The Other Husband, page 15
Sienna.
Abby knows it’s her, even though she can’t make out any of her features. She rushes downstairs and unlocks the back door, rushing outside in her bare feet. She’s had enough of this.
But she’s outside alone.
‘I know it’s you, Sienna,’ she yells, her voice seeming to swirl around her. ‘This needs to stop.’ Softer now. ‘Please. We need to talk.’
Only silence answers her back.
TWENTY-THREE
Sienna
Each morning she wakes, there’s a fleeting moment of time where she forgets. Maybe forgets is the wrong word, it’s more that she’s unaware of it. She wishes she could stretch these moments, manipulate them into lasting longer, so that even for this short time she can believe that Greg is downstairs. He’s woken before her and is making them coffee and toast, almost burnt, just how she likes it.
Inevitably, reality hits, and the pain in her chest intensifies so greatly with each day that she’s convinced it will be the end of her.
Beside her on the bedside table her phone rings. She checks the caller ID and sees that it’s safe to answer.
‘Hey, how are you doing? Any news?’ Holly’s calm voice is a tonic.
Sienna pulls herself up, embarrassed that she’s still in bed when it’s past ten a.m., even though there’s no way Holly will know this. ‘Nothing,’ she says.
‘I knew it but every time I call you there’s a glimmer of hope.’ She sighs. ‘Jackson keeps asking when his dad will be back. It’s strange because he knows I don’t know – I think he just needs to ask so he’s got something to cling on to.’
‘This must be really hard for him.’
‘And for you. Sorry, I wasn’t trying to make out that this is all about Jackson.’
This thought hasn’t crossed Sienna’s mind; of course Jackson is more important in all this. Greg’s his father. She reassures Holly of this.
‘There’s another reason why I’ve called,’ Holly says. ‘I was wondering if you’d like to come for dinner? Tonight, if you don’t have any other plans. Tuesdays seem to be the only evenings Jackson doesn’t have something going on at the moment. Not that he’s been in the frame of mind for anything lately.’
Sienna is touched by this woman’s kindness. ‘That would be nice. Are you sure Jackson won’t mind?’
‘Mind? It will do him good to see you. You’re his stepmum, after all, and married to his dad. Maybe it will also help you to see Jackson?’
She nods, forgetting Holly can’t see her. ‘Yes, thank you. Tell me what time and I’ll be there.’
* * *
As soon as she steps into Holly’s house, she is struck by how starkly it contrasts to her own. There are bold prints and colours everywhere, the décor a mixture of styles that shouldn’t work together yet somehow do. It would be Greg’s idea of hell. The reason Sienna hasn’t experimented with more colour is because Greg always insisted on neutral shades and a minimalist feel. He abhors clutter.
‘Thanks for coming,’ Holly says, ushering her through to the kitchen. ‘Jackson’s just finishing off some homework. I only just realised he has some that’s due in tomorrow, so I told him he needs to finish it before dinner.’
Holly steps forward and gives her a hug. ‘This is weird, isn’t it? Unconventional or something? But I’m not one for following stupid rules. We’re in this together as far as I’m concerned.’
Sienna is comforted by this woman’s hug – human contact has been rare since Greg disappeared.
‘Now, before we go any further, in the interests of full disclosure, I have to admit that I’m no master chef, and I apologise now for the food you’re about to have.’ She peers into the oven. ‘It’s supposed to be paella but, um, we’ll see. No doubt Jackson will moan that it’s not chicken nuggets.’ She pulls on an oven glove. ‘Actually, he’s not too fussy with food, so I guess I’m lucky really.’
Despite the situation, and how odd it feels being in this house, which she’s only glimpsed from the car before, Sienna laughs. ‘I’m sure it will be lovely. And to be honest, any food will do right now. I haven’t had much of an appetite.’
Holly smiles. ‘They’ll find him,’ she says. ‘We have to just keep believing that.’ She reaches into a cupboard and pulls out some plates. They’re fuchsia coloured and don’t match anything Sienna can see in the kitchen. ‘Listen, before Jackson comes down, I just wanted to ask you about the police investigation without him hearing. How’s it all going?’
‘The problem is, it’s all happening behind the scenes. To me it feels as though nothing is happening, but I know DC Roberts is fully invested in finding him.’
‘Well, that’s good. I suppose they can’t update you on every detail of what they’re doing. You’ll know when something important happens.’
‘Are you talking about Dad?’
Sienna swivels round and sees Jackson standing in the doorway.
Holly rushes over to him. ‘Yes, we are, Jax, but it’s nothing to worry about. Okay?’
He nods before turning to Sienna. ‘Hi.’
