# Chapter 22: A Lake District Escape – and the Long Road Back to Love
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today, I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 22 of *Married at first swipe free digital audiobook*. And oh, what a deeply emotional journey this chapter is! Get ready for a tale of heartache, self-discovery, a rude encounter, a wise stranger, and a friend's gentle truth – all set against the gorgeous, calming backdrop of the misty English Lake District.
When Jess first announced she was going away alone for a week, the fallout at home was exactly as she had predicted. Tom first stared in disbelief, then slowly understood he would have to manage the twins single-handedly, and finally erupted in anger that she would actually dare leave them all behind. But as difficult as Tom's reaction was, telling Sam and Lily was far worse. Their tiny faces peered up at her from their duvets, full of innocent questions. Sam asked if the trip was for work, and Jess softened her answer with a half-truth, kissing his cheek tenderly. Lily, however, remained deeply concerned about a more critical matter: who would make their packed lunches? In Lily's eyes, Dad was positively hopeless with butter, and his French plait skills were the stuff of legend – and not in a good way. "You're nowhere near as good as Chloe's mum at them, but Dad is another level of rubbish," she complained. Jess soothed her daughter, promising that Dad would learn and sending them sweet dreams. But once their little eyes closed, Jess herself didn't sleep a wink. Tossing and turning through the long hours of the night, she spiralled through catastrophic visions of the house falling into ruin, the children eating only cereal for dinner, and Tom slinking out to a pub while a sixteen-year-old stranger watched their babies. At 3 a.m., with the alarm soon screeching, Jess knew she was being irrational – but knowing couldn't stop the poisonous thoughts flood her mind.
She slipped out of the house at dawn, tip-toeing past the children's rooms, blowing silent kisses, while the first golden sun streaked across the sky. The morning air was cold, but the sight of autumn trees shedding jewel-coloured leaves beneath a rising sun unexpectedly lifted her heart. As she walked away, away from the chaos and the conflict, a strange new optimism settled into her bones. Even when her train was delayed a full fifteen minutes, she simply sat on the platform, daydreaming of bubble baths, uninterrupted reading, and clotted-cream-laden scones consumed in blissful silence. No shrieking, no "Mum, my hot chocolate is too hot!" just pure, sweet serenity. She wondered what on earth she had been worrying about. Tom would likely collapse with exhaustion, too shattered to even think about enjoying a pint, never mind a full night out. She felt not an ounce of guilt at the thought. Actually, she felt he deserved it.
Finally settled in the safety of the almost-empty train carriage, coffee warming her hands, Jess bravely allowed her mind to wander back over the cruel words Tom had hurled at her in the rain. How dare he accuse her of showing off the children rather than admiring their abilities! How dare he judge her for valuing a tidy home over their happiness! And how dare he claim that her own vanity mattered more than the twins' very well-being! His face, twisted with vitriol and utter derision, kept flashing before her eyes. Their two-decade-long love story had weathered many disagreements, but the last ten months felt different. There used to be a comfort in fighting – like they were anchored together, both on the same side. Now she wasn't so sure. A tiny, traitorous voice whispered that maybe the words they'd slung at each other held no return ticket. Yet a life without Tom was utterly unthinkable… wasn't it?
As the train trundled past Preston, Jess's thoughts turned to Hannah's parents. John and Joan, bound together by duty and resentment, had unknowingly poisoned their own children's hearts. Sam and Lily had now watched their parents scream at each other in horror, their sweet little faces crumpling with fear. The thought stung so deeply that Jess scrunched her eyes shut against the tears. She'd been gone barely two hours, and already she missed the twins more than air. Her mind raced through fragmented fears about shared custody and maintenance payments, but as the industrial cityscape gave way to soft green fields and rolling fells, her heartbeat slowed. She pushed away the terror of the future and concentrated on the promise of the Lake District - the lapping of water, the gentle lowing of animals, the quiet tap of walking poles on stone paths.
