Читать книгу The Wife – Part Four: Till Death Do Us Part - ML Roberts - Страница 7

‘Can you see it now, Ellie?’

He’s talking, but I’m not listening. I’m tuning him out, letting his voice fade into the background.

‘Can you see what’s happening?’

Why is he here? I’m almost sure I told him I wanted to be alone, so why is he in my kitchen?

‘You need to go, Liam.’

‘I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving you alone, not now.’

I raise my head slowly to look at him. ‘Why? What are you scared of? Do you think I’m going to do something stupid? Is that it?’

‘No…’

‘Then you can go, can’t you?’

‘Come home with me, Ellie. Please.’

I shake my head. I want to be on my own. For the first time in a long time I actually want to be alone, in this house.

He comes over to me, takes hold of my wrists and unfolds my arms. He takes my hands in his, his grip tight around my fingers.

‘I don’t think you should stay here. This house, it isn’t good for you.’

‘It’s my home.’

‘Pack a few things and come back to mine. Please, Ellie.’

I tug my hands free of his and walk over to the counter. I pour myself a large measure of whisky, but before I can drink it he’s taken the glass from me. Poured the whisky down the sink.

‘What the hell are you doing?’

‘Pack a bag and come home with me.’

‘Just go, Liam. Please.’

‘She’s pregnant, Ellie. You saw that, right? You saw Michael, with her…’

I swing around and stare at him. I’m tired of him now, I don’t want him here. I need to think. ‘We don’t know the baby is his.’

‘Jesus, Ellie, come on…!’

He rakes a hand through his hair, throws his head back and sighs heavily.

‘You want it to be true, don’t you? You want to believe that my husband is sleeping with her, that he got her pregnant, you want that to be true. Why, Liam? Because you think that’ll make me stop loving him? Make me run to you…?’

‘You’ve already run to me, Ellie.’ He moves a little closer, reaches out to touch my cheek. ‘And you didn’t do that for the hell of it. You did it for a reason, you’re just too scared to admit it.’

‘You need to go. Please.’

He pulls his hand back, steps away from me, but his eyes remain fixed on mine. ‘I love you, have you got that yet? I love you so much, and I won’t let him do this to you. I won’t let him hurt you like this.’

I say nothing. I just keep staring at him, hoping he’ll get the message. That he’ll leave, I really do need to be alone now.

‘This is killing you, he is killing you, and I can’t stand by and watch him do that.’

Still, I remain silent. I want him to go, I can’t think with him here, he’s too much of a distraction.

‘Ellie?’

I shake my head. He needs to go. And he does, eventually. But I wait until I hear his car leave the driveway before I move, before I head into the hall, pull the bolts across the door. Make myself safe. And as soon as that’s done I lean back against the wall, close my eyes, and take a second to breathe. A second to let what I saw today sink in.

Her.

Ava.

Pregnant.

My husband, holding her in his arms, her fingers clinging onto his jacket. She’d looked upset. Scared. She should be.

My eyes spring open and I stare at the door. I glance at the security monitor. I look down at my left hand, at the wedding band there on my third finger. A symbol of those vows Michael and I made to each other.

To have and to hold.

For better, for worse.

In sickness and in health.

Till death do us part…

They mean something, those vows. We said them, and we meant them. All of them.

Didn’t we, Michael…?