Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
When Gwen pulled into her condo driveway that Monday morning, she saw that her husband’s vehicle was parked on the street outside. She was confused as to why he was there. They mostly communicated over the phone these days. She hadn’t seen him in weeks. It was strange to go so long without talking after being married for decades.
She met him outside the apartment complex, unlocked the gate, and let him in.
“Hi, Duncan. What brings you over to this side of town?”
He carried a folder beneath one arm and nodded at her awkwardly. He was obviously as uncomfortable with their new arrangement as she was. There was no hug or kiss—it was very strange. But this was how things would be, and Gwen would get used to it.
“I wanted to go over the divorce papers with you in person. You still haven’t signed, and I guess I’d like to know what’s holding you up.”
She could see he was doing his best not to lose his temper. She hated it when he yelled at her, and he didn’t want to jeopardise his chance to get her to sign. The truth was, she was ready. She and Chris had gone over the finances a dozen times, and she was happy with the outcome. He would get the house in Wanaka, and she would get Fall’s Creek. They both loved to ski, so it made sense to divide those properties, one each.
She led him to the lift, and they caught it up to her flat. She let him in and offered him a seat at the kitchen table. He glanced around with a surprised look on his face.
“Can I get you a cup of tea?” she asked.
He sat and nodded. “Thanks. That would be great.” He laid the folder out on the table. “I didn’t picture you living somewhere like this.”
She filled the kettle with water. “Like what?”
“Is there room for all the grandkids?”
“It’s enough for one person, and I have two guest rooms. Besides, I love the view. You can see the waves from my balcony.”
“As long as you’re happy, I suppose.”
“I will be,” she replied. The truth was, she was still adjusting. She hoped that at some point in the future, she’d find happiness again. But for now, she was doing her best to survive this new existence she’d been catapulted into against her wishes.
“How is Clarissa?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Haven’t seen her in a while. I’m dating someone new. Samantha.”
“Samantha?”
He smiled. “She’s Brazilian.”
“Oh, that’s nice.” What else could she say? He’d left her for Clarissa, and now he had moved on to someone else. “I thought you had something special with Clarissa. Wasn’t she meant to be the love of your life?”
“I thought so too, but apparently she only wanted me for my money.”
“Who would’ve imagined?” she murmured with a little more sarcasm than she’d intended.
He didn’t take the bait, but his face turned a shade of red she recognised. It meant he was angry, but he held it in. He wanted her to sign the papers. She knew it, but she wouldn’t do that until he was ready to leave. Otherwise, she’d have to deal with his bad temper.
She poured two cups of tea and set one in front of him. Then she added a plate of shortbread. She knew how much he liked it, and despite everything that had happened, and was happening, between them, she hoped to keep things friendly. They shared four children. They would always be family. And she didn’t need any friction between the two of them to cause problems for everyone else.
“Thanks,” he said. He reached for a biscuit and took a bite. “You’ve always made the best shortbread.”
She smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Let’s get these papers signed.” He opened the folder and pushed a copy of the divorce papers towards her.
She sighed and took a sip of tea. “Sure, in a moment. I wanted to ask you about something. When you initially filed, you didn’t include all of your financial assets. In fact, you made it seem as though you were in debt and hardly had a penny to your name. It was only after Chris went back and forth with you repeatedly that you finally added the other assets to the pool. Why is that? What are you trying to do?”
He frowned and brushed the biscuit crumbs from his hands onto his plate. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I overlooked a few things. It’s not a big deal. Besides, I worked hard for my money. It doesn’t seem right that I hand over half of it just because you decided to leave me.”
Her eyes widened. Decided to leave him? He really had a revisionist view of the past. She was often surprised by his perspective on things. It very rarely ever matched her own.
“I didn’t simply decide to leave you out of the blue, Duncan. You had an affair. You left me, really. You left our marriage. You were the one who chose to walk away from our vows to one another.”
“We could’ve stayed married. I told you that.”
She shook her head. “That’s not marriage, Duncan. That’s you lying and pretending to care about me, with me living in a fantasy world.”
“I care about you. You know I do. I always have.”
“I need you to love me. To treat me with respect. And you weren’t able to do that. And the assets that we built together as a married couple aren’t yours alone. It’s not your money—it’s our money. We were a team for a very long time. You changed that.”
His face grew redder still. “I’m not going to get into this with you. You won. You get the prize. Congratulations. Just sign the papers.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I won?”
“You know what I mean.”
She had a sudden moment of clarity—he was never going to understand her point of view. Never going to see things through her eyes. He didn’t realise how much he’d hurt her and didn’t seem to care enough to try. There was no point in arguing with him. The only thing she could do now was to move on. She no longer cared what Duncan Prince thought of her.
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll sign.”
She reached for the papers. He handed her a pen, and she signed her name. Then he signed as well.
“Don’t we have to get it witnessed?” she asked.
He huffed. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Okay. Whatever you say, Duncan.”
And then he left, taking the papers with him. It was over. She was divorced. She no longer had a husband. The thought left her reeling. She went out onto the balcony with her cup of tea and sat, watching the waves roll to shore over and over, her mind blank.
An hour later, it was getting cold. A wind blew in from the east, and the sun dipped towards the horizon. Gwen went back inside and checked her emails. There was a message from the architect. He’d sent through a sketch of the changes they’d discussed.
She clicked on the file, and it opened on her laptop screen. It looked amazing. A few things needed revision, but otherwise, she was very happy with it. Now that the divorce was finalised, she could proceed with the purchase. And she was glad she’d gone ahead and commissioned the architect early so they’d be ready to apply for permits and get going with the construction as soon as possible.
She picked up the phone and called the real estate agent. “Hi, it’s Gwen. I’m ready to finalise the contract on the old bed-and-breakfast. Let’s make it happen.”