Page 58 of Heal You
“I assume you’ll be doing the decent thing and staying with her.”
Phil chewed his lip.“It wasn’t planned.I swear to you it wasn’t.”
“You’re no longer my husband or my responsibility, Phil.What you do with your life is none of my business.But if you’re doing this, if you’re ready to become a father, then I wish you the very best.”
“It’s going to change things with the divorce, obviously.I’ll have a child to take into consideration now.”
Jan could scream and shout, she could seethe and be bitter, but what was the point of that?She would be the only one hurting.Not Phil or Anais.And no matter what she thought about either of them, it wasn’t an unborn child’s fault.“Can I give you my terms first and hope we can end this amicably?”
Phil rocked back in his seat, steepled his fingers, and nodded.
“I’d like you to give me whatever half of the house is worth.I don’t know if you plan to sell it or keep it for your new…family, but I had it valued while I was in Spain, and the estate agent believes we’d be looking at offers over eight hundred thousand.”
“You had it valued?And you’ve been to Spain?”Phil sat forward and perched his elbows on the desk.“Why didn’t I know about this?”
“Why would you have known about it?I’m not your wife anymore, Phil.The sooner you realise and understand that, the sooner we can all move on with our lives.”Jan crossed her legs and settled her hands on her knees.“I’d also like to keep my position here at the office and remain a partner in the business.”
“T-that’s it?That’s all you want?”Phil rubbed at his stubble, his brows drawn.“Half of the house and to keep your job?”
“Myposition, Phil.I built this business with you, and hell will freeze over before your new squeeze gets her hands onanyof it.So, half of the value of the house and half of the business in the form of me remaining in my position as partner until I decide I no longer want to be here.If that day comes, you can buy me out.”
Phil nodded.“Okay.”
“When can I expect the money?I currently have nowhere to live…through no fault of my own.”
“I’ll have it sorted out by the end of the week.I’ll call the bank and have everything you need ready to go when you find a place you’d like to put an offer on.”
Well, that was that.Jan rose to her feet and smiled.“Thanks.I’d like us to remain as calm as possible through this.I have no desire to fight with you.I suggest you make sure Anais is on the same page as you regarding my position here, or you’ll both have one hell of a fight on your hands.Understood?”
Phil pushed his seat back and stood up.“I don’t want to fight with you either, Jan.I just want you to have what belongs to you.”
Jan took a step towards the door and looked back at Phil.“Did you have the affair with her because you wanted a family?”
Phil lowered his eyes as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants.“Jan, I?—”
“You knew for over twenty years that I couldn’t have children.You told me we were okay as a couple and that we didn’t need a child to complete us.If you’d explained that you needed more, none of this would have happened.I would have let you go to find someone who could give you what I couldn’t.But to do it this way, to hurt me and humiliate me… I can’t forgive you, Phil.I want to, I’ve spent the best part of my life so far loving you witheverythingI had inside of me, but I can’t.”
“I fucked up, Jan.”
“You did.”Jan nodded.“Andnow, you have to step up.”
Jan pulled her shoulders back and walked out of Phil’s office.She didn’t look in the direction of Anais or any other employees, she simply strode out of the building and headed for her car.Once she was back in her hotel room, Jan could fall apart.
* * *
“Hey,Eric!Do you want another Guinness before I sit down for five minutes?”
Eric lifted his empty glass and nodded.“Go on then, love.”
Morgan smiled and went about the usual routine.She poured half and left it to settle, wiping down the bar counter where a customer had recently vacated.Could she drop Jan a message to say she was thinking of her?She knew Jan was heading into the office today to discuss the divorce with Phil, but Morgan didn’t want to come across as though she was fishing for information.
Jan’s divorce wasn’t her business.Not at all.
She finished pouring Eric’s pint of Guinness and set it down in front of him.He handed her a five-pound note, sending Morgan on her way with a wink.She rung it up on the register, took her glass of lemonade from the shelf behind the bar, and perched herself on a stool.She chose not to sit with the customers today.She gave them enough of her attention when she was working her shifts.Morgan just wanted a moment to herself.Yesterday, she had woken up in Spain, and right now…she would rather be there.It hadn’t stopped raining all morning, but thank God the sun was beginning to break through the clouds.
As she reached for her phone, her brows rose.Jan had sent her a text about thirty minutes ago.
Are you free to talk?I’m on my way over x
