Page 70 of My Husband's Wife
I lean on the worktop. ‘I can’t do this. I need a fresh start – and then there’s Nicole.’
‘I know and I’m sorry. Nothing happened between us, she just helped me look for Hugo.’
‘How did she know him?’
He shrugs. ‘I don’t know. Maybe I should have asked but I was so fixated on my own needs. I didn’t get into it with her.’
My hands clench together and I slam one on the worktop. ‘You both lied to me. She owes me nothing so I can forgive her.’
‘She found Hugo and we were investigating him together. When I saw her in our house that day, it was a shock. I made up some rubbish about her mooching through drawers…’
‘Then you had to call her to make sure she said the same thing?’
He nods. ‘She was helping me. It’s not her fault and she was upset because she really liked you; and I made you think she was up to no good. Nothing went on between us.’
‘How did we end up right here, right where you needed to be, to look for Hugo?’ I’m angry. I feel so played by Zach. I know why but I want to hear him say it.
‘When we spoke about moving, I went on about how wonderful it would be to live here. You had that photo of Caiden on the beach, and I knew Combe Martin held a special place in your heart. I knew that being here would help me find Hugo and get justice for my brother.’
‘Then you must have known that I might see Hugo, too, and my world might be blown apart. You also must have known that for you to get justice, the truth had to come out and it would affect me too.’
‘I didn’t think. I’m sorry.’
‘Then you and Nicole just happened to meet up all the time at the pub to talk about your past and your loss, the same loss you didn’t want to share with me.’
‘You were still in Malvern and, as I said, Nicole was helping me to find Hugo. I’d had a few drinks at the pub on a couple of occasions and I shared a bit too much with her, but we never had a one-night stand, an affair, a kiss or anything.’
I don’t know if I believe him but what I do see is genuine sadness in his eyes. He loved his brother, that was real. ‘You say that they killed your brother, that it was Hugo. Was it definitely him and not Theo?’
I have to know if I was married to a man who could murder a child. I’m prepared for him to say he doesn’t know; after all, he was a scared little boy when he saw his brother being murdered. He swallows again and dips his head. I can tell it’s upsetting for him to talk about this so I walk over and give him a friendly hug. I’m disappointed in Zach but I still care for him.
He tries to kiss me, but I turn my face away from him.
‘The boy who killed Justin had a large birthmark on his neck. Other people who knew them both told me that Theo didn’t have a birthmark, that’s how they could be identified. Since I’ve been here investigating, he kept it covered up, but Nicole had seen it, she knew.’
That sends me almost sick. In my head, I’m picturing young Hugo chasing an innocent boy down with a knife. That’s what Theo must have been threatening to expose on the night Hugo killed him. I’ll never know what Theo wanted. Maybe it was money in exchange for his silence or maybe he wanted the truth to finally come out.
I wish that everything had been different as I drink in the musky, woody smell that is Zach through and through. When we first met, I wish he’d knocked at my door enquiring about Hugo and Theo. He could have told me the truth about them from the start. It would have been a shock but I still think I’d have fallen in love with him. He didn’t need to follow me around, get to know where I hung out before joining my bereavement group. He didn’t need to lie to insert himself into my life. I’m sad for what he’s been through but I can’t get past this.
From now on, it’s just me and Caiden. I hug Zach again. I’m not even angry anymore but I think he can tell by the way I’m only lightly hugging him that we’re over.
Sixty-One
Madison
Two weeks later
Nicole enters Madison’s salon, her hair all tangled down to her waist. Tammy and Orla aren’t due in for a couple of hours. Camille is looking after Emily; she’s taken them in until Madison can find somewhere to rent. She never wants to go back to that cottage, even though the police said she can go over to get her things now that they’ve released it as a crime scene. She’s also since found out that the cottage never belonged to Theo; it was rented. That’s why he’d never allowed her to knock a wall down or decorate. His whole life was a lie.
She still misses the Theo she knew, even though she now knows she was living with Hugo and that Hugo had murdered his brother years before. Their poor mother had been confused at everything, and Madison doesn’t believe she’ll ever stop blaming herself for what happened in the past. Erica had expressed a lot of regrets for letting her boys down, but her problems had made it impossible for her to be the parent she wanted to be. She’ll keep in touch with her, let her know how Emily is doing and maybe send photos.
Madison still can’t believe she was living with a murderer. She’s ignored several emails from journalists asking to be the first to break her story. She’s not up for an exposé. She, Nicole and Eva have decided to try as hard as they can to keep out of the public eye for the sake of their children. She thinks of Emily and she knows that’s the right thing to do. She also knows that she has a secret of her own, and the last thing she needs is journalists fishing through her past mistakes.
‘I’m glad you came, Nicole. It’s lovely to see you even though I wish we’d met under better circumstances. Sit and tell me what you want.’
‘A very big transformation. I’m thinking shoulder length. Two weeks off the booze so I’m celebrating a new me.’
Madison throws the cape around Nicole’s neck. ‘You’re looking well for it. How’s Aaron?’
