"Cora, you have to understand. I cannot give up my company. Leaving London isn't an option."
"So, you want me to leave my daughters behind?" Cora said with raised eyebrows.
"They are adults, only Tayler is living at home, but soon she will move in with Sebastian. You can paint anywhere in the world. The most logic way is, you coming to London."
"Although they are adults, they still need their mother. I needed my mother for so long. When they will have children, I am not here to support them. I will not see my grandchildren grow up."
"Then it is easy, we have to stop this. None of us want to move."
"I never said I don't want to. I don't know how." Cora said.
"That is easy, you pack your stuff and leave."
"You think you are funny?" Cora looked at Robert. She knew this moment would come, but it was hitting harder than expected. Why did they start this, no, she could only blame herself. She wrote that first letter.
"I will go back to my hotel room, I have to pack my suitcase." Robert leaned over to Cora who was sitting opposite of him in the living room, to kiss her.
Cora turned her face away. "Just go." She didn't want to look at Robert. She knew she was going to cry the moment she looked into his eyes.
"I will come back tonight, we can talk about it."
"Don't! There isn't anything we need to talk about. It is very clear, we have to end this. It was nice for the time being, but it isn't going to work. You need to go back to London, and I have to stay here. Thank you for these lovely weeks." Cora got up and opened the door to let Robert out.
"If you are sure……" Robert touched Cora's hand, but she didn't respond.
Olivia found her mother in her bedroom. Cora had gone up and laid herself down on the bed. She couldn't stop crying. Her life was a mess. What was she going to do? She had strong feelings for Robert, but she couldn't leave New York. She had her girls. Her pillow was soaking wet from her tears. Olivia startled her when she touched her shoulder.
"When is Robert coming back?" She asked.
Cora looked up. "He isn't. It wasn't working out. We both have our separate lives we can't give up." She said with a thick voice. Cora sat up on the edge of the bed. Olivia sat down next to her.
"Mama? Why are you giving up, if it makes you this unhappy? "
"Darling, there is no way we can have a relationship when one is in the UK and the other one in the USA."
"So, just move! What is holding you back here?"
Cora looked at Olivia with surprise. "What about you and your sisters?"
"Is your happiness not more important than us?"
"But darling, you girls make me happy." Cora answered.
"Mum, I don't want to sound harsh, but only Tayler is living at home and that will soon change. You will be alone."
Cora started crying again. She lowered her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do."
Olivia wrapped her arm around her mother. "Maybe you should follow your heart?"
Cora knocked on the hotel room door. Robert opened his eyes wide when he saw Cora standing there.
"Cora? I wasn't expecting you here. Don't make it harder than it already is."
Cora lowered her eyes. "Can I please come in?"
"That isn't a good idea. If we are ending it, we better just end it right now." Cora could see the hurt in Robert's eyes. "Cora I mean it. We are only making it more difficult than it already is, please go home and go on with your life, I will try to do the same." Robert was already turning around, when Cora grabbed his hand.
"Robert." She started with her voice soft and unsure. "I don't want this to end."
Robert had turned back to face her. "What do you mean, how are we going to do this, if you are here and I am in London?"
"Please let me in." Cora stepped inside the room, reluctantly Robert stepped back to give her space. Cora closed the door behind her. "What if I say I am following you?"
"Don't joke about that, I know you cannot do that. You have your girls. We already discussed this earlier. Cora please."
"Robert, stop and listen. I want to follow you to London. I have wasted 17 years of my life, I am not wasting any more time. I want to be with you. Robert, I love you." Cora fell silent and she saw the shock on Robert's face which she felt also herself. Did she say that out loud?
Robert closed the space between them. "Do you mean that? Do you really?" He said while taking her hands in his.
Cora looked him in the eyes. "I truly do. I love you." She got on the tip of her toes to kiss him. "Oh, Robert I love you!"
Robert answered her kiss, his hand on the back of her head. He pulled back and rested one hand on her cheek. "I love you too, my dear Cora."
Cora leaned in on him and buried her face in his neck.
"What do your girls say? About you moving to London?" Robert asked while they sat down on the couch.
Cora rested her body against Robert's. "They don't know yet. Although Olivia was the one who made me realise I was making a mistake. She said I should follow my heart, and this is where my heart is, here with you."
Robert's hands rested on her arms, his thumb softly rubbing her arms. "What do you think Tayler and Victoria will say?"
Cora let out a deep sigh. "I don't know. I only know I will miss them very much, but I can go back to visit them." Cora rested her head back against Robert.
"You could make it a monthly visit?"
"There is a lot, but my money isn't endless." Cora turned around to face Robert.
"Maybe yours isn't but mine is." Robert pulled her close and kissed her. "Please stay the night. I don't want to let you go yet."
When Cora opened her eyes, Robert was busy packing his suitcase. When he saw that she was awake he walked over, bent down and kissed her. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."
Cora wrapped her arms around his neck. "What time is you flight?" She said while answering his kiss.
"In 6 hours."
Cora didn't need to know more. She tugged on him, to lower him onto her. "Enough time for a proper goodbye." She said while showering his face and neck with kisses.