‘Hi, Jackson. How are you doing?’ It surprises her how pleased she is to see him, and she wonders if she’s ever felt that before. Now, though, she feels a flood of emotion for Greg’s son, for what this must be doing to him. Sienna is tempted to hug him, but she stops herself; he’s still a teenage boy and it’s probably the last thing he wants.
‘Did you finish your homework?’ Holly asks.
‘Yeah. It didn’t take me long. It was easy.’
Greg is always talking about how academic Jackson is, and she can picture his face now, the way he beams with pride whenever he mentions something Jackson has done. Sienna’s taken it all for granted before, these snippets of conversation about Greg’s son. She hasn’t tried hard enough to bond with Jackson. She needs to put that right.
They don’t speak about Greg while they’re eating, and Sienna senses this is what Holly wants in order to protect her son. When his name does come up, it is Jackson who mentions him.
‘I miss Dad,’ he says, placing down his fork. His plate is still full; all he’s done is shovel food from one side to another.
Holly opens her mouth to speak but Sienna beats her to it. ‘I know it’s so hard right now, Jackson. And I miss him so much too.’ Even though Greg has betrayed her, this is the truth. ‘Isn’t that funny, we’ve got something in common now, haven’t we?’
He shrugs, glances at her for a second before staring at his plate once more.
‘I promise you one thing. I’m going to do everything I can to find him. Okay?’ And she means this with every fibre of her being.
Later she sits with Holly in the living room while Jackson is upstairs in his room. She knows she’ll have to leave soon – it’s nearly nine p.m. – but she’s in no rush. Being here, she is in a protective bubble where nothing on the outside can reach her. She’s almost forgotten that Holly is Greg’s ex-wife, and Sienna is surprised to find herself so relaxed in her company.
‘Does your partner live here with you?’ Sienna asks.
‘Andrew? Oh, no – as much as I love him, I like it being just me and Jackson. I did my time of living with someone – sorry, no offence to Greg – but I prefer things this way.’
‘No, I understand. It’s not always easy to live with people, is it? Even when we love them.’
Holly looks at her. ‘You really love him, don’t you? I’m glad.’
Sienna finds herself wanting to open up to Holly, to share stories about Greg, even though it’s Abby she would have spoken to before. ‘For a long time, it was as though it was Greg and me against the world. Does that make sense? That’s how I thought of us. As a team.’ She doesn’t add that it all changed, and she doesn’t know why, or exactly when. Something just slipped through her fingers.
Holly nods. ‘That’s exactly how it should be. And Greg deserves that after being with me. I just… couldn’t give him all of me. Or any of me, really.’
Even though it’s clear that Holly is consumed with guilt, Sienna is pleased that she ultimately didn’t love Greg – how can she not feel good about this when she and Greg would never have happened if Holly hadn’t left him? ‘We can’t force feelings, can we?’ she tells Holly.
‘No, and, believe me, I did try. Anyway, it all worked out well because he found you. And now I don’t have to feel guilty.’
Sienna wants to be comforted by this, but how can she be when her marriage is just as much of a sham, only in reverse? Greg is the one who couldn’t give all of himself. She’s spent all this time believing that he still loves Holly – and maybe it’s true – but Holly has never been the one she has to worry about. No, it’s Abby she should have been watching. Her friend. The woman she should be sitting with right now, the woman she should be leaning on, sharing a bottle of wine, and her pain, with.
Perhaps it is thinking of Abby now – and feeling her betrayal like a fresh cut in her skin – that spurs Sienna to mention her.
‘There is something I haven’t talked about,’ she says. ‘It’s been… difficult to get my head around.’ She glances at Holly. The words she wants to say are right there, yet they seem to take an eternity to leave her mouth. ‘I think Greg cheated on me. Well, actually, I know he did.’
Holly’s eyes widen. ‘Are you… are you sure? That doesn’t sound like something Greg would do.’
Sienna nods, takes a deep breath and tells Holly what she heard, and how Greg and Abby both acted after that night. She doesn’t realise she’s going to reveal every detail, including swapping husbands for the night, until she’s saying it aloud, her voice low so that Jackson can’t overhear.
‘Please don’t judge me. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. Nobody was meant to cross any lines.’
Holly, although it’s clear she’s taken aback, holds up her hand. ‘Please, you’ll get no judgement from me. I’m just shocked that Greg would go for something like that. I guess I don’t know him any more, though; it’s been years since we were together. People change, don’t they? But still. Greg doing that?’
‘Maybe Abby was the reason he went for it. Maybe that’s what he wanted all along.’ Sienna doesn’t want to believe this, would rather think that Greg gave in to something on the spur of the moment. That is a far easier pill to swallow.
