Page 71 of Wife After Wife

“Asleep already,” he said, coming into the room carrying two glasses of red wine. “Here, we may as well help this along as best we can.”

She preempted him. “Harry, I’ve been difficult to live with, I know that. But I’m almost there. I’ve accepted we’re unlikely to have any more children, and I’m ready to focus on our relationship—”

“Stop, Katie. Please.” He sat down. “I know you’re doing so much better, and that’s why I think you’re ready to accept it’s time to move on. I’m not the same person I was when we married. I was so young, wanting to fill that space left when my parents and Art died. And you’re not the same person either—”

“But, Harry—”

“Let me finish. You haven’t been happy these past few years, you know that. You deserve another go too. I’ll always love you, but you’re more like a sister to me now. It’s over, Katie. Please, let me go.”

It was hopeless.Let me go.Katie’s world was caving in again. “I know there’s someone else,” she said as tears welled up.

Harry dropped his eyes. “There has been, yes. But it’s over now. She’s not the reason why. I think...” He looked up again. “Turning thirty has made me take a good look at my life. I’m going through the motions, I need it to have meaning.”

“It’s over?” Her voice was shaky. “How long was it going on?”

“It started just after Gemma’s wedding.”

“Gemma’s wedding?”

“When I first met Merry.”

“Merry? But—”

“You remember? Blond. Very blond, in every way.”

“I thought... the other sister.”

“What?” Harry flushed and looked away. “No, no, Ana’s my art director. She’s getting married soon, might be going to live in Dublin. Tonight, when you met her, I’d been trying to persuade her to stay.”

Was he telling the truth? Could that have been all it was? Her instincts told her he was lying, but Harry could be so persuasive.

“Katie, darling. We need to do this amicably, for Maria’s sake. But I want a divorce. I’ll do everything properly—you and Maria won’t want for anything. We’ve been through so much, I’m not going to turn my back on you.”

“But you did, when you had those affairs.” Katie wiped at the tears on her cheeks.

Harry fetched a box of tissues from the kitchen. “I didn’t instigate either of them,” he said, handing them over and sitting back down. “And they wouldn’t have happened if you and I hadn’t been having problems.”

Katie hadn’t felt emotion in a long time, thanks to her medication. But now anger took hold. “Iwon’tdivorce you, Harry,” she said, her voice rising. “It’s against my Catholic faith. If your affair is over, wemusttry again. And if you can only love me as a sister—well, many marriages survive on far less.”

“For god’s sake, Katie!” The conciliatory tone was gone, and now there was only exasperation. “Stop flogging this dead horse. If you won’tagree to a divorce, I’ll move out and wait for however long it takes. Why do you have to be so bloody difficult?”

“I still love you, even after your betrayals. I’m trying to understand, to come to terms with it.” Her voice was calmer now. “My counseling training has taught me a lot. You were shunted off to boarding school, then you lost your parents and Art. I wasn’t enough—”

“Will you stop analyzing me!” Harry smacked his glass down and left the room.

CHAPTER 25

Ana

The morning after Harry’s thirtieth, Ana attempted “business as usual” vibes during the weekly editorial meeting. It was as much for her own benefit as anyone else’s. Each time Harry’s name was mentioned, she fought to remain impassive, staring at the notebook in front of her for fear that if she met anyone’s eyes, they’dknow.

Back in her office, a small parcel was sitting on her desk. On it was writtenAna—Private. As she picked it up, her eyes fell on the chair Harry had been sitting on yesterday, still pulled up close. Having so far managed to divert all thoughts of the cake incident, she now allowed herself to remember, and a thrill ripped through her, starting at her heart and zipping downward.

She tore the paper off the package, revealing a red box withCartierin gold lettering on the lid. Opening it, she gasped. Inside was an exquisite bracelet, made of two intertwined bands of gold that spiraled around her wrist as she slipped it on. The end nearest her hand finished in a curly flourish on which sat a tiny dragonfly.

There was a small folded note:

Ana—