So many words swirling through her mind. Maybe he was right. Her time here at the cove was nearly up, and look how quickly Danny had fled when Mark answered the door. He didn’t even want to listen.

Nicole sat there, no words, no movements.

‘Oh, Nicky.’ Mark put his arm around her.

Familiar comfort washed over her. Had she been kidding herself this whole time? Mark did love her. In his way. Would anyone else? Would Danny?

‘Come home with me, Nicky, and we’ll be a family. Just the two of us.’

Just the two of them. Just her. Just Mark.

‘Have you thought any more about adoption, or IVF?’ she asked quietly.

Mark rolled his eyes. ‘Really? Are we going to revisit that again?’

The significance of Charlie’s question that day – was she happy here – was very clear to her now.

Yes, she was. And that’s what mattered. It didn’t matter if Danny would accept her or not. It would hurt, certainly. It would possibly break her heart if what she felt for him was as strong as she thought it was. But there was so much more to this than that. There was Charlie and Mandy and Ivy, and this quirky little town that had crept its way into her heart. She couldn’t go back to such a narrow life as just the two of them. No matter what happened from here, that was no longer her life.

‘I think I’d like you to leave,’ she whispered.

Mark stared at her.

‘Please leave.’ Her voice got a little stronger.

‘You can’t kick me out. I’m your fiancé.’

‘No, Mark.’ She shook her head. ‘Our engagement was over long ago. Please leave.’ She pointed to the front door.

‘But you belong with me.’

She shook her head. ‘No. I don’t.’ She didn’t know exactly where she belonged. Here at Rosella Cove? With Danny? But she knew now, without doubt, it wasn’t with Mark.

‘Okay. I’ll look into adoption, if it will make you happy. Just …’

Nicole raised her hand. ‘Stop, Mark. This is actually so much bigger than that. I am not the same person I was when we met. We are not the same. I don’t want a life with you. It’s over.’

Mark stared at her. ‘No. I won’t accept this.’

Nicole was getting weary now and she raised her voice. ‘Mark. Stop. This is finished. We are finished. Leave. Now.’

Mark stood where he was, his mouth open, no words coming out.

‘I said now.’ She opened the front door.

‘You can’t do this to me, Nicky. If you don’t come back with me, I’ll —’