A few hours later, after depositing her suitcase at a lovely B&B, Jess filled her water bottle, slung her waterproof over her backpack, and boarded a steamer that whisked her across the sprawling silver lake. Gazing across the vast waters, she remembered the early years of their relationship, when she and Tom would scale peaks around Derwent Water and climb Scafell Pike in the summer, then tumble into a country pub, muddy boots and all, feeling as though their whole future stretched ahead of them, side by side. Since becoming parents, they'd lost themselves in a dizzying whirlwind of playdates and birthday parties, and had rarely even driven the ninety minutes up the M6 to introduce Sam and Lily to those precious places. Deep in her chest, Jess felt a curious stab of grief for the two people they used to be. She reached for her phone to text Tom, but there was no signal in the middle of the lake. Part of her was relieved she couldn't cave; another part of her looked at the lock screen – Tom grinning with both arms wrapped around the twins – and ached to squeeze herself into that embrace.
That evening, feeling adventurous, she settled into a cozy corner of a pub just down the road from her B&B, ordered herself a hearty chicken pie with chips and a large glass of red wine. She was just wiping red cabbage from the corner of her mouth when a shadow fell over her little table. "Is anyone sitting here – do you mind if I join you?" A man's voice. She minded very, very much, but being British, she couldn't quite bring herself to say so. The talkative stranger introduced himself as Simon, but everyone calls him Si, and he plonked his beer down, flicking glances between two mobile phones. He was a little older than Jess, with dark, silvering hair and a beard that, for just a moment, she thought might be handsome. But then he opened his mouth, and every ounce of charm dissolved.
When Jess told him she ran a dating app for marriage-minded people, Simon burst into raucous laughter. "No one on dating apps wants to get married! They just want a shag!" he crowed, prattling on about Tinder and Grindr and stepping out on spouses. Jess's cheeks burned with pure anger. Then, worse, Simon eyed her wedding rings and sneered, "What does your husband do while you're running your little app?" That was it. Jess slammed back the rest of her wine, snatched up her coat and bag, and swept haughtily out of the pub, shouting that her app was most certainly not little. It wasn't until she was metres down the dark road that she realised she'd left her beloved book on the table. She cursed, forced her pride aside, and marched back in to recover it. Naturally, Simon had already found a new audience near the bar, throwing a sneering smirk in her direction as she seized the novel and scurried out again, her heart thudding with indignation.
The next morning, Jess felt vastly out of place in her sharp trouser suit, heading to her meeting with the potential buyers for Save The Date. The town was full of walkers in fleeces and bobble hats, and she longed to be out on the ferny trails with the wind in her hair. Still, this meeting was one of the reasons she had come. But two hours later, she stepped off the same bus, her heart singing. The meeting had been more marvellous than she could ever have imagined. The buyers were enthusiastic about her "little dating app," and truthfully, they offered an amount of money that made her mind spin. She remembered everything going on at home – the stress, the overwhelm, the feeling of drowning – and realised that accepting was an absolute no-brainer. There was no way she could turn down such a windfall.
Back at the B&B, she changed into comfortable trousers and a fleece and set out for the glorious walk she'd promised herself all morning. The de-stressing magic of the great outdoors carried her through the valleys, and she returned slightly out of breath, with a glow of deep peace in her chest. Determined to avoid another encounter with odious Simon, she treated her tired bones to an early dinner at a pizza restaurant, then sunk into the hot, fragrant bubble bath she'd fantasised about for days.
It was remarkable, she mused later as she snuggled into the generously sized double bed all to herself, how quickly she had grown used to solitude. She had finished *Wolf Hall* at last – the book she'd been carrying around for ages, only ever able to read it in tiny, interrupted five-minute bursts – and now she was thinking of trying the latest Marian Keyes. She barely checked her emails, and she watched episodes of *Queer Eye* without Tom's eye-rolling or tutting. She received only one daily text from Tom, assuring her the kids were fine but missing her terribly. Hannah had also messaged, reassuring Jess that matters at the office were under control, and she hoped Jess wasn't too lonely. Jess felt a small twinge of guilt in her chest, because the absolute opposite was true. For the first time in what felt like forever, no one was asking for snacks, or debating what was for tea, or worrying about keeping the business afloat. It was total bliss.
The third day of her escape dawned grey and drizzling, and the oppressive dampness seeped into her bones after only ten minutes outside. So Jess treated herself to a late breakfast, then spent a leisurely hour mooching around the charming shops of Ambleside. She was just settling into a world of caramel latte and sizeable forkfuls of lemon drizzle cake at a café, when her phone vibrated with an incoming FaceTime call.
