Read Online Only One Life by Sara Blædel - Free Book Online Page A

Louise had been partners back when Søren’s wife was deciding to quit her job and start up her own Web-design business, so Louise had been privy to all the considerations that had entailed.
    “With her working from home, it’s possible for her to take care of Sofie alone, and things have been working really well for them when I’m away.”
    Louise estimated that his daughter must be about two and a half now. She still thought that the girl’s name was little pretentious, and she knew Søren had preferred the spelling “Sophie,” but he hadn’t won that battle.
    “Are things going well with her job?”
    Louise knew only that his wife designed Web sites, but she had no idea whether it was a proper business or more like a hobby.
    He nodded. “At least right now, and if things change we’ll obviously have to sell Strand Boulevard,” he said, referring to their place in an affluent neighborhood north of downtown Copenhagen.
    Yes, and either buy somewhere out in Hvidovre or smack-dab on City Hall Square, depending on which direction things go , Louise thought, picturing one of the beautiful old brick buildings with ornate, wrought-iron balconies near the fancy hotels across from City Hall. But he was right. You had to adapt.
    “How about you?” he asked, lighting a cigarette. “Did you keep the apartment after Peter moved out?” She nodded.
    “That was my place when I was single too, before he moved in,” she reminded him.
    He smiled.
    “Ah, right. And do you think there will be two names on the door again at some point?”
    She shook her head and loosened up a bit. There weren’t many colleagues she felt like inviting into her private life, but back when Louise and Søren used to be partners, he had managed to break down her barriers, and she felt a little of their old familiarity starting to rekindle.
    “At first Peter wanted to move back in. Or, I don’t fucking know exactly what he wanted, but in any case he had second thoughts about the breakup at one point.”
    When Peter had dumped her for someone else after eight years together, Louise had told her partner, Søren, everything. It was some other girl Peter worked with. Then shortly after he had moved in with that girl, Louise found him standing in the stairwell outside her place again, asking if they couldn’t work things out after all.
    “I just couldn’t,” Louise said. “And when I thought the whole thing through carefully, I came to see that the right thing had happened—it probably should’ve even happened a little sooner!”
    Søren nodded, but at the same time asked if she wasn’t saying that with the benefit of hindsight.
    She shrugged.
    “I spent a whole month with Camilla and her son in the South of France. We rented a little house and sat gazing out over the water drinking Kir and discussing everything that had happened to us at the start of that summer. I don’t think I’m seeing it this way only because he’s gone. We were too different and we wanted different things from our lives.”
    She got lost in her thoughts for a bit while he nodded.
    “Yes, but it can be hard to get perspective on stuff like this while you’re in the middle of it, especially if two people’s everyday routines seem to work without major conflicts.”
    She conceded his point, but reminded him that there had been a few clear signs along the way.
    “For example, I never thought about joining him when he would fly to Aberdeen for work.”
    “Well, you’re not exactly the archetype of the follow-him-loyally-at-his-heels housewife,” Søren replied dryly.
    “No, but I probably would have gone with him if he’d been the most important thing in my world,” she said, taking a sip of her beer.
    “Do you miss him?”
    She nodded.
    “I miss him as a person, but I don’t miss our life together.”
    “Incidentally, what happened with Camilla after that arrest down in Roskilde? Is she still together with that guy’s brother?”
    Louise shook her head and