It felt strange to be counting down the six week summer holidays, the time between the end of the school year and the start of a new one, with equal amounts of trepidation and anticipation. Betsy was excited that the children would finally get to experience the simple joys that of being a kid without the overwhelming security Nick insisted upon. And yet, when that day came, it would end her employment with Nick.

Betsy sighed into her coffee cup before taking a huge sip of the unsweetened hit of caffeine. Her shoulders slumped as she swallowed.

"I've got to ask, what have you done to Nick?" Claire asked, sliding gracefully into the chair beside her sister in a cloud of Jean Paul Gautier perfume. "I've never seen him behave like this. What's happening between the two of you?"

"I told him we needed some space. And... I kind of handed in my notice."

Betsy ducked her head as her big sister sucked in a deep breath. "Oh Betsy," Claire murmured, hugging her tighter and pressing her lips to her hair. "Are you okay?"

Betsy blinked rapidly to fight back the tears before shaking her head in the negative. "No, I'm not alright. I had to do this, but why is it so hard. Being sensible hurts."

Claire sighed and hugged her tighter still. "Sometimes the right path is not the easiest."

"Thanks Yoda." Betsy chuckled sadly, before pulling away and taking another gulp of her coffee and enjoying the way it burned down her throat. "I care about him; more than I have ever cared about another man. I just know that we can't have a proper relationship if he's paying my wages."

"That's understandable. I always thought that part was a bit weird. I mean, dating your boss is a bit cliché."

Betsy hand shot out and she lightly smacked her sister on her arm.

"Hey! You know it's true. Nothing good ever comes from dating the boss." Claire defended, hands raised in front of her to ward off any more blows. "I put you forward for the job with Nick to help you. I tried everything I could to try and take away your pain but I just didn't seem to be helping."

"And I appreciated everything you tried to do."

"I failed though. I still didn't manage to help you."

"It did help, but not as you thought." Betsy frowned as she glanced down at her hands. "It helped knowing you cared and that I had your support. I just think I had to figure out how to help myself. It was the only way for me to move on. I had to be the one to choose it."

Claire stretched out her hand and laid it on top of her sister's much smaller hand. "That being said, I didn't imagine this thing between you two would happen. Despite the reputation the papers give him, Nick has never been one to cross professional boundaries. At least, not until..."

"Not until me?"

Claire smiled. "Not until you."

Betsy groaned and bowed her head. She was such a walking cliché. The housekeeper who fell in love with her rich boss. How had she let it happen?

Claire, oblivious to her sister's inner turmoil, continued talking. "And, as much as I hate to admit it, you have been good for him and he has been good for you. The kids have been good for you too. Now you just need to decide if that is enough to go forward."

Betsy sighed and started at the dregs in the bottom of her cup as if she could divine her future within them. "I'm trying."

"What's the hold up?"

"Nicholas." Betsy answered simply, lifting her gaze to her sister. "You know how he is."

"I do," Claire agreed, nodding her head as she did so. "But you've known the man he is the entire time. Why is it now becoming a problem?"

"I met his brother."

"And how did that change things? Don't tell me you fell in love with him at first sight."

Betsy snorted, shaking her head so that her blonde curls bounced around her face. "No, nothing like that. I just -."

"Yes?"

"I just saw the way Nick was with him. I know its stupid and completely irrational but I'm terrified of going all in. I can't be a person who blindly follows all the rules that he makes. I cannot be one of those people who follows without thought." Betsy paused and looked down at her hands, picking at the hangnail as she did so. "What if I push him too far? What if I anger him so much that he spends the next ten years hating me too? My heart was broken when I lost Peter and then Nathan. My heart can't take it again."

"That's your fear talking. I don't think there is anything you could do to make him that angry."

"You say that now but you didn't see him at the charity gala," the younger woman protested before resting her forehead on her hand. "And then there is the lying. There is nothing I dislike more than a liar. How can I trust a person like that? It's only omissions now but where does it stop?"

"I don't know," Claire replied, tucking her white blonde hair behind her ear. "I've known Nick for a long time and, while we haven't always been on the best of terms,  I know his intentions are good. He is very protective about those he cares about and it can come off in a certain way. But this is something you need to think about and decide for yourself.  You need to decide what you can and can't live with."

"You're probably right."

"I usually am." The elder sister boasted, before reaching down snatching her bag off of the floor." But, before you make your decision, there is something you should probably read."

"Read? I hardly think a self-help book is going to make this any better."

Claire paused, her hand buried in her bag as she glared at her little sister. "That was one time. Even you can admit it got a reaction."

