And Then There Was You (10 page)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Everything started to make sense. I felt like such a fool. It had been right in front of me, the whole time. There I was, trying so hard not to be with the man I loved more than anyone else, while his wife was busy screwing my husband.

I laughed as I drove through the busy streets, not really taking any notice where I was going. Soon I found myself out of town and speeding down country lanes. Eventually I recognised a road I'd only been down once in my life. I switched on the indicator and turned in, driving until I came upon a large set of gates. I parked the car just as it began to rain, not that I cared.

I walked through the little pedestrian gate beside the larger one and headed up the driveway until I stood in front of the large manor house that used to belong to Adam's Nana Grove. He wasn't there, of course, but I just didn't want to go home. So I sat on the grass in front of the house. After a couple of minutes I lay down, facing up to the grey clouds that were dumping water all over me. Tears blended with the droplets of rain, and I shouted at the top of my voice, 'Fuck you! Fuck all of you!'

After about half an hour, I got to my feet and danced in the rain like some kind of crazy woman.

The sound of a car coming up the driveway scared the life out of me and I stopped abruptly, almost falling over from dizziness.

A very pretty woman, about my age, with dark curly hair climbed out and walked towards me. 'I'm guessing you're Eve,' she said.

I nodded breathlessly.

'We figured you might come here. Come on,' she said, putting her arm around my shoulders and leading me towards the main entrance. She pulled out the same set of keys that Adam had used a few months earlier, and I just stood, soaked to the bone, like a corpse. Not saying a word. Not moving a muscle. 'Eve,' she said. 'Let me get you a towel.'

Disappearing for a minute, she returned with a huge white towel which she gently placed over my shoulders. 'Come on.'

I followed her through into the large country kitchen, where she opened a cupboard and poured two glasses of wine.

'Come and sit down,' she instructed, handing me the drink. 'I'm Lisa,' she smiled.

'Lisa,' I whispered. 'Adam's ex?'

She nodded with a smile, taking a long sip of her drink.

'Why are you being so nice to me?'

'Adam is very dear to me. I will always love him – not in that way though, don't worry.'

'I don't understand. How did you know who I was? I was acting like some kind of insane person. You should have called the police or something. I would've done.'

'Adam called me when he left the hospital. He was in a bit of a state, as you can imagine. He was worried about you.'

'He was?'

'Of course, Eve.'

'Then why didn't he come?'

'I told him not to,' she stated, pushing the wine in front of me. 'Drink. It'll help.'

I took a long swig. 'I don't suppose you've got something stronger?'

Lisa laughed and stood up. 'Sure. Brandy? Whisky?'

'Brandy, please,' I said gratefully.

'The good stuff is in the bar. Give me a sec. On second thoughts, let's go and sit in there, I can put the fire on. You'll be able to get drier quicker. We wouldn't want you to get a cold, now.'

Nodding, I stood up and followed her, with the towel dragging along the floor behind me.

'I told him not to come because I was worried he'd end up crashing the car or something. He's already started on the brandy too.' She smiled reassuringly, looking behind her as we walked through the vast lounge. 'So I told him I'd come and find you.'

'But how did you know to come here?'

'Adam waited for you to come home, and when you didn't, he just had a feeling this is where you would come. He was right. He's often right about you. It's like a sixth sense, or something.'

'It is?' I whispered, warming myself in front of the grand gas fire that looked more like a real log fire.

'All those holidays you went on and he just happened to be there at the same time?'

'He told you about that?'

Lisa nodded. 'It's fate, trying to get the two of you together.'

'You think so?' I asked, as I started to feel a little woozy.

She nodded. 'Don't you?'

'Just a series of bizarre coincidences, probably.'

'Oh Eve. You're even called Eve and he's called Adam. How many coincidences do you want?

'How about his wife having my husband's baby?'

Lisa chuckled bitterly. 'Well, yes, that's a cruel twist of fate, that is.'

'You can say that again. Especially on account of my ovaries and womb being cut out of me ten years ago.' I snorted.

'Oh really? Honey, I'm so sorry. I didn't know about that. That's awful.'

'It's all so fucked up,' I added, looking into the fake fire, my eyes getting heavy.

'You can say that again.'

'What now?' I asked. 'What happens now?'

Lisa looked puzzled. 'Isn't it obvious?'

'Should it be?'

'You and Adam live happily ever after.'

I shook my head. 'I don't think so.'

'Why ever not, Eve?'

'Everything's too fucked up for us to be happy. How can we possibly be happy after all this shit? It's like one of those crazy movies, for God's sake.'

'You're right about that,' Lisa said, leaning back in her seat before asking, 'but you love him, don't you?'

'That's not important anymore.'

'Of course it is.'

