‘I will put it to the vendor and get back to you,’ she said. And just like that, it was done. I had to wait in limbo. I never waited for things, and it felt odd to put my future into the hands of others. I had to take my mind off it.
I drove back to Megan’s, thankful she was out working. I needed some time to be alone. As I crossed the threshold, there was a letter on the mat – a folded sheet of paper with my name on – which I bent to pick up. I recognised the writing.
Charlotte,
You’ve made your point now, loud and clear. It’s time to come home. Back to our life together. I’m sorry, I was a complete idiot, I know that, and if I could take it all back, I would. We need to move forward now, for the sake of our family. You need your husband by your side.
James
My fist balled around the note and I squeezed as hard as I could, my fingernails working their way through the paper and cutting into my skin in a mixture of anger and frustration. It wasn’t enough that he’d hurt me and betrayed my trust twice, he was also confusing me – and just when I’d reached the point of moving on and trying to rebuild my life. It would be easy to forgive him again and step back into my old life.
As I stood there in the hallway, my phone buzzed, breaking my thoughts.
‘Mrs Emsworth?’ The name cut me. ‘This is Martha from Heritage Properties. I’m thrilled to tell you that the vendors have accepted your offer.’
‘Th-thank you,’ I said in a daze. She mumbled something about popping in with proof of all my finances and solicitors’ details but my mind was a blur. I was going to buy a house for me and my baby. I glanced down at the screwed-up note in my hand. Martha’s call came just in time.
If I was going to stick to my guns and move forward, I had to tell James to leave me alone and make it clear that I wasn’t simply making a point. I jabbed at the screen of my mobile and as it started to ring, everything went silent. I checked the screen and it was black. Damn, why was the universe so against me moving on? Why now? And why do mobile phone batteries get worse with every damn release? Noticing Megan’s house phone, I picked it up and dialled the house number since it was all I could remember. I didn’t want to waste another second to have to search for a charger.
It rang. Chances were, he wouldn’t be in; that would be just my luck. Just as I was about to hang up, there was a click and a voice. A woman’s voice.
‘Hello, Mr Emsworth’s residence.’ For a split second, I thought it was my cleaner, Janine, but it wasn’t her day. It was her. My blood ran cold. He had her in our house and she was answering my phone. I swallowed hard.
‘Is Mr Emsworth available?’ I asked, struggling to maintain a steady voice.
‘I’ll see,’ she said.
A deeper, familiar voice came on the line. ‘Hello?’
‘Ahh, so you can come to your own phone. Thought you might have had your little tart running around after your every need now like I always did.’
‘Charlotte! I—’
‘Save it,’ I said. ‘You can’t help yourself. You want a wife and a mistress. I don’t know how long you two have been carrying on, but I’m not some marble floor that can sustain constant trampling.’
‘I’m here rattling around alone, waiting for you. What am I supposed to do with you having this little marriage excursion? Samantha means nothing. I’m just waiting for you to come back to me.’
I almost laughed. How did I not see what type of man he was before? I’d always thought him to be so attentive and caring. I thought he idolised me and worshipped the ground I walked on and, admittedly, I’d relished in the envy of women like Lauren and Emmy who practically swooned in his presence. Perhaps that feeling wasn’t love as deep as I thought it was and instead, a feeling more similar to the one you get when you buy a nice handbag. Was he really so self-assured he believed I’d go running back to him and agree it was okay for Samantha to keep my bed warm in the meantime? He was so narcissistic it got in the way of rational thinking.
There wasn’t a better time to share my news. ‘James, I’m buying a house.’
‘You? You’re buying a house?’ His voice became stern now. ‘Charlotte, this has gone far enough now without you frittering away our pension pot.’
‘I’m buying it with my bonds, James, the ones made up of my own savings, my inheritance off my gran, and the money my parents gave me before they buggered off around the world. It isn’t our stupid pension pot.’ I was yelling, and I’d never yelled at James. ‘I’m going to live in the house with my baby. Whenever you manage to pull your trousers back on, you’ll be welcome to spend time with your child. And by the way, keep her away from my stuff!’ I slammed down the phone.
The thought of living alone was scary, as was the thought of having a new baby to care for. I had no idea how to care for a baby and was racked with worry about getting it wrong. It was all so uncertain, but one thing that didn’t scare me any more was losing James. We’d be better off without him, and my only regret was that it had taken me so long to see
