’

  Suddenly uncovering the real reason behind Margot’s foul mood, Mollie pursed her lips.

  ‘Joel.’ She asked bluntly, not wanting to beat around the bush. ‘What happened?’

  ‘He’s a pig.’ Margot snapped, not missing a beat. ‘And I don’t want to talk about him.’

  Holding her hands up, Mollie grimaced when Margot started to speak once more.

  ‘He’s just like the rest of them. He promises the world and delivers a steaming pile of…’

  ‘Oh, Margot!’ Mollie interrupted, genuinely disappointed for her sister. ‘Don’t let this one guy put you off the entire male population.’

  ‘You’ve changed your tune.’ Tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder, Margot glared at her defiantly.

  ‘I had to.’ Mollie replied confidently. ‘Because I discovered that before you can find fault in others, you first have to look at yourself.’

  Margot stared back at her sister blankly, seemingly stumped.

  ‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘It means that sometimes, you’re not entirely innocent in these situations.’ Mollie said, choosing her words carefully. ‘I’m not saying that to kick you when you’re down…’

  ‘It certainly feels like it!’ Margot replied in disbelief. ‘It feels like the pointy end of a stiletto right up my backside.’

  Stifling a giggle, Mollie took a sip from her mug.

  ‘You’ve always been a bit gung-ho when it comes to men, Margot. You can’t deny that.’

  ‘Until Joel came along, I hadn’t been on a single date for five years!’ She retorted haughtily.

  ‘No, but when you do date, you always fall head over heels.’ Mollie explained, lowering her voice to a whisper. ‘You start thinking of mortgages, diamond rings, children’s names, school fees and pension plans within hours of meeting a guy.’

  ‘No, I don’t.’

  ‘Yes, you do.’

  Pursing her lips, Mollie waited until the waitress had moved past their table before continuing.

  ‘Do you remember when you brought Ben Golden home to meet Mum and Dad?’ She asked. ‘The poor guy had only been in the house five minutes and you were trying on Mum’s wedding dress!’

  ‘That was just for fun.’ Margot protested, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

  ‘And then you made Dad photoshop him into the annual Christmas photo.’

  ‘Just so he didn’t feel left out.’ Margot countered. ‘Max was in it.’

  ‘Max and I had been together for three years at that point. You had only met Ben the week prior.’ Shaking her head, Mollie reached for her mug. ‘No wonder he fled before dessert. He couldn’t get out of the damn house quickly enough. I’m just glad he didn’t stick around to see you scrawling Margot Golden on your napkin.’

  ‘Don’t exaggerate, Mollie.’ Margot said defensively. ‘He left because he had to go to work. He had an emergency he had to attend to.’

  ‘He was a postman and it was eight o’clock on a cold night in December! What kind of emergency could have possibly required his attendance?’

  Mollie laughed and stopped when she recognised the look of hurt on Margot’s face.

  ‘Look, Margot, I’m not trying to be cruel. I’m just saying that jumping in feet first is generally the number one reason why men run away. It wouldn’t hurt to play it cool once in a while.’

  ‘I didn’t jump in feet first with Joel!’ Margot protested. ‘I just… I just…’

  ‘Just what?’ Mollie asked, hiding her grin behind her mug. ‘What did you do this time?’

  Looking around the room awkwardly, Margot stirred a cube of sugar into her coffee.

  ‘I took him to a wedding fair.’ She said finally. ‘It was my turn to organise a date and I thought it would be fun.’

  Mollie felt her jaw drop open as she stared at her sister.

  ‘You’re kidding, right?’

  ‘No.’ Margot said defensively. ‘It had complimentary bubbles, an amazing car display, and you could watch the bridal show…’

  ‘Margot!’ Mollie yelled. ‘You can’t take a guy you have been on three dates with to a bloody wedding fair!’

  ‘Why not? It’s the twenty-first century. Who are you to say a wedding fair isn’t a suitable date location?’

  ‘Margot, I think I speak on behalf of the entire male population when I say a wedding fair is possibly the worst destination for a date of any kind.’

  ‘Well, he was fine at first.’ Frowning at her younger sister, Margot twirled her blonde hair around her finger. ‘He didn’t bat an eyelid until we reached the venue marquee. Even then he just looked mildly irked. It was only when I suggested we put our names down for Farnham Castle that he said we need to talk.’

  ‘What did he say?’ Mollie chuckled.

  ‘Oh, the usual. It’s not you, it’s me. We want different things. We’re going in different directions…’

  ‘And?’ Mollie asked, sensing Margot’s hesitation.

  ‘And he couldn’t trust me around his daughter’s pet rabbit.’

  Unable to control her growing hysterics, Mollie threw back her head and allowed herself to laugh loudly. Her hysterical giggles echoed around the quiet café as Margot joined in with Mollie’s hysteria. Ignoring the confused stares of the waitress, the two sisters clinked mugs and laughed until they were crying happy tears.

  Mollie was back with Max, Margot was back to hating men, and all was right with the world again…

  Chapter 32

  Pushing open the front door, Mollie draped her jacket over the coat stand and kicked off her shoes. The absence of Max’s ever-growing pile of junk at the bottom of the stairs caused her to raise her eyebrows as she noticed how unusually tidy the hallway was. The rare neatness of the place made her f
eel strangely awkward as she made her way into the living room in search of Maximilian.

  They hadn’t spoken to one another since they left Evangelina’s office that morning, and as a result, Mollie didn’t know how she should act around him. Would he still be enthusiastic about the future of their relationship, or would doubts have crept in? Was a life with empty hummus cartons in the fridge still what his heart desired, or had the empty milk bottle she left in there at breakfast pushed him over the edge? Quickly discovering him hovering in the kitchen, Mollie knew it wouldn’t be long until she found out.

  ‘Hello…’ She said timidly, pausing at the opposite side of the breakfast table and attempting a friendly smile.

  ‘Hi.’ Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Max smiled back at her nervously and motioned to the chopping board behind him. ‘I… erm… I thought I would cook dinner for you tonight.’

  ‘Really?’ Mollie replied, unable to hide her surprise. ‘That would be lovely, thank you.’

  Pouring two glasses of wine, Max walked over to the fridge and pulled out a plastic bag by the tips of his fingers.

  ‘I went out while you were with Margot and picked up some supplies.’ He explained, tipping the contents of the bag onto the kitchen counter. ‘Steak, chips and chocolate fudge cake. Not all at once, obviously.’

  Holding on to the fridge to stop herself from falling over, Mollie stared at Max in shock as he dropped two juicy slabs of meat on the chopping board.

  ‘You’re going to cook steak?’ She whispered. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I love you.’ Draping an arm around her shoulders, Max kissed the top of her head. ‘And I want to, you know, show you that.’

  Beaming back at him proudly, Mollie wrapped her arms around his waist and silently squealed. After missing out on the chance to sink her teeth into a tasty piece of meat the other night, the idea of devouring steak in the comfort of her own home made Mollie giddy with excitement.

  Too busy drooling over the meat she was about to eat, it took her a moment to notice Max was looking a little queasy. With pale skin and beads of sweat on his forehead, it appeared Maximilian was around three seconds away from passing out.