Chapter 19 #2
‘Look at all those stars.’ Maddie pointed upwards in a bid to distract her charge. ‘Without pollution it’s incredible how bright they shine. I’m sure that’s Orion up there, look?’
She had absolutely no idea, but she was hoping it would prompt Charlotte to say something as she hadn’t spoken for several minutes.
‘It’s much more likely to be Cassiopeia.’
Bullseye.
‘I knew you’d know.’
Charlotte’s ragged breathing had calmed to a more normal level.
Maddie turned to Sofia.
‘Can you get her a glass of water, please?’ She lowered her voice to a whisper while Charlotte stared fixedly at the sky. ‘And bring our drinks over, but not hers. I think we’re going to need them.’
Sofia nodded.
Charlotte had managed to drink most of the water, and the colour had come back into her face while they waited, Maddie was pleased to see.
She and Sofia had grabbed a chair and a blanket each too, and the sound of the sea far away below them was magnified in the night air.
They weren’t going to push Charlotte to talk as she so obviously needed to, but they were giving her the space to do so. Maddie moved any plans to tell her friends about her estranged family and the mess she’d made to the back of her mind. It could wait.
Charlotte murmured something, which Maddie strained forward to hear.
‘OK, Char?’
‘Not really, but I want to talk.’
Maddie leant over to hold one of Charlotte’s hands and Sofia took the other.
‘We’re listening.’
‘Doug has been having an affair for two years… I found out not long before we came away.’
Sofia leapt up out of her seat.
‘No! The bastard. The complete and utter bastard.’
A stare from Maddie made her sit down again.
‘Go on, Char.’
‘He says it’s … over with her for ever. I’m the one he loves, and he doesn’t want our marriage to end. I’ve got these three weeks to decide what I want to do.’
Sofia was on her feet again and pacing the terrace.
‘Leave him of course. How could he betray you like that? I bet it’s some young thing in the office, isn’t it? Keen to get her hands on what she sees as a good bet.’
Charlotte’s tears started to fall again.
‘It’s not, though. That’s the thing. She’s our age, even a couple of years older than us.’
Sofia stopped in her tracks. The bleakness in Charlotte’s eyes was terrifying.
‘You’ve both met her. It’s the office manager, Natalie.’
‘Not that mousy woman we met at your party last summer?’ Sofia came to stand next to Charlotte. ‘You introduced her as your friend.’
Charlotte stared down at the blanket as more tears fell, and the dark blobs stained the fabric.
‘I thought she was my friend…’
‘Oh sweetheart.’ Sofia walked behind the chair and started to massage her friend’s shoulders. ‘What a bitch she must be to be able to look you in the face as if everything was normal.’
‘To be honest, I don’t blame her as much as Doug. At least she’s single. He’s the one who’s married with a family.’
‘I want to kill her. And Doug. I want to kill both of them.’
Maddie indicated towards Sofia’s chair.
‘Can you sit down, Sof? I know you’re angry on Char’s behalf, but I’m not sure how much this talk of murder is helping.’
Charlotte’s voice was weak, but she managed a smile.
‘Thank you for wanting to kill them … I think.’
Sofia sat as she’d been told and tucked the blanket in firmly around her.
‘Sorry. I know I always go off like a rocket about cheating because of what my dad did to my mum, but I really am sad for you.’
‘I know. I’m sad for me too.’
Maddie’s hand was still entwined with her friend’s.
‘Two whole years! Did you have any idea?’
‘No, not until I walked in on them at work…’
Charlotte’s voice trailed away.
‘What? At it full pelt over a desk?’ Sofia couldn’t stop her mouth.
‘Yes, as you say, Sof, “at it full pelt over a desk”.’
Maddie shook her head.
‘What a cliché.’
‘Yes, it showed a distinct lack of imagination on Doug’s part. He could at least have gone for the stationery cupboard.’
