Left at the Altar — Episode 9

saturday now he had postponed it again but this time i no longer cared i pushed through the glass doors and drove straight back to hartwell the small coastal town in maine where i had grown the next morning i was cleaning the house my parents had left behind in hartwell aunt and uncle robert lived nearby and claire came over early fiona take a break i shook my head and told

her i was almost done claire took my hand and patted it gently all these years you've always always been the one expected to be mature. The one expected to give in. You've suffered far too much." She sighed, as if turning over years of memories in her mind. Daphne may have been adopted by your parents, but you always treated her like your own

You gave her everything. That child never learned when to stop taking. The relatives all knew, but they were afraid you'd feel uncomfortable, so no one dared say everything. Now you're both grown and you're about to start a family of your own. I thought you would finally be free from taking care of everyone else. I smiled but said nothing. After

a while, I said, Aunt Claire, you and Uncle Robert should move in. An empty house doesn't good shape for long. Claire looked startled. What do you mean empty? You'll still come back after you're married? She smiled. I know you and Nolan will live at the Hayes estate, but you'll need somewhere to stay when you visit us. I agreed, yet continued insisting that they

move in. Claire thought I was only being polite and refused several times. I did not explain.