Page 181 of Wife After Wife
“Well, Dad?”
“He offered to make ‘my problem’ go away. I never said I wanted that.”
“But you never said you didn’t.”
“I don’t remember the exact conversation. It was so long ago.”
She balled her fists and shut her eyes, then made them all jump with a short, loud scream. “Dad! Will you listen to yourself?Stillnot taking responsibility!”
“Steady on.”
“No, I won’t. Right, this is what’s going to happen. You took what I loved most from me, so maybe I should do the same to you. Terri’s right. You truly want redemption? Then retire. Take yourself away from temptation, give up your power. Maria and I will take over, with Terri’s help. Rose will be run by women.”
Clare was nodding. “You may not have killed Ana,” she said, “but you must accept some responsibility for her death. And Caitlyn’s. And Terri filled me in on your treatment of Merry, and how you cheated on Katie throughout your marriage to her. Then there was Janette, who you were carrying on with just after poor Ana had lost her baby, maybe before. I’m trying to come to terms with all this, Harry. I’m not at all sure I can.”
Eliza looked stricken. “Mum, please... don’t leave. Eddie and I love you. We’ve lost too many mums.”
“Darling, you know I love you and Eddie. I’ll always be part of your lives. And I love Harry. But he hasn’t been honest with me, he’s kept so much hidden. I’d have to live with that. I’ll need time to think.”
“Clare...” said Harry. “Icanchange. I already have. Thanks to you.”
“If you want redemption, you’re going to have to prove that,” she said. “And Terri’s right. You can’t possibly carry on as head of Rose Corp. after all these revelations. You should do as Eliza says—give up your power, step down. Let Rose be run by women.”
•••
Harry lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The space beside him was empty.
How had it come to this? He’d lost everything. The British media had brought him down. Hoist with his own petard.
Clare had exiled him to the spare room and was talking about spending time by herself in the Lakes while she considered their future.
Eliza didn’t know what to believe about his involvement in Ana’s death; he’d lost her trust.
Maria—well, Maria had hated him ever since he left Katie.
Eddie was back at school, wondering if he was about to lose another stepmother.
And to have any chance of regaining what he’d lost, Harry was going to have to step down from Rose. Give up his raison d’être, his life’s work, his father’s legacy.
But if that was what it would take, then so be it. He’d win back their love, their trust. And he’d earn the right to return to Rose.
The redemption of Harry Rose starts here.
EPILOGUE
Eliza
July 2018
Thanks, Rob,” said Eliza as the intern handed out lattes in compostable cups. Still a prototype, they quickly broke down to become food for the roses in the Ana Rose Atrium.
The cups were one of the products being tested under the new Green Rose brand Eliza was setting up before returning to Oxford in the autumn. She would work at Rose during her university breaks, and Maria would be acting CEO until Eliza finished her degree.
Terri was mentoring the sisters while they settled into their new roles, and the three were holding their usual morning briefing meeting.
“He’s cute!” said Terri, winking at Eliza as Rob left the room.
“Terri...” warned Maria, drawing her thick brows together.
