Chapter 57
Kitty turned the corner to the cottage and gasped. Two men were fighting in the street outside her house. She sprinted up to them.
‘Nick! James! What on earth is going on here?’
Both ignored her. James ducked, threw another punch, and clipped Nick’s ear with a swift right hook. Kitty barged between them, rounding on James. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing? What’s going on?’
James fell back, panting, glaring at Nick, who stood massaging his ear. Blood ran down Nick’s face.
‘This idiot,’ James spluttered, ‘came round here accusing me of all sorts. I’m not having someone barging into my home making unfounded allegations.’
‘Your home?’ Kitty jumped on the phrase, eyes wide with shock. ‘Your home? This cottage has nothing to do with you. This is my home, remember?’
‘Oh, come off it, Kitty. We’re back together. What’s yours is mine, as the saying goes.’
Zoe’s words echoed in Kitty’s mind: You need to get James out of your life, out of your house.
‘No,’ said Kitty. ‘No.’ She said it more loudly and crossed her arms. ‘You barged in here and made me question myself like you always do. You fed me a pack of lies, and now you think you get to call this cottage your own?’
Kitty cut off James’s response by turning to Nick. ‘And as for you,’ she held out her hands in frustration, ‘what do you think you’re doing, coming round here to play the hero again? Haven’t I told you I don’t need saving?’
‘You could’ve fooled me,’ Nick growled, pointing to James.
‘He seems to have his feet firmly under the table, from what he’s been telling me.
What was I to you?’ he asked, petulant. ‘A bit of entertainment? Honestly, Kitty, how could you go back to someone like that? He told me you’ve given up on the play. ’
Kitty spun around to James. ‘I’ve done nothing of the sort! Why would you tell him that?’ Her pulse thudded, her fury at being played like a fish on a line filling her chest.
‘I thought I’d made you see sense,’ said James, rubbing his bruised knuckles.
‘For a moment.’ Kitty spat out the words. ‘For a moment, you did make me question myself. And yes, perhaps I was considering pulling out. Now?’ She shook her head. ‘Forget it.’
‘Stop being ridiculous, Catherine.’ James reached for her hand, and she stepped swiftly out of his reach. ‘Come inside,’ he demanded.
‘No,’ said Kitty, not moving. ‘I want you to collect your things, and I want you to go.’
‘Catherine, don’t.’ A pleading note entered James’s voice. ‘Don’t do this. You’ll be making a huge mistake. What about Rae? She needs you. If you cut me out of your life, you’re cutting her out too.’ He gazed at her with puppy eyes. ‘Would you be so unkind to a sick child?’
‘A sick child?’ Kitty pulled out her phone and waved it in James’s face.
‘I’ve spoken to Zoe. She’s told me everything.
There’s nothing wrong with Rae. The photo you showed me from the hospital was taken months ago.
’ The fury bubbled up her throat. What kind of monster used their own child to get what they want?
‘You lied to me. You conned me like you always have.’ Kitty pointed to the door.
‘Get your things and get the hell out of here.’
‘Come on, Catherine. See sense…’
Nick pushed past Kitty and squared up to James. ‘You heard what she said. Get your bags. And go.’
‘Hold on a minute,’ said James, palms up to fend off Nick. ‘I can’t just leave. My car’s in the garage. I’ve got nowhere else to go.’
‘Do I care?’ said Kitty, and found she didn’t, not one jot. ‘Perhaps on the long walk to London, you’ll have time to think about your actions. Get your stuff. Now. If I have to ask again, I’m calling the police and telling them I’ve got an intruder.’
‘You wouldn’t,’ said James.
‘I would,’ said Kitty. ‘You’ve pushed me too far this time, James. Using Rae to get to me was a low blow, even for you.’ She hovered her thumb over her phone. ‘Now, am I going to make that call?’
James glanced from Kitty to Nick to the phone. ‘I’ll go,’ he said tightly. ‘But don’t think this is over.’
‘Actually,’ said Kitty, ‘it is over. I’ve had enough of you ruining my life.
’ She stood squarely in the road, hands on her hips.
‘If you want to come down here and leave notes on my windscreen or follow me, so be it. Of course, I will report you for stalking. Just be aware I refuse to let you get to me anymore, James. We’re over.
’ She paused, took a breath, realising the truth.
‘We were over the moment I walked out of our London home and left you, and my old life, behind. The sooner you get that into your head, the better. I’ve moved on. You can’t control me anymore.’
‘You’ll regret this,’ said James, storming into the house. ‘You’ll all regret this.’
Kitty and Nick waited on the pavement in awkward silence.
Five minutes later, James barged through the door, bag in hand. ‘This isn’t the last you’ll hear from me,’ he said.
‘It had better be,’ said Kitty. ‘And if it’s not, you’ll need to contact me through my lawyers.’
‘Your lawyers?’ said James.
‘Yes,’ said Kitty. ‘I’ll be instructing a local firm to begin divorce proceedings. I don’t want a thing from you, but if you choose to make my life difficult, I’ll go for everything I can get. The choice is yours. Goodbye, James.’
Kitty stormed past her ex-husband and into the cottage, a mix of emotions swirling through her – relief, anger, shame she had been fooled once more.
The strongest emotion was pride. Pride that she’d finally stood up to the man who’d bullied her for so long. Pride that she’d finally put a stop to his manipulation.
She pulled a bottle of wine from the fridge, and when she turned to collect a glass from the cupboard, she found Nick hovering in the kitchen doorway.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked tentatively.
‘Yeah. Fine,’ said Kitty. She set the glass on the countertop and unscrewed the wine bottle. She wasn’t sure she could deal with Nick at this moment.
‘I’m sorry if you feel like I stepped…’ he began.
‘It’s not about what I feel,’ said Kitty, whipping around, bottle in hand.
‘It’s what you did. You were like a pair of schoolboys fighting in the playground.
Both of you out to prove who was the most macho.
’ She huffed. ‘It had nothing to do with me or my feelings, and everything to do with your own male pride. I told you I needed space, Nick. I thought you’d respect that. ’
‘You’ve sent James packing. That’s good,’ said Nick. ‘Doesn’t that mean we…?’
‘There is no we,’ said Kitty. ‘Don’t you understand, Nick?
I need time to sort my head out. I need to figure out who I am.
This strange mix of Catherine, Kitty, who I was…
who I became… and who I’ll be in the future.
’ She lifted the bottle in emphasis. ‘I can’t do that if I rush straight into a new relationship. Can you appreciate that?’
‘I get it,’ said Nick. He shuffled his feet, stared down at them, then lifted his head. ‘I’ll be waiting, Kitty. If you ever change your mind.’
Before she could reply, he walked away. The door closed gently rather than the slam she was expecting, and Kitty wondered if she’d done the right thing… or whether she’d thrown away a golden opportunity.