Chereads / It's Always Been You - New beginnings / Chapter 21 - He before her

Chapter 21 - He before her

-Push, push...the baby is almost outside.

-Huff, huff, I can't do this anymore. It hurts.

-Darling, our child is here. You just need to be strong a little longer.

-If you think this is nothing you should give birth the next time and experience it yourself. Ahhh!

-Muaw, muaw...

-The baby is born...

-Doctor, how is it the baby?

-Don't worry Mr and Mrs Landson, the baby is completely fine.

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Mr and Mrs Landson had met two years earlier, during summer vacation. Mrs Landson had come to Edinburgh for holidays with her family. She was still an university student and Mr Landson was a biology teacher.

They were quite different from each other, yet they still fell in love. Shortly after, they married and had Michael. They lived more than ten years together in Scotland.

But Mrs Landson could not forget London. She was part of a noble family, she had plenty of contacts and parties she loved to go to. But, since coming to Edinburgh, she could not go to almost any parties. She missed her previous lifestyle more and more with each passing day.

Her son lived happily with them and his uncle, aunt and cousins. Jake and Michael were more like brothers and friends than cousins. But her life was becoming dull.

So when Michael finished school, she divorced her husband and took Michael with her to London while her recent ex-husband started to travel to finish researchs.

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The change of airs made the recent Miss Stuart start to live again. She went socializing at any new opportunity which arised. Michael missed his friends and family but it was easy for him to make new friends.

The speed, customs, and way of life in general, was very different to what he was acustomed to. Still, he was able to adapt to it. He went to live at his grandparents house, a big house of three plants in the middle of London.

Sometimes, his maternal uncle George, aunt Marina and his three little cousins, Richard, Sarah and Elisa, went to visit. Then he had to act the role of big brother, but it was the time when he was less alone, so he enjoyed it.

His mother was always busy, be it with work or friends. Some years later, she remarried a divorced man with children, but the children were with his ex.

She wanted to bring Michael along but he didn't want to. He chose to stay at his grandparents.

When he was seventeen, he had his first formal girlfriend, Dana. She was a tall girl, with very white porcelain skin, olive eyes and straight long black hair. They were soon made into a role model pair by the other students. His mother's family was noble, even thought the title was of his grandfather's and in the future, it would be for his maternal uncle. Her family was an old, long time friend of his mother's family so, in other eyes, they were indeed a perfect match.

But contrary to others' expectations, Michael and Dana broke up four years later. And then, an accident happened which would torment Michael for years to come.

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After that accident, Michael changed completely. The child in him died and he matured overnight. Pain, guilt, regret.

Those were the most usual emotions he felt.

Then he started to have mere flings, he ran away from serious relationships for a season. When he tried to start again, the relationships crumbled.

Until he met Soraya. She was his light at the end of the tunnel. A light and warmth he hadn't felt for years.

Since the first moment his eyes laid on her, he felt something unexpected. He could not control himself. The same control he had been building over the years was threatening to break into pieces. He wanted to be near her, to be with her. To make her his.

And yet, he choose to ran away before his control was completely crushed. He couldn't bear to be near her. He had quite a lot of experiences of failed relationships, some in chaos, some in pain, some in regret. He didn't want to add her to his dark list. Not when he felt she was perfect for him. So before he could spoil this link, he went far away to his childhood home, back to Edinburgh.