Page 89 of The Hideout

“I’m so sorry.”

Paige offered a half-hearted smile. “It’s okay. Nobody is to blame. I chose not to speak up, and that’s on me.”

“I know, but you also didn’t feel as though you could speak up, and that’s on me.” Harriet shifted and placed a hand on Paige’s shoulder. “How long has this been going on?”

“The beating?” Paige asked, noting the sadness in Harriet’s eyes. “Since we got married. It got worse when my mum died. He…didn’t like me having a life. He didn’t like that I had friends or that I wanted to sing, or…anything at all.”

“He always spoke so highly of you.” The anger in Harriet’s voice was clear to Paige. “He always played the concerned husband. Fucking bastard!” Harriet hung her head. “I…felt sorry for him. He came across as being so upset and distraught, a-and I felt sorry for him. When he made a move one night outside the pub, that’s the reason I went home with him. Because I’m so fucking stupid that I felt sorry for him.”

Paige couldn’t help but feel for Harriet. James had always been very convincing when it came to most things in life. Hadn’t she been fooled by his lies for long enough? “Look, I get it.”

“I was misled by him.”

“Of course you were. He did that as well as keep up the façade in the past because he wanted me to feel like I had nobody to turn to. And it worked—look at me now. If I’d spoken up in the past, maybe it wouldn’t have reached this point. If I’d left him, or better yet never married him in the first place, I could have been happier a long time ago. But by him being sweet and innocent around everyone else like butter wouldn’t melt, I felt alone.”

“I wondered why I hadn’t heard from him all week. I assume he’s been arrested?”

“No. I didn’t call the police. Once I came around, I just got my stuff and got out. Juliet tried to convince me to go to them, but I didn’t want to. I…don’t want to see him ever again.”

“I understand that, but don’t you think he deserves to be held accountable for what he did to you?”

“Last night I changed my mind.” Paige lifted a shoulder, sipping her whiskey and then setting it down on the table. As she sat back and turned to face Harriet better, she cleared her throat. “They took a statement from me this morning. Documented my injuries.”

“Good. I’m glad you made that decision,” Harriet said, rubbing at her forearm. “I can’t believe he led me on like that. Or that I ever found him charming and attractive.”

“Is that all?”

Harriet lowered her eyes. “No. I can’t believe I went behind your back and had an affair with him.”

Paige had wondered when Harriet would acknowledge what she’d actually done. While she didn’t hate her for it, she was still in the wrong for sleeping with James. “If I just didn’t love him, I’d say you’re welcome to him. But he’s dangerous, Harriet. He’s bad news.”

“Yeah. I’m beginning to realise that.” Harriet finished her glass of wine, sitting forward and inching closer to Paige. “You don’t think he’s still going to come looking for you, do you?”

As Harriet asked that, Juliet sauntered past the table and smiled at Paige. “No. Juliet took care of that. Because she’s amazing, and I don’t know how I ever got so damn lucky.”

“Took care of it?”

Paige grinned, no longer caring about her split lip. It was healing, and so was she. “Yeah. Sent someone to spook him. But I don’t want to say any more than that because I don’t want to get anyone into trouble. Especially not someone who helped get me out of my situation.”

Harriet lifted a hand. “Then say no more.”

“The police may want to speak to you. Probably not. But…if they do, will you just be honest about anything they ask? If you’ve ever had a bad experience with him or something felt off, just say it. You never know if it could help me down the line.”

“Of course. I’ll be honest about anything they ask. I really haven’t seen that side of him, though. Thankfully. But you know I’ll never speak to him again.”

Paige wasn’t surprised that Harriet hadn’t seen James’ violent side. It just seemed to be Paige that James had an issue with. Which was a shame, really, because she wasn’t a bad person. She didn’t deserve to be beaten up for something so trivial like what she chose to listen to on the radio.

“And when you go back tomorrow, don’t tell him you’ve been here if you see him. I don’t want him to know that you know anything. It gives him time to get his story straight then.”

“You have my word that I won’t do anything to jeopardise this for you.”

Paige caught a glimpse of Juliet again. She couldn’t take her eyes off her. “I do love her, you know.”

“I…know. This may be a new Paige to me, but I see the difference in you. Your body language is entirely different. Even though you’ve just been through hell with James, you seem more relaxed here. But not like ‘normal’ relaxed. Relaxed within your own body.”

Paige was glad Harriet had noticed that. Because she felt it. With Juliet, she felt everything she’d never felt with anyone else. “You have Juliet to thank for that. She’s the one who allowed me to be myself from the moment we met.”

“How did you meet? Was it really via the interview for this job or did you know her before then?”

---