Page 23 of I Knew You Were Trouble

‘Very attractive.’

I give her a look, my mouth quirking, and she sits next to me. ‘So, no drinks with Thor?’

‘Pleasecall him Willem.’

‘Fine, so no drinks with Willem?’

‘Am I doing the right thing?’ I ask, abruptly changing the subject. I hold my breath. She’ll either make another joke or understand the gravity of what I’m asking and take the question seriously.

‘Jon deserves whatever’s coming,’ she says gravely, and I release the breath.

‘I know. But tomorrow, I’m going to meet Adriana and she’s Jon’sfiancée, Margs. Hisfiancée. He’s told her he loves her. They’ve had romantic dinners. They’ve walked hand in hand along the canals. They’ve slept late on a Sunday morning, then stayed in bed, reading and drinking coffee. He’s made love to her. He’s put a sodding ring on her finger! Everything I thought was ours, he’s had that with her. She’s the “other woman”.’

‘Not in the way that usually means. She’s not his mistress. She’s convinced she’s the only one.’

‘Somehow, that makes it worse. The poor woman. She has no idea what’s about to happen. Maybe it was wrong to come here.’

Margot scooches closer and grabs my nearest hand, holding it in both of hers.

‘Look, Adriana won’t take Willem at his word – she’s too blinded by love. Because Arseface has lied to her, just like he lied to you. It’s the right thing to do, helping her understand who she’s engaged to.’

‘It may be the right thing to do forher, but what about me?’ I ask, my voice small and hoarse. ‘How am I supposed to face the woman who’s been sleeping with Jon? God, even theideaof them together…’ I shudder, desperate to dislodge the gruesome thought.

Margot stands and faces me, hands on her hips.

‘Katherine Ellen Whitaker.’

My eyes snap to meet hers.

‘Take it from the ex-wife of a philandering twat, no good can come of going down that path. You think scrolling Instagram reels is a time suck? You can waste alifetimeentertaining those kinds of thoughts –andthey will drive you mad. Of course you’re going to miss Jon – the Jon you knew. And, yes, you will get sad sometimes and, yes, you might be jealous of Adriana. But there’s no going back. That Jon, the life he promised? That’s a fallacy. It was never real to begin with.’

‘I know,’ I interject, somewhat defensive.

‘Good. And now you get to be there for someone whodoesn’tknow – well, not yet anyway.’

I stare up at her, succumbing to a smile. ‘You’re clever, you are.’

‘Well, yeah.’ We exchange smiles. ‘But I’m also of the belief that when you learn a lesson the hard way, telleveryoneso they don’t have to make that same mistake themselves.’

‘Cleverandwise.’

‘Exactly.’

I sigh, my heartrate slowing, the tangled knots in my mid-section easing. I glance at the clock by the bed. It’s close to midnight and I yawn again.

‘Probably a good thing you’re not seeing Thor tonight,’ Margot teases. ‘You’re an ugly yawner.’

My yawn transforms into a wide-mouthed laugh. ‘You muppet,’ I say, smiling up at her adoringly. I really am glad Margot is with me. I can’t imagine how riled up I would be if she weren’t here.

‘Right. I’m off to bed. You message the Norse god and tell him tonight’s a no-go – a brilliant tactic, that, playing hard to get.’

‘I’m not?—’

‘Goodnight!’ she sing-songs, making her way to the other end of the houseboat.

I’m still sniggering when I unlock my phone, discovering a message:

I miss you darling

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