I shook my head. 'Lisa, you really are sweet, but life isn't all buttercups and fairies. I can't live with myself like this, not at the moment.'

'Christ, Eve. Don't do anything crazy, woman.'

I laughed and turned to look up at her from where I was hugging my knees to my chest on the floor. 'Don't worry, I wasn't thinking about hanging myself or anything. I just think I need some time on my own, you know? Maybe I need a break away from everyone. To get my head together. Think about what I want for myself. Think about my future, you know?'

'Yes, I do. I understand perfectly, and I think that's actually quite a good idea. But for now, I think you and Adam need to talk. Actually, I think you and Adam need to do more than talk.' She winked.

'God, this is just so bizarre,' I said.

'What's that?'

'You suggesting I need to have a hot and steamy sex session with your ex-husband.'

Lisa threw her head backwards and laughed a long throaty laugh. 'Eve, I do like you, and personally, I think you and Adam are perfect for each other.'

A deep sigh escaped from my lips, and I smiled before it turned into a grimace, recalling the look on Matt's face as he turned around to reveal he'd become a father with another woman.

This time it was a sob that escaped my lips and tears began to fall again.

'It's okay, honey. Just let it all out. Let me pour you another drink. You can stay here, tonight. I'll stay too, if you like. Or I can leave you alone, if you prefer?'

'Stay, please stay,' I sobbed.

She nodded and gently squeezed my shoulder.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Lisa held my hair back as I puked into the toilet bowl for the fourth time the following morning. I was no longer embarrassed. We'd stayed up drinking for much of the night, but finally called it a night at about three, or so she told me. I’d had way too much to drink; I felt dismal. I would have preferred to stay in bed and hide myself under the covers for the rest of the day, but Lisa insisted I face the world. She was right, of course. I had to do it. I had to start making changes to my life so that I could continue it on my own. Become my own independent woman.

I'd been too drunk to think about it all last night, and too hungover this morning, but I knew I had to go home. Sooner rather than later.

Lisa was an absolute angel. She really cared. I had other friends, of course but none that I could talk to the way we had talked the night before. Overnight, she'd become my new best friend.

I hugged her at the door and thanked her profusely for everything.

'Will you be alright?' she asked, as she locked the front door.

'Probably not,' I said, holding my stomach.

'You gonna be sick again?' she asked.

I shook my head. 'No, I don't think so.'

'Well, you've got my number and email now, so if you need to talk, any time, just call me. And I wrote down my address and put it in your pocket, so you can pop by any time. Remember that, Eve. We're going to be good pals, from now on, and I don't want you to have to go through any more shit on your own, you got it?' she asked, like only a mum would. Probably because she'd raised two really good kids of her own.

I nodded. 'Lisa, thank you for everything. Well, I'd better go and face the music.'

'You'll be okay. Call me later, okay?'

I nodded as I walked back down the driveway to my car. Shivering, I climbed in. It was freezing, so I whacked up the heating and slowly reversed back down the rest of the driveway, turning around at the bottom, before I drove back onto the main road and headed home.

As I eventually turned into my own driveway, I noticed Adam's bedroom blinds were still closed. He'd probably be sleeping off his own hangover.

Matt's car was parked, badly, just off the kerb and I cursed under my breath. I didn't want to see him. I hated him so much at that moment, and I would have preferred to rid myself of the feeling before I confronted him. But that wasn't going to happen. I got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Pushing it open, I found Matt sitting on the floor by the bottom of the stairs. My hatred fell away the second I laid eyes on him.

His face was filled with so much remorse; he was racked with guilt. How could I be so angry with him when I had been fighting my own feelings about Adam?

'Eve,' he cried, standing up. 'I didn't know if you'd come back. I was worried sick. I called you so many times.'

I dropped my handbag onto the hallway floor. 'I know. I threw the phone in the back of the car. I couldn't talk to you, Matt.'

'Evie, babe,' he said, carefully lifting his hand to move a stray hair out of my eye. 'I'm sorry. I should have told you everything. I should have come clean. We both know things haven't been right between us for so long, but this... this was... unforgivable. I'm so sorry. Charlie hates herself right now, too.'

'Yeah, I know how that feels,' I said pushing his hand away and walking into the kitchen. I went towards the kettle but Matt carefully pushed me aside and made me sit down.

'Let me do it. Tea with a little milk, right? I should make it sweet, yeah?' he said kindly.

I nodded. 'Not too sweet. I've spent the past couple of hours hugging the toilet bowl.'

'Oh, babe.'

I held my hand up. 'Please don't call be babe anymore, Matt. It just seems wrong.'

'Yeah, okay. I get it.'

'So how long has it been going on?' I asked, not really wanting to know, but needing to nonetheless.

