Chapter 54 Harriet
FIFTY-FOUR
HARRIET
Marcus surges from his chair when I storm into his office. “Harriet. Are you okay?”
Since climbing into my car, I’ve worked on auto-pilot, mind racing through a thousand different scenarios as to why Warren didn’t tell me about Alison.
“I need to see Warren,” I say breathlessly, hands shaking.
“Sit first.” Marcus rounds the table and offers me a chair. “He isn’t here. They left for a call about twenty minutes ago. If something is wrong with you or the baby, I can get him back here ASAP.”
I shake my head, trying to catch my breath. I’d suspected he wasn’t here when my calls went straight to voicemail. “We’re both fine. I just really need to speak to him.”
He hands me a bottle of water from the mini-fridge next to his desk and sits in the chair opposite me. The plastic crinkles in my fist as I down the ice-cold contents.
Marcus is Warren’s oldest friend, his brother-in-law and closest confidant. Was he the best man at their wedding? Does he know why Warren kept Alison’s death a secret? Why, as Diana put it, is today so rough for him?
I know the answer to the last question and ask it aloud anyway.
“Today is the anniversary of Alison’s death?”
Marcus doesn’t flinch at my bluntness. “It is, yes.”
“I was performing at an anniversary lunch,” I start. “In between sets, I was on the phone with my friend, and we got talking about Warren. When the call ended, a guest approached me. She told me she worked with Alison.”
Confusion trickles into Marcus’s features. “Did she say anything else?”
I curl my lips over my teeth to stop them from shaking. “She told me about Alison. She did.”
Cold realization freezes over Marcus’s face. “Fuck. Fuck, Harriet—”
“I shouldn’t be here. I’m sorry for barging in like this.” I go to stand when Marcus lays a gentle hand on my forearm, stopping me.
“You should be here.” He curses under his breath again and rubs at his eyes aggressively. “He told me you knew about her.”
I swallow. “Only that they haven’t been together for eight years and she left him.” Embarrassment floods my face at how little I know about Warren’s past. Have I been na?ve in not pressing him on certain topics, when, in reality, his closet is overflowing with skeletons?
“That’s all true. They were married for five years and were happy—for the most part.
From an insider’s perspective, they never really meshed.
They both had very different views on how their lives should go.
Warren wanted to progress in his career while Alison couldn’t understand it.
Her parents came from old money, and in her eyes, Warren didn’t need to work the long hours.
” He tilts his head, deliberating his next words.
“They grew apart, which caused Warren to throw himself into his job. He’d admit it wasn’t the best reaction, and perhaps he knew their marriage was over.
They tried counseling, but eventually, it all became too much for them.
Warren isn’t faultless here.” He sucks in a breath.
“I won’t make excuses or try to explain why he didn’t tell you, but Warren’s complicated.
He’s built a prison around himself and refused to let anyone in for years.
He lost a part none of us ever thought he’d find again.
Until you.” He takes my hand, squeezing gently.
“If you hadn’t come into his life, I don’t know if we would’ve ever gotten the old Warren back. ”
Emotion swells in my chest as all the missing pieces fall into place. “She died in a car accident, didn’t she? The same accident he attended to before being diagnosed with PTSD?”
He nods. “I was there. It’s best Warren tells you the rest of the story, but please know he cares for you, Harriet. So much.”
I nod in understanding. “Can I wait here until he returns?”
“Of course. I’ll take you to the break room—” The phone on Marcus’s desk vibrates, and he holds up a hand. “Sorry, one second.”
He answers, and immediately, his face turns ashen. “Where? They’re on their way? Fuck, no. I’ll send another crew out and meet you there.”
A nauseating sixth-sense tells me the next words out of Marcus’s mouth will only fuel the heartache of this already taxing day.
“There’s been an accident. Warren’s on the way to the hospital.”