Hello! I know I haven't updated Fateful Love for a while, but it's going to have to wait a little longer. I got inspiration from Adele's song Hello. I hope you all like it. Hasn't been beta'd. Rated for language.

June 12, 2016

London, England

9:03 a.m.

The ring of the phone distracts her for only a moment before her mind shifts back to the mission at hand. She had to call him, had to speak to him, and it had to happen today. She had put calling her estranged husband off for as long as she could. Now, it was literally life or death for her. Her thoughts were interrupted by the familiar deep voice on the other end.

"Hello, Charles Carson. Who am I speaking with?"

"Hi, Charles, it's me. It's Elsie," of course he knows who you are. You were, are, have been married for twelve years. Shit! I might throw up.

Oh my God! Oh my God! Come on, man. Get a grip, and do NOT stutter, "El-Elsie, h-h-hi. What can I do for you?" Damn it.

"I was wondering if w-we could, uh, meet sometime today, or this week?" God you sound desperate. Well, you are so get over it.

'You want to meet after everything that happened,' he almost asked. Luckily he caught himself and answered with, "Sure. Today's fine. Where and what time?"

Elsie's eyes widened. He said yes. Oh no! Where and what time, Elsie? "How about Little Red's for lunch?"

"Perfect. Goodbye, Elsie." You have to change before you go.

"Bye, Charles." You have three hours to get ready and even that might not be enough time.

He can't believe his wife, his Elsie, asked HIM to meet. He always thought it would be the other way around. It would have been if he had known she was back in London. He always thought she had gone back to Scotland and stayed after what he did. He didn't blame her for leaving, but he would have liked an apology for not even trying to save their marriage.

Okay, now all you have to do is not bring any of it up. Don't bring up Alice or the affair or even the miscarriages. Nothing, you let her bring it up. You've screwed up enough as is. Now, shower time. Maybe, even wear the cologne she likes so much, and that red shirt. NO! You do not get your hopes up. You remember that awful, awful day in August. You're the reason she left.

August 18, 2010

Chiswick, West London, England

"Elsie, it was a huge mistake. I didn't mean it. I swear it happened on accident. Please, please don't leave," Charles begged, his eyes glassed over with unshed tears.

"When were you going to tell me? Or were you going to tell me at all?" Elsie asked. She was livid, absolutely livid. Five months after their most brutal miscarriage he tells her that his secretary was pregnant, and it's his.

"Of course I was going to tell you. I would never lie t-," SLAP! Charles stumbled backwards and fell against the wardrobe on the east side of the room. Grabbing his face he felt blood. Not only did Elsie hit him, but clawed him as well.

"Don't you dare," her accent thickening with rage, "don't you dare say you would never lie to me. Ever! When that is what you have been doing so the last few months. Now," her voice low and almost sinisterly calm, "when did you start sleep with her?"

He knew this would be the breaking point for her, "Seven months ago." He closed his eyes waiting for storm that was coming when he felt another slap and then, a vase flying by his head.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" another vase, "YOU BASTARD, PIECE OF SHIT," her bedside table lamp. "I was pregnant! With your son, our William when you-when you started…Why, Charles? Just tell me why? Weren't you happy?" the anger gone from her voice, replaced with a voice filled with an aching hurt. He dared to look up. She was on the bedroom floor, her knees pulled to her chest, and rocking back and forth.

"I was, but you were so preoccupied with the baby, and-and…I don't know. Nothing can excuse what I did. I felt neglected and alone, and I know that sounds selfish because it is. I'm asking for your forgiveness, not now, but someday. I do want to try and save our marriage," he knew it wasn't enough, and he knew he screwed up majorly. Especially, since Elsie had been there for him through everything, his parents dying, dealing with the demons from when his sister died, all of it, and he repaid her by betraying her.

"Go downstairs and give me some time to think," she almost whispered.

"Of course. I do love you Elsie Mae Carson," he tried to kiss her temple, but she moved away as if his touch burned her. When he left Elsie picked herself off the floor and packed the things she needed most in her suitcase, she called her mother and said she would be coming to spend some time with her, and peeked over the bannister to see if Charles was anywhere to be seen, but he wasn't. He probably went to take a walk to clear his mind like he always did.

Elsie quickly found a sheet of paper and wrote:

My One and Only,

I have loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you in that library. I will always love you, and you will always be the only one my heart will ever belong to. I wish I could say the same for you, but I cannot. I wish you all the happiness and love in the world with Alice. At least she should be able to give you a living child. I would stay, but I don't think I could ever trust you again. I refuse to live a life always having to worry if you are working late or have a business trip out of town. I couldn't help raise a child that is by another woman when I tried so hard to have one of my own. I will forgive you in time because I could never stay mad at you, no matter how much I would like to. I don't even hate you now, but I don't understand why you did it either. I'll have all of my things moved out in the next few weeks, and I will settle things at the publisher's. I love you so deeply, and I thank you for giving me indescribable happiness all these years. I hope you have a wonderful life, My Love.

Love, always and forever,

Your Elsie Mae Carson

And with that she slipped off her engagement and wedding band, placing them on the top of the letter, and walked out Charles Carson's life for the next six years.

Elsie was remembering that exact day when she heard the pitter-patter of little feet and saw a little head bobbing with auburn curls. Her daughter, her little Ella, jumped on bed with her.

"Mummy, what are we doing today?" she wondered. Her bright blue eyes curious, as she stared at her mother.

"We are going to have lunch at Auntie Beryl's, and we," Elsie stopped, hesitant to say the rest, "we are going to meet your daddy."