A Place of Hope and No Pain

Matt's POV

I was pretty pleased with how my appointment with my Lawyer went. He'd started the divorce process for me, gave me some advice, some of which was selling house. Selling the house was a great idea to me, I could find another, start fresh and honestly I'd think it would be easier on the kids, to come to a house where there were no memory's of their Mother, also it would be easier on Chloe. I could sense her unease at being at the house and I didn't blame her, I was just angry at myself for not thinking about it.

So all I had to do was put the house on the market and wait for Lucy's Lawyer to contact mine, but god it felt good to know things were starting. I was relieved.

I was still happy by the time I arrived back home and as I walked to the front door I wondered what we might do for the rest of the day. Maybe Chloe and I could take the boy's on a picnic? The weather was nice and it sounded like a pretty good idea.

I opened the door and the first thing I noticed was the silence, the second thing was Chloe, sitting on the couch, fully dressed, with Lucy and her bag's at her feet.

"Hey." I said smiling at her.

She sort of smiled back. "Hey."

"Um, what's going on?" I asked her, sensing something wasn't right.

"Can you just take me home Matt?" She asked quietly.

God, what had my children done to her while I was away?

"Where are the boy's?" I asked her frowning. I didn't particularly want to take Chloe home, I wanted her here, with me.

"Lucy came and got them." She said flatly.

"What?" I snapped. "She came here and got them?" Who the fuck did she think she was?

Chloe nodded. "Yeah Ryder called her." She said softly.

I groaned. Ryder had called her and I just knew he'd done it on purpose.

"Yeah well I'll call her." I snapped, angry that she'd come over and taken the boy's. "God, she just can't help herself."

"Can you just take me home?" Chloe asked again softly.

"No." I snapped at her. "No I'm not." I didn't want her to go home and I sure as shit wasn't taking her.

"Matt." She said standing up. "Take me home and then go and sort it out with Lucy."

"Chloe." I started, but she cut me off.

"Matt your kids are your priority." And she just looked at me.

Yeah the kids were my priority but Chloe was as well and something had happened, I just knew it.

"Fine." I said softly, going to her. "I'll take you home."

"Thank you." She said softly and I leant over, brushing my lips across hers.

I picked up her bag and followed her as she led Lucy out to the car. She put Lucy in the back and got in the front silently.

"So." I said starting the car. "I'll speak to Lucy then come over." I wasn't asking her, I was telling her.

"Matt." She said softly, looking at me.

The way she looked at me, it was bad and I felt my chest tighten. What the hell had happened while I was away?

"Look." She went on. "Lucy told me to tell you that while you're with me she wasn't going to let you see the kids."

"Yeah well." I snapped. "She can't do that."

"Well she can." Chloe said softly. "And she will."

"Fuck." I snapped.

Now I was pissed, I was pissed at Lucy. Couldn't she just leave me alone? Couldn't she just let me get on with my life, move forward? And that was all I wanted to do, move forward with my life, move forward with Chloe.

I didn't speak for the rest of the drive, I was too angry and I was to busy thinking about what I was going to do about Lucy, murdering her was hardly legal.

"So." I said as I pulled up out the front of Chloe's.

She opened the door, looking at me.

"Look I'll go and speak to Lucy." I told her. "And then I'll come back over."

"Matt." She said, sitting back in the seat. "No."

I looked at her, frowning. "What do you mean no?"

She sighed and I looked at her, clenching my fists. "Matt." She started and I wanted to shut her up right there. I knew what was coming and I didn't want her to say it. "You need to take care of your boys, they're your main priority, you need to take care of your problems with Lucy."

"And I will." I told her. "I already said I'll go and speak to her then I'll come back here."

"Matt stop." She said looking at me, biting her lip. "You need to take time, you need to sort it out, you need to concentrate on that."

"So what are you saying?" I snapped at her, I didn't mean to sound angry, I wasn't angry, I was hurt.

"Let's take a break." She whispered and I wanted to scream NO. No I did not want to take a break, I didn't, not at all. "We can spend time concentrating on ourselves."

"Chloe, don't be ridiculous." I muttered but I knew it didn't matter what I said, Chloe had made up her mind. "And do what on this break?"

"Well, like I said." She whispered. "You can concentrate on your family and there's another cycle at rehab starting up next week, I told Bruce I'd be there."

Twelve weeks? This break was for twelve weeks?

"I see how it is." I snapped at her. "This is your way of getting rid of me."

"Matt." She started but I cut her off. I was done with her pushing me away.

"You know what Chloe." I snarled. "You've done nothing but push me away from day one, and guess what, you've succeeded, so have a nice life and all that shit."

I turned away from her, staring out the windscreen. She didn't reply, she just got Lucy out of the car and closed the door quietly.

I sat there for a minute and I was shaking. I wasn't shaking because I was mad, I was shaking because I felt like my world had just ended.

I glanced at Chloe's door, watching her open the door. My world had just walked away from me, without a glance back.

I put my car into drive and drove away, heading straight for Lucy's. She was responsible for this, still ruining my life.

"Fuck." I yelled, accelerating.

I'd forgotten to tell Chloe about Harper. My Lawyer wanted to see the paperwork her family had her sign, but he thought she might have a case.

I shook my head. What did it matter? Chloe didn't want my help. Chloe didn't want me.

This time she'd succeeded. She'd finally pushed me away for good.