its focus was firmly channelled at James rather than at Katie. Try as she might to hate Katie, it was hard to keep it up once she knew that Katie had been duped as much as she had.
‘So, where do we go from here?’ she asked eventually.
‘I'm going to ring him and tell him not to bother coming back,’ said Katie, tearfully. Katie, who had never been hurt before, had taken it badly. ‘I would never go with another woman's husband. I mean never, Stephanie. You have to believe me. I'm going to kill him, honestly I am. I'll pack his stuff up and drop it round to the surgery and then I'll never see him again.’
‘I don't know,’ Stephanie said. ‘We shouldn't rush into anything. We shouldn't tell him what we know yet, not till we've decided if that's the best thing to do. Don't show your hand too early, my friend Natasha always says. You can always play it later, but once you've shown it there's no taking it back.’
Stephanie didn't know why she wanted to put off the confrontation with James. Partly, she thought, because she was afraid that if she told him she knew about Katiehe would look relieved, throw his hands in the air and say, ‘Hallelujah. At last I don't have to live a lie. I can leave you and live with the woman I love.’ She didn't think she could take the humiliation. ‘I know it's a strange thing to ask,’ she continued, ‘but let's sleep on it at least. Another twenty-four hours isn't going to make any difference.’
‘OK,’ Katie said reluctantly. ‘When he calls me tonight I'll try and pretend that everything's OK.’
‘Just turn your phone off,’ Stephanie said. ‘Let him worry about what you're up to.’
Katie wiped her hand across her brow and leaned on the kitchen table for support. Of course she would wait to see what Stephanie wanted to do. After all, Stephanie had a far greater claim on James than she did — even Katie had to acknowledge that now. She might be losing a boyfriend but Stephanie was in danger of losing a husband, the father of her child. Still, the way she felt at the moment it was hard to imagine Stephanie was feeling any worse. Could it really be true? James — nice, funny, loving James? Katie had always believed that people who were treated badly in relationships had somehow brought it on themselves. That wasn't the same as thinking they deserved it, certainly not, but she trusted that if you behaved well, if you gave someone all your support, allowed them their freedom, they would repay you by being honest and straightforward. It wasn't as if she had ever asked James to lie. He was the one who had made the move on her in the first place. He could have just left her alone to get on with her life, which she had been enjoying perfectly well, thank you very much.
She barely moved all morning. James still married? She could hardly take it in. It seemed so surreal. And all those things he'd said about Stephanie. How she tried to stop him seeing his son, how she'd bled him dry in the divorce, how they barely even exchanged pleasantries these days. All lies. The whole of him was a lie, everything she had believed about him, everything on which she'd based her love for him. It was all untrue. And poor Stephanie. Stephanie who had believed she was happily married until a couple of days ago…
She finally gave in to the tears that had been threatening to come ever since she had picked up the phone. Big, heaving sobs, which took over her whole body and which made Stanley come and stand beside her, looking at her sadly, unsure of what to do.
As the morning wore on the tears were replaced with angry thoughts — something alien to Katie: she liked to put a positive spin on things, to see the good in every situation. Twice she had begun to dial James's number. She wanted him to know that she knew. She wanted him to know he wasn't going to get away with it any more. But she had promised Stephanie she would sit tight for now. And if that was what Stephanie wanted, it was the
‘So, where do we go from here?’ she asked eventually.
‘I'm going to ring him and tell him not to bother coming back,’ said Katie, tearfully. Katie, who had never been hurt before, had taken it badly. ‘I would never go with another woman's husband. I mean never, Stephanie. You have to believe me. I'm going to kill him, honestly I am. I'll pack his stuff up and drop it round to the surgery and then I'll never see him again.’
‘I don't know,’ Stephanie said. ‘We shouldn't rush into anything. We shouldn't tell him what we know yet, not till we've decided if that's the best thing to do. Don't show your hand too early, my friend Natasha always says. You can always play it later, but once you've shown it there's no taking it back.’
Stephanie didn't know why she wanted to put off the confrontation with James. Partly, she thought, because she was afraid that if she told him she knew about Katiehe would look relieved, throw his hands in the air and say, ‘Hallelujah. At last I don't have to live a lie. I can leave you and live with the woman I love.’ She didn't think she could take the humiliation. ‘I know it's a strange thing to ask,’ she continued, ‘but let's sleep on it at least. Another twenty-four hours isn't going to make any difference.’
‘OK,’ Katie said reluctantly. ‘When he calls me tonight I'll try and pretend that everything's OK.’
‘Just turn your phone off,’ Stephanie said. ‘Let him worry about what you're up to.’
Katie wiped her hand across her brow and leaned on the kitchen table for support. Of course she would wait to see what Stephanie wanted to do. After all, Stephanie had a far greater claim on James than she did — even Katie had to acknowledge that now. She might be losing a boyfriend but Stephanie was in danger of losing a husband, the father of her child. Still, the way she felt at the moment it was hard to imagine Stephanie was feeling any worse. Could it really be true? James — nice, funny, loving James? Katie had always believed that people who were treated badly in relationships had somehow brought it on themselves. That wasn't the same as thinking they deserved it, certainly not, but she trusted that if you behaved well, if you gave someone all your support, allowed them their freedom, they would repay you by being honest and straightforward. It wasn't as if she had ever asked James to lie. He was the one who had made the move on her in the first place. He could have just left her alone to get on with her life, which she had been enjoying perfectly well, thank you very much.
She barely moved all morning. James still married? She could hardly take it in. It seemed so surreal. And all those things he'd said about Stephanie. How she tried to stop him seeing his son, how she'd bled him dry in the divorce, how they barely even exchanged pleasantries these days. All lies. The whole of him was a lie, everything she had believed about him, everything on which she'd based her love for him. It was all untrue. And poor Stephanie. Stephanie who had believed she was happily married until a couple of days ago…
She finally gave in to the tears that had been threatening to come ever since she had picked up the phone. Big, heaving sobs, which took over her whole body and which made Stanley come and stand beside her, looking at her sadly, unsure of what to do.
As the morning wore on the tears were replaced with angry thoughts — something alien to Katie: she liked to put a positive spin on things, to see the good in every situation. Twice she had begun to dial James's number. She wanted him to know that she knew. She wanted him to know he wasn't going to get away with it any more. But she had promised Stephanie she would sit tight for now. And if that was what Stephanie wanted, it was the
Similar Books