"MUUUUM!" Lily's voice blasted through the speaker before Jess could even plug in headphones. "Me and Sam just heard some boys swearing really loudly in the street, but Dad says if we're good he'll take us to McDonald's for tea, and—oh—" Lily clapped her hand over her mouth. She'd let the secret slip.
"Lillyyy, you weren't supposed to tell Mum! Dad said we'd have to eat the fruit bag instead of chips!" Sam's indignant face filled the screen. "Mum, pleeeeeease can we have chips?"
Through the chaos, Jess spotted Tom in the background, laden down with lunchboxes and bags, but waving at her nonetheless with a odd tenderness in his eyes. Then Sam and Lily started squabbling, the screen went fuzzy, and Jess heard frantic scuffling. Summoning her firmest, most commanding voice, she bellowed, "Sam and Lily Taylor, if you don't behave, you won't go to McDonald's – and I won't bring a present home for either of you!" The twins froze in shock, suddenly silent, their little faces reappearing on the screen. "We're sorry, Mum," they chorused. Then Lily demanded to know what the mystery present was. Jess laughed, promising she'd only reveal it after she came home later in the week. Eagerly, they told her all about building insect hotels, Clara's upcoming Hermione costume, and how some unfortunate, greedy Year Three children had eaten their teacher's wedding cake before Lily's class could even get a slice. It seemed they never actually mentioned any schoolwork, but Jess was delighted just to drink up their joyful voices – especially since she could listen from the comfort of a café, rather than simultaneously scrubbing lunchboxes and supervising maths.
Then Lily's voice dropped into a soft little murmur. "When are you coming home, Mum?" Jess promised her not too long now, feeling the guilt rise in her chest like flooding tide.
"Old Ted misses you at bedtime," Lily whispered. Sam elbowed his sister out of the way. "Dad said to tell you that I miss you too, and even though he told me to say it, I actually think it's true," the little boy said. "We've run out of proper Weetabix and Dad bought the Tesco ones that taste like cardboard that you said we'd never have to have again. So please can you come home soon?" Jess laughed, but tears filmed her eyes. She promised both children she'd return as swiftly as she could. She watched as one small hand forced Tom to bend down so they could all blow kisses to the screen, and then the call ended. Her face ached from enormous smiles, but her eyes streamed hot, unguarded tears.
The elderly lady at the next table looked over in compassion, shuffled her chair closer, and offered Jess a tissue. "Are you okay, lovey? I couldn't help overhearing some of your conversation, and it sounds like you have a couple of livewires there!" Jess sniffled, explaining that yes, they were certainly livewires, and that they were probably running rings around their father right at that very moment. The woman smiled gently and said it must be hard being away from them. Jess admitted she hadn't realized just how much she missed them until she saw them on her phone. "Technology, eh!" But then the old lady began a gentle, meandering reminiscence about her own beloved Geoffrey, from the days before smartphones and FaceTime. "We only got twenty years together before he was taken away from us," she said softly. "Cancer, in the days before all these newer treatments. But I can look back now and know I was lucky. When the girls were newborns, and Geoffrey was working up in Scotland, leaving me at home with three kiddies under five, I might not have thought it every single day. But he was, and still is, the kindest, most gentle man I've ever met. My only regret is that it was only after he died that I truly understood how kind and gentle he was." She directed her glassy eyes to Jess. "All I'm saying, lovey, is that the old adage is true – you don't know what you've got until it's gone."
Before Jess could tug herself together and offer more than a quiet sob of agreement, the lady had shuffled off to the counter, exchanged a few soft words with the server, and slipped gracefully out into the street. Jess stood, then sat down again abruptly, a painful lump forming in her chest. Then she felt a light hand on her arm. The waitress told her, gently, that the sweet old woman had paid for her drink. Jess melted into yet another flood of tears. She wished, above all, that she had stopped sniffling long enough to tell the lady how lovely Geoffrey must have been – to share some sympathy for losing such a good man far too soon.
