I clench my jaw and nod. That’s my biggest fear. “I know.” I sigh sadly. “I understand why. I’m not sure I could if I were her.”
With one last look, they both turn and leave. A wave of new sadness overwhelms me. That interaction with them seemed so final, and it felt like they knew it, too… like I’ll never see them again.
Maybe I won’t.
*
It’s dusk when I hear a knock at my door. I close my eyes in regret. William.
I’ll never forget the look on his face that night, the pure devastation. I felt sick about it for weeks, and what made it worse was that she kept calling me, wanting to meet up. She had absolutely no remorse.
I put myself in his shoes now and imagine how it would feel if I walked in and saw another man having sex with Charlotte.
I couldn’t cope. I would completely lose my shit.
I open the door and his face comes into view. He’s tall and good looking, similar looking to Edward but with a softer edge and more refined. I don’t remember much about that night, but I remember his face. How could I ever forget it?
“Spencer,” he says flatly.
He doesn’t want to be here either, it’s obvious.
“Hi.” I hold out my hand. “Please, come in.”
He walks past me and into the apartment.
“Do you want a drink or anything?” I ask. “What would you like?”
He shrugs. “Whatever you’re having.”
I inhale deeply and pour two glasses of scotch. I hand him one.
He takes a sip. “So, you fucked my wife,” he says calmly.
I nod. “Yes.”
His cold eyes hold mine. “That’s it? That’s all you can say?”
“Nothing I can say would ever make up for that.”
He inhales sharply and walks to the windows to stare out over the city, deep in thought.
I have no idea what to say, so I remain silent.
“How many times?” he asks with his back to me.
“Three occasions.”
He turns back to look at me, and I know the real question he wants answered.
“Many times on those three occasions,” I admit shamefully.
He turns back to stare out of the window.
“Can I ask you something?” I say. “Why didn’t you leave her?”
“It would have been easier to.”
“Why did you stay?”
“I have a son.” He drains his glass. “I don’t want to take him away from his mother, but then I don’t want to leave him with her, either.” He walks over and refills his glass. “The only way I can assure his future is to stay with her until Harrison is older.”
I frown as I watch him. He seems strangely detached from all this. “Do you love her?”
“I did.”
“Not anymore?”
“Love and I don’t mix, Mr Jones.” He looks up at me. “I learnt that lesson the hard way.”
“Does she know this? Does she know you don’t love her?”
“Yes.”
“Then why does she stay?” I frown. “I’m confused.”
He narrows his eyes as if it pains him to say it out loud. “I think we both know why she stays.”
The money.
I drop my head as disappointment on his behalf fills me.
“I’m sorry. I know you don’t believe me when I tell you this, but I thought she was divorced, and I knew her as Stephanie. I had no idea when I met Charlotte that she was your wife… or that you were Charlotte’s brother.” He smiles as he stares out of the window.
I frown. “What’s to smile about?”
“I always blamed you for our demise—blamed myself, blamed everyone but her when, deep down, I knew the truth. A month ago, another doctor at the hospital I work with told me he met a woman called Stephanie on the Ashley Maddison dating site… the one for married people to have secret affairs. They’d been sleeping together for a while.” He scowls lightly. “I had a sixth sense go off and I asked to see a picture of her.”
I close my eyes. Fuck.
“You can imagine my surprise when I see an image of my own wife, all messed up and just fucked, asleep in his bed. She had no idea that the image was even taken.”
“Jesus Christ.” I tip my head back and drain my glass. This is un-fucking-believable.
“I have lawyers tightening the prenups as we speak. She doesn’t know that I know about my work colleague. He doesn’t even know she’s my wife. Every time we argue, she threatens to take Harrison. I can’t risk that.” He sips his drink. “I have to wait until all my ducks are in a row.”
“And when will that be?”
“That’s where I need your help.”
“What?” I ask.
He turns to me. “You can testify.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“You can testify for me in a court of law that you slept with her while she was married to me.”
“Jesus Christ, you can’t ask me to do that. It would kill Charlotte,” I whisper. “The tabloids would go into overdrive.”
“They already are, and I need proof that Penelope is an adulterer or my prenup is void.”
“What do you mean?’
He smiles. “I was so stupidly in love with this woman I wavered the prenup.” I close my eyes.
“The only stipulation that voids me giving her half of my estate is her infidelity.”
I stare at him.
“I don’t really fancy giving her two billion dollars, Spencer.” He smirks as if amused. “It’s not like she deserves it.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Fucking hell.” I think for a moment. “Does your family know any of this?”
“Yes.” He rolls his eyes. “But Edward has his own agenda. He doesn’t give a fuck about my feelings. When she first slept with you, I thought it was a one off. I blamed myself for being a workaholic and leaving her alone all the time. We went to marriage counselling and I tried… for the sake of my son. But Edward wouldn’t give up. He was sure she was staying with me for the money and he became nasty and abusive towards her. It caused a great rift between him and me. If I wanted to try and repair my marriage, it was none of his business.”
I exhale. I know what a fucking cock Edward can be.
“He hated her so much and made it unbearable for her to be around my family. Her and I would fight about it, and it made things so much worse. So, in the end, I just stayed away. We moved to Switzerland to try and make a new start.”
“I’m sorry.” I sigh.
His eyes meet mine. “Me, too.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Divorce her. Now… where’s Charlotte?” he asks.
“I’ll tell you on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to go to her yourself.”
He frowns. “Why?”
“Because she needs you, and only you.”
His eyes hold mine.
“She told me that she’s closest to you.”
His eyes drop to the floor. “I haven’t been around for her lately.”
“You had your own shit going on. She understands.”
He thinks for a moment. “Okay. I’ll go.”
“Thank you.” I force a smile. “She’s at the Four Seasons in Maui.”
“If you know where she is, why didn’t you go to her yourself?”
“Because it was her decision to leave.” I pause for a moment. “She needs to come back to me of her own free will. I would never force her into something that she doesn’t want. I love her too much to try and control her. She’s been controlled enough in her life already.”
He exhales heavily. “You know, under different circumstances, I’d probably think you weren’t a bad bloke.” He shakes his head. “This is fucked up.”
“I know.” I smirk.
He turns to me. “So, will you help me?”
“I’ll lose Charlotte if I do. She won’t deal with that kind of publicity.”
His eyes hold mine. “I hate to tell you this, Spencer, but you’ve already lost her. She’s gone, man.”
I drop my head and stare at the floor.…what if he’s right?
“I’m sorry, I really am.” He sighs. “But I can’t stay married to this woman, and I can’t lose my son.” His eyes search mine. “Say you’ll help me.”
*
Charlotte
The eagle hovers over the water watching her prey. What must it be like to be a bird? To have no responsibilities, no expectations.
No heartbreak.
I’m on the deckchair under the big umbrella, staring out at the ocean. It’s nearing 4:00 p.m. and the sun is still warm on my skin. I have a cocktail beside me and have just been for a swim. Maui is beautiful—the perfect place to escape.
If only he were here with me.
I close my eyes, stop it, stop thinking about him.