Gina sits back, her muscles relaxing, if only a little. “And this was consensual?”
Eva scoffs. “How much say do you think I actually had? He never forced me, if that’s what you’re asking. I wanted to be with him, I cared about him. I might’ve even loved him. But that just made it worse. Because I wanted to be there for him, wanted to give him everything he needed, in and out of the office. But you can’t be someone’s everything, especially not your boss’s. It leaves nothing left for yourself. And then one day he got tired of me—and guess what? All of a sudden, I can’t do my job because now I’m an empty shell.” Eva pauses. Her tone is steely, but there’s a slight quiver in her voice, too. “I get transferred to a different team. I don’t have access to the same projects I did before. And I’m emotionally drained. Bobby Dewar is the CEO of a multi-generational, multi-million-dollar corporation. I am a young analyst trying to make a career for myself in a male-dominated company. The power balance between us is him: ten, me: zero. The entire situation was rigged against me from the beginning. He used me.”
They’re both silent for a moment. Gina is listening to Eva’s words, processing the details. She finally understands that expression, the devil is in the details. The picture Eva Stone is painting had seemed accurate—at first. Gina knows her husband, knows how secretly insecure he can be. He hides it well—so well that there are only two people in his life that know about his doubting mind, his delicate ego.
Gina is one of them.
Nick is the other.
“You realize I’m not blaming you,” Eva continues. “None of this is your fault. The entire point is that it’s Bobby’s fault. He did this. He needs to pay.”
Gina sits with Eva’s words, questions swirling in her mind. Eva is lying—she has to be. But why? Silence stretches between them.
Finally, Gina clears her throat. “Tell me, have you ever been married?”
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.” Eva’s tone is defensive. Good. It should be. She should feel cornered.
“You’re young, I’ll assume you haven’t,” Gina says. “Let me ask you this, then: Have you ever been in love? Not to sound corny, but true love?”
“Of course.” There’s a quiver in her voice. A softness of sorts returning. But her gaze is still defiant.
“Are you… in love now? Is that what this is about?”
Eva does not react. Her face is a quiet mask. But there’s a gleam in her eyes.
“You are,” Gina says, nodding slowly. “I can tell. And it’s not with my husband.”
Eva blinks. A flush creeps up her neck.
“People do crazy things when they’re in love. Stupid, sometimes selfish things,” Gina continues. “Believe me: I know. But why bring my husband into this? Tell me, what did you have to gain by that?”
Eva places a protective hand over her belly. Any doubts that Gina has about her pregnancy evaporate. She recognizes the look in Eva’s eyes because she has seen it in herself. Eva is protecting her unborn child.
“Is it… twins?”
“How did you—” She snaps her mouth shut. “You need to leave.”
“Fine,” Gina says, getting up from her seat. “I got what I came for.”
“And what was that?” Eva follows her.
“You’re a good actress, I’ll give you that. It’s almost like you believe what you’re saying. But you’re lying. It’s written all over your face—and your apartment.” Gina eyes the box, now behind Eva. “And I’m not letting you get away with it.”
Gina turns on her heel and walks out, letting the door slam shut behind her.
Forty-Seven
Nick
Friday, November 1st
Nick is sitting at his desk in his study when he hears voices coming from the street.
Whoever it is, he decides to ignore it—he has enough to deal with. Eva Stone is being stubborn and uncooperative. Bobby maintains that this will all go away, that all they have to do is move forward. His dad is refusing to properly address the situation, claiming Tish is being “irrationally angry” about the whole thing. Alice went rogue and worked out what really happened—this might be the most dangerous development of all because she is now making demands. And Nick… well, Nick knows he’s behaving like a coward. A better man would’ve come clean by now, would’ve put an end to the mise-en-scène that has taken over their lives. But Nick’s moral compass is broken. He feels torn, divided. Although, if he’s being honest with himself, that’s not what’s keeping him from doing the right thing. The truth: he’s still holding on to hope.
The door to his study opens. Alice walks in, looking confused. Almost scared.
“Can you come outside?” she says. “Bobby’s here to see you.”
“Let him in.” Nick feels his forehead creasing.
“He won’t come in the house.”
Nick gets up, startled. Could Bobby have put the pieces together?
Outside, Bobby is standing a couple of feet away from their porch steps. Nicks studies his brother’s expression. He looks furious, enraged. Usually, looking at Bobby is like looking in a mirror. No, it’s better. Because Nick actually loves his brother. He respects and admires him. All the ambiguity he feels towards himself, his love-hate relationship with his own reflection, there is none of that with Bobby. There never has been, not even when Bobby stole the woman he loved. Nick blames no one but himself for losing Gina.
Bobby has obviously figured it out. Maybe Tish told him.
“Let’s head inside,” Nick says, coming down the steps. This conversation requires whiskey. He places a sympathetic hand on his brother’s shoulder.
That’s when Bobby lunges at Nick, slamming his back against the wooden railing.
“What the?”
Bobby’s grip is around his shirt. Nick feels his throat close up. His body reacts on autopilot, pushing and elbowing Bobby.