Her fingers instinctively reached for her phone to text Tom, but she stopped herself, placing it back on the table. She rose, gathered her things, gave the waitress a watery smile, and walked out into the street. A moment later she heard a call from behind her. "Hello, you've forgotten your phone! It was ringing, so I noticed it on the table." Jess, embarrassed and grateful, turned to take it. The moment the device was in her palm, it vibrated again. She answered breathlessly. "Hannah! Is everything okay?"
"Yes. No. I mean, yes," her friend said. Hannah asked for the membership spreadsheet password. Jess provided it instantly – of course, it was Sam And Lily2 – and relaxed, but only for a beat. Then Hannah's tone shifted to heavy weight. "I saw Tom earlier. Oh, Jess, he's not in a good way. He's missing you something chronic. I've never seen him like this." Jess insisted he looked fine during the FaceTime call. Hannah explained, with a wobble in her voice, that Tom had just been putting on an act for the children. "Jess, believe me, he needs you. And I know you need him too." And then Hannah began to speak like the wisest of wise women: They had said terrible things in the heat of the moment; they couldn't unsay them, but they held the power to say new things, to bring new life and new happiness to their marriage. Jess needed to go home and speak to Tom, truly and vulnerably. "All those things you've been saying to me over the past few weeks, you need to say to him," Hannah insisted. "There's no magic wand. But you're a team. Without you he's unbalanced, not himself. Like the Ancient Greeks said, once you find your other half, you never want to be separated from them."
Despite the depth of emotion, Jess couldn't resist a gentle tease: "What have the Ancient Greeks got to do with anything, Han! Are you going mad down there without me?" Hannah laughed, but her voice cracked again. "Just say you'll come back tomorrow, J, please. You and Tom need to talk, and you can't do that from a hundred miles away." Jess's throat tightened. "But what if we can't work things out? What happens then?" Hannah's answer came clear and steady. "You can always work things out if you both want to enough. And I know Tom does. So the question is, do you?" Jess swallowed. "You know I do, Han." "Then come home!" Hannah begged. "Promise me you'll get on the train in the morning? Promise me, J?" There was silence. Then Jess took a long, ragged breath. "Okay, all right. I'll come back in the morning, I promise." She could hear her dear friend exhale with profound relief. Jess thanked her for speaking some sense into her, and then challenged Hannah, who was always so good at helping other people untangle their own lives but refusing to look at her own heart. "You're wiser than you give yourself credit for," Jess said softly. "You should listen to your own advice sometimes. Go and see G-ma and talk to her." Hannah sighed, but promised she would visit G-ma the next day. Jess smiled, full of affection for her precious friend, and they ended the call with mutual declarations of love.
The chapter draws to a close with Jess standing on a cobbled street in Ambleside, surrounded by the gentle dripping of rain, a promise made to her friend, and a flicker of fragile hope warming her chest. She would return, she would talk, and she would find out whether the love that had survived twenty years could find a way to heal again.
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**Reader's Impressions & Star Rating:**
Oh, my heart! This chapter is an exquisite rollercoaster of raw feeling. Jess's journey from claustrophobic exhaustion to a blissful retreat, from wounded fury to a tearful epiphany, is completely compelling. The scene with the elderly woman in the café is pure gold – that simple bit of wisdom ("you don't know what you've got until it's gone") lands like a thunderclap against Jess's crumbling marriage. And Hannah, bless her, is an absolute rock with her honest, loving confrontation. You want to cheer when Jess agrees to go home, but also hold your breath: will Tom meet her halfway? The vivid descriptions of the Lake District are so soothing, and Jess's inner turmoil feels wonderfully real. This is storytelling at its finest!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rating: 4.9 / 5 Stars
**Next Chapter Prediction:**
I sense a raw, vulnerable reunion looming on the horizon! Jess will rush home, probably walking into a chaotic yet sweet scene – the twins thrilled and Tom exhausted but relieved to see her. My heart says they'll finally have the honest, long-overdue conversation they've both been avoiding. There may be tears, maybe a few more sharp words, but I believe the cracks in their marriage will begin to seal with a new understanding. And I also predict that Hannah might finally take her own best friend's advice to heart and open up to G-ma about whatever is going on with Toby. Get ready for some beautiful, healing moments in the next chapter!
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