“And lie.”
“It wasn’t really a lie,” Alice says. “He did have an affair. He did take advantage of his position of power. If you think about it, Eva’s version of events was a lot less damaging to Bobby. Eva never claimed to have had a mental breakdown.”
“You’re still defending her.” Gina shakes her head. It’s like Alice is willing to acknowledge everyone’s pain but Gina’s.
Alice scoots over. They’re closer now, by an inch or two. “I keep telling you this: I’m not your enemy. And neither is Eva. You did nothing wrong. We know this—”
“We?” Gina says, feeling anger well up inside her. “You’re a we now?”
Alice shakes her head. “You really should talk to her. If you did, you’d understand. They’re very close. They grew up together, like sisters. Eva was protecting her cousin, giving her a voice—”
“She lied,” Gina says, feeling her throat clench. “Remember when you said a woman would never lie about something like this?”
“Oh, Gina,” Alice’s voice is lined with pity. “What would you have her do? Sit this one out while her cousin wastes away in Florida? Zofia hasn’t had a job since she left the company, did you know that? She’s barely been out of the house. Gina, she’s gone mute. She’s in intensive therapy. Eva’s terrified Zofia will hurt herself.”
Gina is silent for a moment. The irony is that she’d liked Zofia. She was quiet, reserved. Almost mousy. But even in her shyness, she’d always been friendly to Gina. And efficient. Gina remembers Bobby complimenting Zofia’s organizational skills, her work ethic. But Gina can’t bring herself to feel sorry for Zofia. Not genuinely, anyway. She slept with her husband. She knew Bobby was married. What had she expected from their relationship? Probably, Zofia had preexisting mental health issues which led to the breakdown.
“What about me?” Gina asks, sounding strangled. “What about what Eva put me through, putting out a video for the entire world to see, where she talks about sleeping with my husband?”
“She tried to get Bobby to step down quietly,” Alice says, firmly. “He had a chance to resign before the video came out. He knew he was guilty, even if his affair wasn’t with Eva. He chose to call her bluff. He chose to put you through that. He knew, don’t you see? He knew that somehow the two stories were connected. He had to.”
“You want me to condone her revenge, is that it?” Gina asks.
“This isn’t about revenge, Gina. It’s about justice. About holding Bobby accountable.” Alice’s voice picks up speed. She sounds both resolute and exasperated. “Bobby broke Zofia. He was her boss and he had a relationship with her for months and then when he was done with her, when he was over whatever issues he had, he ended it like it was nothing. Like she was nothing.”
“She quit, Alice. He didn’t fire her.”
“Of course she quit.” Alice’s tone is indignant. “She had a breakdown, for goodness’ sakes. He knew he’d caused it, why else would he have made her sign an NDA?”
Gina closes her eyes. This is the first she’s hearing of an NDA.
Alice continues, undeterred by Gina’s shock. “He was happy to see her go, Gina. He wanted to get rid of her. He gave her a severance package to assuage his conscience and that was it. It was the perfect solution for him, mess-free. He got to move on with his life while she lost hers.”
Eva’s words keep coming back to Gina, a recurring waking nightmare. He relied on me for everything: not just sex, but emotional labor, too. I was both his friend and his therapist. He needed me to validate his feelings twenty-four seven.
“Try to understand where she was coming from,” Alice says, softly now. “Haven’t you ever lied for love?”
Of course she has. Every day of her life is a lie of sorts. She tells herself she’s doing it for her son, but it’s also for herself. To preserve the life she’s built. Gina knows this. She’s aware of her hypocrisy, although this awareness does not lessen the pain she’s feeling now. But Gina does not say any of this to Alice—she doesn’t owe her an answer.
“Since you won’t talk to her, you should know Eva’s backing off,” Alice continues. “She’s done fighting. She’s leaving the company. Bobby won’t ever have to see her again. This can be over, if you want it to be.”
“Why?” Gina asks. Why would Eva simply back off now, after she’s gone to such lengths to take down Bobby. But then, Gina answers her own question. “The babies.”
“That would be my guess, too. This was hard enough on her before she found out she was pregnant. And it changes everything. She’s going to be a mother. It’s so unfair.” And then, she adds, “They’re twin boys, according to the blood exam. She did it.”
A beat. “I’m curious: how do you rationalize Eva sleeping with Charles? Let me guess: you don’t think it’s wrong because you don’t like Tish?”
“You’re missing the point. Charles isn’t her boss.”
“And that makes it OK?” Gina pauses. “Can you imagine how heartbroken Tish is going to be when she finds out?” This is something else to worry about. Consoling Tish, the closest thing Gina’s ever had to a loving mother.
“I don’t agree with everything Eva’s done,” Alice says. As if that makes it OK. As if she hasn’t spent two months defending a woman who lied to the entire world. Who destroyed Gina’s marriage.
“You must think I’m so stupid,” Gina says. “To have believed him like that.”
“I think men make women do stupid things. Including myself.”
Gina wants to ask what sort of stupid thing Alice has done for a man. But she can’t summon the energy. She isn’t even angry anymore, she realizes. All she feels is exhaustion. She should go home. Bobby will have to move out. Again. Gina’s heart lurches when she thinks of Calan.
“My husband doesn’t love me.” Alice is staring at the built-in bookshelves,
