Behind The Proposal novel Chapter 53

Only now she didn't want anything to do with him. She wouldn't take his calls, she'd refused to answer the door to him earlier that morning. She'd even refused the flowers he'd sent her. She was even refusing any kind of settlement from their short marriage. He would've given her the world, but she'd signed that stupid post nuptial agreement. Maybe there was something else he could do for her?

Tom hardly slept for three days. He threw himself into his job and the plans for his resort, living out of his suitcase in a rental apartment. He only stopped to eat or sleep when he could no longer function. When he wasn't working, he pushed himself to exhaustion in the apartment complex gym and pool - it was the only way he could sleep at all. Even then his dreams were filled with the two people he wanted to be with most.

That was where the problem lay. They wouldn't come to the resort he was building. They would never stay there with him. Jasmine couldn't come and see the hotel her Daddy had built -he still felt like her Daddy, even if they'd only been a family for fifteen weeks and three days. And his wife would never see the resort either, because she wouldn't come without her daughter. It was just wrong. He wanted it to be a place for his family. For all families. He wanted Jasmine to run down the halls mischievously, and go swimming with him in the lagoon pool, and build sandcastles and eat ice cream with him. Just the thought of all the things he'd never do with them made him crumple in his chair and put his aching head in his hands. He missed them both like crazy, and if he didn't find a way to make it up to them he was going to drive himself insane.

The knock on the door should have been a welcome distraction from his pain, but it wasn't. He wanted to wallow in his misery and kick himself for being so stupid, because it was his fault that she'd kicked him out. He looked up as his grandfather walked in and sat in the chair on the other side of his desk.

"How are you, Tom?" Grandpa asked

"Surviving," Tom muttered.

"How are things with Sophie?" Grandpa asked, concern in his eyes. It was little surprise that the news of his separation had reached his family.

"She wants a divorce." His voice cracked as he said it. He turned and looked out the window at the bleak Melbourne day. It was hard to admit to Grandpa that he'd failed. His mother would be disappointed, but no more than he was.

"Hmmm. That's a bit of a moose in a teapot," Grandpa murmured. "What are you going to do?"

"I have no idea," Tom shrugged, not even batting an eyelid at another one of his grandfather's strange sayings. Tom turned to see his mother standing in the doorway to his office, distress in her eyes.

"Oh, honey," she said as she strode in and wrapped him up in a much needed hug that threatened to shake his composure completely.

Tom sighed, clawing back control of his emotions. "She left me because of a stupid deal," he muttered half to himself and closed his eyes even as his mum leant on him, giving him all the love and support she could. He was hoping one of them would give him some little bit of wisdom to help him get through this.

"I didn't know what her family was like back then," he shrugged.

"No excuse. That's appalling, Tom," she shook her head.

He already felt guilty about it all, but that just made it a thousand times worse. "I know I made a mistake." One he'd regret for the rest of his life. He'd hurt her. He was hurting, and he doubted he'd ever recover from this. He loved her and would for the rest of his life. He couldn't imagine spending his life with anyone else.

He ran his hands through his hair wanting the pain to stop, but knowing it wouldn't. "I know I don't deserve her forgiveness."

"But you want it?" Jeni asked, sympathy in her eyes.

"Of course I do," he looked at his mum and felt the moisture in his eyes. You don't cry! He swallowed hard and glanced away as he rubbed his eyes with one hand.