He stiffened and turned to face me. 'You don't want to know, Eve. You're better off not knowing all the details.'

I shook my head. 'I need to, Matt. I don't want to, I just need to know. Just tell me and get it over with.'

He slowly nodded. 'It was instant between us. The moment she came over that night, when they came to introduce themselves. It was like I'd been hit by a bus or something. It was the same for her.'

I nodded; I knew what that was like.

'But we tried to fight it, ba... Eve. We did try, but it was just so strong...'

'Or you were too weak?'

'Yeah, probably a bit of that, too. I'm so sorry. I hope one day you'll forgive us both. We didn't mean for this to happen. And then, then she...'

'Got pregnant?'

He stiffened again and nodded.

'Why didn't you tell us then, Matt? It was cruel to let Adam think the baby was his. Cruel.'

'I know, but we didn't know. We didn't know if it was mine or Adam's.'

'Well, we certainly don't need a DNA test to prove paternity, do we? I saw the baby, Matt. It looks exactly like you.'

'Yes, she does,' he whispered.

'She? It's a girl?' I asked, as a lone tear began to bulge out of the inner corner of my eye and dropped suddenly down the side of my nose.

'Yes, a little girl.' He smiled.

'Does she have a name?' I asked.

'Charlie has an idea, but I'm not sure it's the right thing to do. We wanted to run it by you first.'

'Why me?'

'Charlie knows that you can't have children so she wants to call her... Evelyn.'

'Oh Matt that's kind of twisted, don't you think? But kind of sweet too, I guess. God, this is so fucked up.'

'I know.'

'What are we going to do?' I asked, not really thinking.

Matt shrugged. 'What do you want to do?'

'Well, we'll have to start divorce proceedings, naturally,' I said matter-of-factly. 'And we'll have to sell the house.'

'Yes, yes,' he said.

'I'm so confused at the moment, Matt. I'd really like it if you could leave the house for a while. Actually, no. I'm going to leave,' I said, thinking about Adam right next door. I needed to get away from everyone.

'No, you don't need to. I'll pack my things and go. Give you some time.'

I held my hand up, 'No, I'll go and stay with Mum and Dad for a while. Perhaps, while I'm there, you can put the house on the market. It shouldn't take long to sell. I'll give the lawyer Power of Attorney so you can sell to the first person who shows any interest. I'll pack my things before I go,' I said, speaking more to myself than to Matt. I was hiding my emotion, thinking solely on a practical level. 'You'll have to have the cat. She can't come with me.'

'Absolutely. Anything, Eve. Anything. Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it.'

I want you to rewind time and not have a baby with the fucking neighbou
r
, screamed the devil on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off and just smiled sadly. 'Yes, yes.'

'I'll leave for a few days while you pack. Just call me and let me know when your flight is. I could take you to the airport, if you like?'

I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes. 'No, I want to leave now. Right now. Let me throw a few things together and you can drive me straight to the airport.'

Matt looked at me, his eyes wide with surprise, 'Are you sure?' he asked.

I nodded, I wasn't sure about anything, anymore. All I knew is that I wanted to leave. I wanted to get out of that house, away from them, away from their baby, away from my life as I knew it.

oOo

'Hey, Lisa, it's me.'

'Hey, babe. How are you feeling?'

'Not great. I just wanted to ring you and let you know what I'm doing. I've decided to go and see my parents for a while. I need to get away, you know?'

'I know, hon. I understand. When are you leaving?'

'I'm at the airport right now.'

Lisa chuckled on the other end of the phone. 'You don't mess about, do you?'

'If I gave it too much thought, I'd probably just carry on as normal, and I don't want that.'

'Of course not, and you shouldn't just plod on, either. You deserve a life, Eve. Happiness.'

'Happiness? What is that? I've forgotten what it feels like.'

'Oh babe. You'll feel it again. You just need some time, I guess.'

'Time on my own, yeah. I think it'll do me good.'

'Absolutely. Have you seen Matt yet?' she asked.

I nodded. 'Yeah, he was waiting for me at the house.'

'And?'

'He was distraught.'

'He was distraught? What about you, Eve?'

'I just don't know, Lisa. I don't know anything, anymore. You should have seen the look in his eyes. He's devastated about what he's done to me. I could see that.'

'Well, he bloody well should be, that asshole,' she said, and I chuckled. 'Hey, are you sure you're going to be okay?'

'No, not really, but I'll figure this out. Look, I'd better go, my flight's boarding already.'

'Okay, honey. Ring me in a few days and let me know how you are, okay?'

'I will, and Lisa?'

'Yeah, hon?'

'Thanks for being such a great friend.'

'Always here you for you, babe. Try and get some rest. Speak soon.'

I hung up the phone and smiled before I headed towards my departure gate.