"Is that what you're calling it?"

"Of course."

"I distinctly remember throwing a book at your head." Rolling her eyes, Betsy pushed her chair back from the table and stood. "Giving me a how to book was not the right way to go and whatever you have in there will probably have just about the same reaction. Maybe you should just keep it to yourself."

"Trust me, you're going to want to read this." Claire finally pulled her hand free from her bag, a worn envelope firmly in her grasp. "Did I tell you I was best friends with Nick's late wife? You met her once, though you probably don't remember?"

Betsy shook her head in response, her head tilting to the side as she watched her sister. "Not that I can recall."

"You were going through that phase where you were all hung up on Nathan and didn't want to talk to me. Not that I blame you. Hormones are a powerful thing. I'm getting off topic." Claire shook her head, her fingers nervously tapping the top of the envelope. "We went to university together and we were inseparable. She was a good person and had this way about her."

Betsy remained quiet as her sister swallowed past the lump in her throat. "When we found out that she was dying, that she would be leaving behind Nick and her children, she decided to write a letter."

Betsy eyes followed the path of the letter as her sister slid it towards her.

She raised her brows and asked, "Okay? And that involves me how?"

"I believe this letter is to you."

"But how-? She didn't even know me."

Claire smiled, but her eyes were sad as she peered up at her. "Fran knew that one day there would be a woman that Nick loved. And one day, Nick would probably screw that up. She was a smart woman."

Betsy reached out with a shaky hand and lifted the letter carefully from the table between her thumb and forefinger. The paper trembled within her shaky grasp. It looked any other envelope in that moment but it still sent a bolt of fear down Betsy's spine. She slipped her finger beneath the seal, and started to prise open the envelope.

Loud laughter and screaming echoed down the hallway. The children's voices growing louder as each seconds passes. Betsy stilled, her head lifting as she listened. "Maybe I should do this later."

"No excuses. Read it now." Claire ordered, rising from her chair and patting her on the shoulder. "I'll look after the kids. And then afterwards we can plan payback for Nick. I have a few ideas."

Betsy sighed loudly, nodding her head before lowering her gaze to the paper. As her sister's footsteps faded away, Betsy tore open the rest of the seal in a rush. She breathed deeply, staring at the folded pieces of paper before sliding them free.

Betsy took several deep breaths before sighing loudly. And then, with a trembling hands, she unfolded the paper. Her fingers traced over the words first, the tips of her fingers tracing over the elegant loops. It was difficult to know that the person who wrote this letter was no longer around.

'To the woman my husband loves,

It feels strange to even write those words. As I sit here, thinking about a future where I will no longer be around, it still doesn't feel real. No one ever wants to leave their children behind and no one wants to think that their days are coming to an end - to know that their life has an expiry date. Yet it is the unforgiving reality I have to live with. Or maybe it's die with? I guess it doesn't really matter as the end result will still be the same.

I am dying.

I won't live for long after I have my son. The baby I can feel kicking against my ribs at this very moment won't even remember who I am when he is grown. He won't remember me because there is so much I will miss; I won't get to see his first day of school or see him become a man. I won't get to see Delilah, my sweet baby girl, get married and have a family of her own. There are too many things I won't get to see and it hurts. It hurts so much because I don't want to leave them.

I feel so helpless. I could never confess that to Nick but it feels safe to tell you. By the time you read this I will be long gone.

I may not be able to change my own fate but I can try to make things better for my family. I can try to give my children and my husband the life they deserve. If you're reading this, then you are the one. The one my husband loves and the one who can be the mother I will never get the chance to be.

You know, I'm a little bit jealous of you; the woman I've never met and never will meet. You get to have what I want – what I've always wanted. But I trust Claire's judgement. If she has given you this letter, then you must be her and I am so grateful my family gets to have you in their lives.

The truth is, no matter how much I have loved Nicholas, he has never been able to return the love in the same way. He's my best friend, the love of my life, but I am not the love of his. Our marriage is a sham. Nick married me because he loves me as a friend - because he knew how much I wanted a family of my own. It was a dream we both shared coming from the homes that we did. Yet I know that if you are reading this he must feel for you. He must feel for you in a way he could never feel for me.

But that isn't why I am writing. I am writing because I know Nick. I know that he will do something to push you away. He doesn't mean to do it – at least not intentionally. He's just hard headed. Nick's lost many things in his life and that has made him cling on to what he has. He clings so tightly that sometimes it means he ends up pushing away some of the best things in his life.

