Page 6 of Endgame

Goodnight Aari.

I read his final text with a deep longing, wishing I’d never taken the job in Singapore.

The move to Asia was meant to be a fresh start for both of us, but our new life turned out to be a carefully constructed lie that he’d kept hidden from me. While I can understand why he made the decisions he did, I’m still hurt because of how much devastating effort he put into keeping the truth about our lives from me, and how long it took for him to come clean. I want to move on. I want nothing more than to trust him again. However, the anguish that has kept me awake for the last few months makes me petrified to open myself up to him again.

None of that, however, stops me from wanting his body curled round mine right now, as I tune in to his heartbeat. With over nine thousand miles between us, this is the furthest we have been away from each other, but it doesn’t make a bit of difference. My heart is determined to love that boy until the pain is gone.

‘Ariella!’

I’m wandering through the gorgeous-smelling orchard the next afternoon, about to help myself to a carefully selected apple with the biggest stick I can find, when I see Dominic again.

‘Hi!’ I smile, drop my stick and wave at him as he jogs towards me.

‘Hey. Did you like breakfast?’

‘I thought that was you!’ I laugh. I was surprised to get a grapefruit, yoghurt and hibiscus tea breakfast that morning.

‘Me and MsPat via Lydia.’ He smiles. ‘I wish my housekeeper and personal assistant cared half as much about me as yours do. So, I wanted to apologise for last night.’

‘Please, don’t worry about it. You two obviously had a lot to talk about. How did it go?’

‘Not very well.’

‘You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?’ I ask, feeling sorry for him.

‘I don’t know.’ He is. He just doesn’t want to admit it.

‘Where did you leave it?’

‘In pieces. Same as before.’

‘Do you mind telling me what happened? Maybe I can help?’

‘After our honeymoon, she had to work in New York for a few weeks while I was stuck in Chicago. The story they are sticking to is that they met up for drinks, both got wasted and ended up in bed together. The twins arrived nine months later.’

‘So she made a mistake.’

‘With my brother. That unravelled at our first baby scan, when the numbers she was feeding me didn’t check out.’

‘Do you think you can forgive them?’

‘I’m trying.’

I pull my friend into a deep, long hug.

‘Sooooo, want an apple?’ I ask to lighten the mood. ‘I’ve found the one I want and it has a good one next to it.’

Dominic nods, smiling at me. I pick up my earlier stick and start jumping to knock them out of the tree.

‘What are you doing?’ He starts laughing.

‘Getting our apples!’ I jump again, missing them. ‘Okay, watch your head.’ I throw the stick into the tree, then run to safety, but no apples. At this point Dominic is doubled over laughing as he pulls out his phone.

‘That’s it. I’m only getting my apple. You can fend for yourself.’ I continue to jump and throw.

‘I’ll just lie here, watch you and record this for posterity then.’ Dominic leans against a nearby tree, happily recording my many attempts until I give up.

‘Stupid apple.’ I kick the leaves at the base of the tree.

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