Chapter 71
Together William and Amir have managed to steer Pontus down the stairs and into bed. Meanwhile Olivia has cleared away after dinner. She is so tired that she sways as she finishes loading the dishwasher, and has to grab hold of the kitchen counter to stop herself from losing her balance.
It is only nine thirty in the evening, but she has never felt so exhausted.
Or despairing.
Emil is resting on the sofa with a blanket over him when William comes back upstairs. There is no sign of Amir.
William joins Olivia, leaning back against the counter.
“Pontus is more or less unconscious. There’s no chance of him waking up before tomorrow morning, and when he does, he’s going to feel like shit. That’s if he even remembers what he’s done.”
But Olivia remembers. She will never forget how helpless she felt as she tugged at Pontus, trying to pull him away from Emil.
“He isn’t usually violent; I’ve never seen him fight before,” William goes on.
“It’s just that the last few days have been too much.
” He takes a lemon out of the fruit bowl, examines it for a few seconds, then puts it back.
“It won’t help matters if the police arrest Pontus for assault, not after everything that’s happened. ”
“He could have killed Emil if you and Amir hadn’t intervened. Have you thought about that?”
William might be prepared to gloss over Pontus’s behavior, and Emil seems ready to forgive him because he feels guilty about the laptop, but Olivia isn’t there yet—not by a long way.
However, she doesn’t have the energy to keep discussing the matter.
It’s too late; she’s too tired. So she puts a tablet in the dishwasher and switches it on.
When she turns around, William is standing very close. He reaches out and draws her to him.
“Listen,” he says quietly. “I’m sorry about . . . today. How things went. I shouldn’t have left you like that.”
At least that’s one thing they agree on.
“So why did you do it?” she mumbles into his chest. “Why didn’t you wait for me?”
William pushes her away a fraction.
“I got annoyed when you just . . . took over. I thought if you wanted to be in charge, I’d leave you to it.” He plants a kiss on her forehead. “It was stupid. Forgive me.”
Another kiss. He smells good; she has always liked his smell.
“The two of us need to stick together,” he adds. “Especially when everyone around us has lost the plot.”
He nuzzles her ear, and for a second it feels as if nothing has changed.
“Again, I’m sorry. I really mean it.”
It would be so nice to melt into his arms, hide there, and yet . . . Where was he when she needed him? Is everything supposed to be okay just because he’s whispering sweet nothings?
The way he let her down in the ravine is like a thorn in her heart.
The fear still lingers. The anger.
And why was he so quick to make excuses for Pontus? She is finding that hard to deal with too.
Okay, so William has apologized for today, but Olivia doesn’t know if she can trust him anymore. The last few days have been horrific, without any support or consolation on his part. He didn’t stick up for her when Amir treated her like shit, or when they were skiing today.
If he’s behaved that way once, he can do it again.
“I’m going to bed,” she says.
“Wouldn’t you rather stay here instead?”
William tries to keep her there, gently caressing her hair, but Olivia pulls away. She can’t shake off the idea that this is actually about something else.
That William has a hidden agenda.