Page 48 of Promise Me, Katie

“Grant Adams. They worked together. After they started seeing each other, he got offered a job here, and then shortly after, so did she.”

“It’s okay,” Katherine consoled Matthew when he stopped to steady himself. He looked as sick as she felt. “It hurts most of all to hear it from your own mouth. But I promise it’ll feel better after you get it out. Maybe not right away, but eventually.”

“That’s good to know,” Matthew said, searching his mind for where to begin. “Accepting the job at WDSG was a major step down from where Julia’s career might’ve gone if she hadn’t left the television station she was working at in Seattle. But she tookthe job to be with him. He moved first, and then she followed. Well, I guess you could saywefollowed. Julia, Libby, and me.”

Bits and pieces from news reports about the accident were starting to meld together in Katherine’s mind as Matthew spoke.

“Honestly, and this will probably sound really wrong, but I was okay with it.”

“You were okay with your wife chasing after another man?”

“Of course, I wasn’t okay with that part. And I damn sure wasn’t okay with her having sex with him.”

When Katherine looked confused, Matthew took a breath and tried again. “What I meant to say is I wasn’t okay with it at first. At first, I was mad as hell. Believe me, more than anything, I wanted her to break things off with him, and then I wanted to break his damn jaw. I even considered confronting them at her job. I thought if I told them I knew what was happening, she would end things with him. But I decided to wait and see what she was really up to. I couldn’t just act and not have all the facts. So, I waited to see if it was a one-time thing or if she wanted a future with the guy.”

“So, you could’ve forgiven her for cheating?”

“At the time, I think I could’ve. It wouldn’t have been easy, but marriage is a commitment you’re supposed to keep. In sickness and in health, in good times and in bad.”

Katherine understood. The vows she made before God and her family were a big part of why she’d put up with Max’s games for so long.

“By the time I realized she was in it with for the long haul, it didn’t hurt as bad, so I decided that whatever their plans were, it wouldn’t include leaving me out of Libby’s life. He could take my wife—hell, he already had—but I wouldn’t let him take my little girl, too.”

“Do you know how long they were together?”

“Over a year.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s awful!”

“Yeah, I know. It was pretty bad. But the day she told me she wanted to move to Windsong was the day I decided to keep the charade going. I thought if we moved together, I could get a house, get settled into a new job, and still be close to Libby when Julia decided to come clean about her and Grant. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure she’d take Libby with her. And then, with him being a station manager, I figured he’d have a bigger and better house than this, so when she left, she wouldn’t care too much about walking away from our house.”

“Wait a minute…” Realization hit Katherine like a bolt of lightning. “Do you mean the guy in the news van?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, wow. I remember now. All the reports said that the station manager and a female reporter were the only casualties. I wondered why there was no mention of a cameraman. They must’ve wanted to be alone.”

When his expression fell, she regretted being so insensitive.

“Oh, Matthew, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

“It’s okay. It was a bad situation, and I hate how it ended. But more than anything, I’m worried about Libby now. Because no matter how much I try to protect her from the truth, it’s out there. And what if she finds out one day? How will she feel knowing all of that after growing up without her mother?”

Katherine shuddered at the thought of life without her own loving mother.

“When I saw you on the porch this morning, I thought your sadness was about losing your wife.”

“I am sad about it, but not like that. I lost her a long time ago,” Matthew said, then searched Katherine’s face. “You don’t think I’m still in love with her, do you?”

“I wasn’t sure.” Katherine shrugged. “But I also didn’t know about Julia and Grant’s affair.”

Matthew sighed in frustration. “Of course, I loved her. We grew up together, then dated all through high school before we got married. But once I saw how much she’d changed, my feelings about her changed, too. She wasn’t the person I knew, and she definitely wasn’t the person I fell in love with and married. So, no, I’m not still in love with Julia because I wasn’t in love with Julia long before you and I met.”

“Will you stay in Windsong?”

“Why wouldn’t we? This is our home now.”

Katherine looked uncertain but managed to put on a weak smile.

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