Charlotte’s attempt at a joke broke Maddie’s heart. She squeezed her friend’s hand hard.
‘Why didn’t you tell us before? We could have helped you through that first shock.’
‘I just wanted some time to process it all myself first. We were coming away together, and I knew at some point I’d want to talk about it, and that you’d both be there for me when I did… Which you are.’
Sofia held on to the arms of the chair to stop herself getting up again.
‘But we’ve been in Greece for nearly two weeks. How did you hold it in all this time?’
Maddie smiled at Sofia’s indignation.
‘The same way you managed to keep quiet about your being made redundant for a whole week?’
Sofia smiled back.
‘Fair enough. You’ve got me there.’
‘There’s a right time and a right place for everything.’
Charlotte had turned to her with trepidation in her eyes.
‘Also, Mads, I didn’t want to go on about my problems with my husband, who is still very much alive, although a cheating bastard, when I know how much you’re struggling. You made a comment last week about me at least still having a husband…’
‘I’m truly sorry about that. It was a stupid thing to say. Please don’t think I’d ever want you to keep stuff back about your marriage just because Tony isn’t here anymore. He’d be horrified.’
‘He would, wouldn’t he. Lovely Tony.’
‘Look, he wasn’t a saint, but I never had to face what you’re facing. Whatever we can do for you, we’re here.’
Sofia took another big swig of her Cointreau.
‘Are you sure it’s over with Doug and this … cow.’
‘He says it is. I suppose I have to believe him.’
‘Why? And could you ever trust him again?’
Doug being revealed as just another cheat had shaken her to the core. Sofia wasn’t sure she could ever trust a man again, even one who hadn’t been caught in flagrante.
Charlotte’s sigh was heavy, weighed down by a hundred thoughts.
‘I honestly don’t know. I asked him to leave me alone while I was on holiday, to give me time to think, but he’s upping the ante, texting and ringing all the time, telling me how much he loves me, how much he’s missing me and how lonely he is at home.’
‘I bet. Now he’s been found out.’
Maddie reached out and applied pressure to Sofia’s knee.
‘Not sure that’s helpful, Sof. Do the boys know?’
‘God no. As much as I’m furious with Doug, he adores them and has always been a good father. They probably never need to know if, and I say if, I stay with him. But obviously if I don’t, they’ll have to know something. I genuinely hope his relationship with them will carry on much as normal.’
‘That’s incredibly decent of you.’
‘What’s the point of causing more pain? Even though the boys are in their thirties now, they’ll still be devastated if we do divorce. I’ll fight to keep things as amicable as possible if we go down that route, but it won’t be easy.’
Maddie thought about her own desperate situation and how quickly things had fallen apart in the aftermath of Tony’s death. It had only taken her a year to alienate half her family.
‘True. It will be tough for them if you do decide to split for good. It’s not the same as a death, I know, but it’s an ending too. A divorce brings its own fallout for everyone else involved. I’ve seen it with my friends and their kids.’
Maddie snuck a glance at Sofia, who put her hands up.
‘You know my position. No second chances.’ She couldn’t stop the crack in her voice as she carried on speaking.
‘But … it is sad in some ways that I didn’t have any sort of relationship with my dad after his affair.
It did change things forever. If you can somehow keep it friendly, Char, you’ll be doing well. ’
Sofia’s brave face struck at Maddie’s heart too. So much pain caused. And the legacy of her father’s betrayal meant Sofia had never fully trusted another man since, not that she’d dare say that out loud. Plus, it was Charlotte they were dealing with tonight.
Their friend drank the last of her water and hugged them both in turn.
‘Anyway, thanks for letting me talk. I think I’ve drunk myself sober, but I’ve got a long way to go before I decide anything either way.
I know you’re both here for me. But I don’t want to spoil things for everyone and bring us all down.
We’re off to the next island in the morning, which means another week to relax and enjoy ourselves, so please, let’s do just that. ’