Yet, I truly believe with my whole heart that Nicholas Davenport is a good man.

Nick is kind. He is caring. And he has the capacity to love. You can see that just from the way he is with Delilah. He may not show it to you at first but that's because he is scared. He'll never admit the weakness, he's too proud for that, but he is human like the rest of us. He feels and he gets hurt. And he has been kicked down more than once in his life by the people who should care for him most. But that is his story to tell.

All I can promise you is, if you allow him to, he will be everything you need.

I can't make the decisions for you on this. It is your life. But I can beg you to stay. When Nick makes you want to leave, to walk away and never come back, give him another chance. Give my family another chance. If you're reading this letter, Nick is already in love with you. And you are probably halfway in love with him too. If you walk away too soon, you'll never know how happy he could make you. You'll never know how happy you can make him and the children in return. Sometimes the not knowing is the hardest part. If you walk away too soon, you will always wonder what might have been. Are you the type of person who could live with that?

Sorry, I'm pushing too hard. I don't want to pressure you. It's just, when you know you don't have long left, taking no for an answer feels wrong. But you have the power. You have the choice.

Nick will be home soon and I don't want him discovering this letter so I will just say this. You have my blessing and my gratitude – no matter what you decide. Thank you for being there for my family when I cannot. Please tell the children that I wanted them more than anything else in the world. Tell them I love them with everything I have and that I wish every damn day that I could be there for them. Tell them...just tell them they are loved.

I wish you a long and happy life and I hope that no matter what happens between you and Nick, you will be there for the children. Thank you again for taking care of my family.

Yours gratefully,

Francesca Davenport.'

Betsy folded the paper back up in shaking hands. She felt the pain that had gone into writing those words. She could feel it resonating within her own heart. She may not be the biological mother to Tommy and Delilah, but they felt like they were hers. The thought of leaving them behind caused a wrenching in her chest which was almost unbearable.

Glancing down at the table, she frowned at the Polaroid photo now resting upon the table top. The people frozen within the picture were so happy. Nick had less stress hanging about him. His hair was longer than she had ever seen, and the lines around his eyes were non-existent as he pulled funny faces while gently cradling a much younger Delilah to his chest. And then there, by his side, was Francesca Davenport. Her cheeks were flushed and a smile lit up her face even though there was a frailty to her. Tommy was there too. Francesca Davenport, even in a point of levity, rested her hand protectively on her swollen stomach and the baby resting within.

"What have you got there?" Claire came to stand beside her, sucking in a sharp breath as she laid her eyes upon the picture. "I forgot about that picture."

"She's very beautiful."

"She was," Claire responded, taking a seat at the table once more. "You would have liked each other."

Betsy nodded her head and remained silent for a long time. "She. I."

"You don't have to make any decisions just yet. You have time." Claire reminded her, reaching out and resting her hand upon hers. "For now, we just need to plot some revenge on Nicholas. And I already have an idea."

Betsy tore her gaze away from the photo and frowned up at her sister. "What have you got cooking up in that head of yours?"

"One word. Butlins."

Betsy remained silent for several long seconds before a startled laugh escaped her lips. "I didn't know you had it in you. You're an evil genius."

"Thank you. I'm glad you agree." Claire smiled. Pulling back her hand so that she could dig through her handbag. She pulled out some more paper from her bag and slapped it down on to the table. "Because I've already booked it."

With a shake of her head, Betsy drew the paper closer and then shook her head. "Nick is not going to like this."

Her sister laughed in response. "And that's exactly why we are doing this." Betsy opened her mouth but Claire raised a brow and shot her a stern look. "No arguments. It's a done deal."

Betsy held up a hands. "Fine. We'll go along with your plan. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing you tell Nick about this."

Claire laughed. "I have an idea for that too."

"Of course you do." Betsy snorted, shaking her head as she pushed the papers back across the table.

"He's not going to know until it's too late to leave."

Raising her brows, Betsy looked at her sister in disbelief. "If you can manage that I will be impressed."

Claire grinned wide so that her teeth were showing. "Then prepare to be thoroughly impressed."

Authors note: As you may have guessed, the letter is a little bit of a nod to the movie Safe Haven. I didn't really click at the time of writing but looking back I can definitely see where it came from. Watching films and listening to music is one of the ways I try to move past a case of writer's block. Still, if I ever get around to rewrites and eventually self publication, this part will probably get an overhaul.

I did a post for the Wattpad Block Party a while before writing this chapter which meant I had to go with a letter even though I was later toying with the idea of a video instead. Still may change it later - who knows?