Page 73 of Do Not Disturb
I doze off after that. I always get so tired in the afternoon. Sometimes if Nick is around, I ask him to put me back in bed, but most of the time, I just sleep in my wheelchair. It’s easier that way.
When I wake up, Nick is in her room.
I reach into the drawer by the bed and pull out my binoculars so I can get a better look. They’re sitting together on the bed. No, not just sitting together. He’s rubbing her back. They’re talking, but I can’t hear what they’re saying.
I wonder if I can persuade Greta to put a listening device in room 203.
No. Too far.
My heart is pounding as I watch him. But Nick isn’t doing anything wrong. They’re just sitting together and talking. There’s nothing wrong with talking.
Until they start kissing.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ican’t believe what I’m seeing. Hesworeto me he would never do anything like that again. Yet here he is, kissing another woman. Breaking his marriage vows for a second time.
Not that I’m surprised. I mean, that’s why I got the binoculars.
It’s a little different this time. They’re not making out like he was with Christina. He kisses her, then he jumps up off the bed. He’s gesturing with his arms. Then he looks out the window.
Shit. He sees me.
I lower the binoculars and throw them onto the bed. Did he see the binoculars? I’m not sure about that. I hope not.
Even without the binoculars, I can see him exit the other woman’s room. Probably coming over here to grovel.Again. I have to put those binoculars away quickly, before he spots them. Then I have to decide if I’ll forgive him. I probably will. It gets easier each time, and I have to admit, I don’t know what I would do without him. Even more than two years ago, Nick has become my caregiver. That is the crux of our relationship now. We are not husband and wife anymore, only caregiver and patient.
Also, I don’t want things to end up like last time. As much as I want to wrap my fingers around this woman’s pretty little neck, I don’t want to see her stabbed to death. I know what my husband is capable of now. I can’t let it happen again.
Unfortunately, when I tossed the binoculars onto the bed, they went all the way across the bed and rolled off the other side. So I can’t just grab them and throw them into the drawer. There isn’t much time either.
I push back on the wheels of my chair, backing away from the bed. The bedroom isn’t all that big, and it’s hard to maneuver. I end up having to do the equivalent of a five-point turn to get out of the space between the bed and the wall. By the time I’ve freed myself, I can hear Nick’s footsteps on our stairs.
He’s in the house. He’ll be in the bedroom any second.
I make one last ditch effort to get to the binoculars, but it’s too late. He bursts into the room, his face red, his short dark blond hair messy from the wind.
“Rosie,” he gasps. “That was… I didn’t…”
I fold my arms across my chest. “That wasn’t you kissing her?”
“She kissedme.”
“And I’m sure you did nothing at all to lead her on.”
“I didn’t! Rosie, you have to believe me…” He trails off as his eyes land on the binoculars on the floor. My heart is thudding as he bends down to pick them up, a baffled expression on his face. “What the fuck is this?”
I don’t know what to say.
“Are youspyingon me?” He shakes the binoculars. “With binoculars? Seriously?”
“Do you blame me? Look at what I caught you doing.”
I expect him to protest again, but instead, his shoulders sag and he tosses the binoculars on the bed. “You know what? I can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what?”
“I love you, Rosie,” he says softly. “But you don’t trust me anymore. You won’t leave the room or have a conversation with me. You don’t even let me touch you unless I’m helping you. I tried—I really did. But it’s obvious you don’t want me here anymore. And I… I’m not sure I want to be here anymore.”