Holly frowns. ‘I really don’t think Greg would—’
‘I don’t know what to think. I just don’t want Jackson to find out either. Other than you I’ve told no one.’
‘Jackson will never hear anything like that from me. He adores his father, and I wouldn’t ever want him to think badly of him.’ She shakes her head. ‘Have you spoken to your friend? Abby. What does she have to say about it?’
‘When I tried to contact her and asked her to tell me the truth, she claimed to not know what I was talking about. She also said she doesn’t know where Greg is.’ Sienna stops short of telling Holly she’s been trying to get the truth out of Abby in other ways. She’s not a monster: she’s just desperate to find her husband and get to the truth. No matter how comfortable she feels with Holly, though, there are some things she needs to keep to herself.
‘Please don’t think I’m taking sides or anything, but maybe she’s telling the truth? About not knowing where he is, I mean. The two things might not necessarily be related.’
‘It’s a strong coincidence if they aren’t, though, isn’t it? I’m not sure I believe in coincidences.’
‘You need to try talking to her again. If you were good friends before, then maybe there’s a way to get through to her?’
Before Sienna can answer, Holly’s mobile rings. She checks the screen. ‘Sorry, I really need to take this call quickly – do you mind?’
‘Not at all. I’ll just use your bathroom.’
‘You’ll have to use the upstairs one. We’re having the downstairs one refitted at the moment, so everything’s been ripped out.’
Holly answers her call, and Sienna slips away. Upstairs, she finds the bathroom but stops short of entering it when she hears the sound of crying; it’s coming from the room next to the bathroom and can only be Jackson.
She knocks on the door, unsure whether she should be intruding like this. It feels too personal. This is his space, something she’s never been part of.
‘Yeah,’ he says from the other side of the door. His voice shakes.
She opens the door and finds Jackson sitting on his bed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.
‘Hey, can I come in?’
He shrugs.
‘Your mum’s just on the phone, and I needed the bathroom.’ She still does, but her bladder can wait; Jackson’s more important.
Walking over to his bed, she sits down next to him. ‘I know this is hard, and you miss him so much. We have to just keep hoping, and never let go of it.’
He nods, gives her a brief glance.
‘We’ll find him.’
‘I… I miss him so much.’
Sienna knows this too, but she has to protect Jackson. Until this moment she has never felt maternal. ‘Sometimes people do things they wouldn’t normally do. Maybe because they’re upset or angry.’
Tears erupt from his eyes and trickle down his flushed cheeks.
Acting on instinct, Sienna leans towards him and folds her arms around him. If he pulls away, so be it. At least she is doing what she can to offer comfort while he’s in distress. Surprisingly, he doesn’t pull away, doesn’t even flinch. Instead, he leans his head on her shoulder, his tears soaking her top. They stay that way for a moment, until Holly’s footsteps can be heard on the stairs.
Jackson sits up. ‘Thanks,’ he says. ‘For being nice to me.’
‘Anytime,’ Sienna says. ‘Remember that.’
Holly comes into the room, picking up some clothes from the floor. ‘Jax, are you okay?’ She mouths a sorry to Sienna.
‘Just a wobble,’ Sienna says. And they are all entitled to those.
Later, when she’s at home, Sienna thinks about Holly’s advice to speak to Abby.
Come what may, she believes it’s time to confront her friend.
TWENTY-FOUR
Abby
She’s tired, her sleep last night cut short by Sienna’s appearance in her garden, and she’s never functioned well without a full night of sleep. It’s time to put an end to this, which is why she’s standing outside Sienna’s house at seven a.m. She hasn’t showered this morning; she needed to get here before Sienna had a chance to leave the house.
Her car’s in the driveway, parked next to Greg’s BMW; a tableau of normality that doesn’t reflect what’s going on inside the house. For a second, Abby pictures Greg opening the door, dressed for work in one of his suits. In her mind he walks to his car, waving goodbye to Sienna who stands by the door. A time before all of their lives were turned upside down.
A flick switches in her mind, turns off those thoughts, and now she’s staring at the front door, waiting. When it opens, she struggles to take in what she’s seeing. Sienna’s not dressed yet, and it looks like she’s wearing Greg’s dressing gown – it’s black and far too big for her.
‘We need to talk,’ Abby says, and it’s as simple as that. She’s through the door, wondering how it can feel so cold in Sienna’s house when it’s already twenty degrees outside. Perhaps it’s always been chilly in here; it’s funny what you notice when normality is stripped away.
Sienna says nothing until they’re in the kitchen. She stands by the bi-fold doors, staring out at the garden. ‘Are you finally going to tell the truth?’
Abby has expected this question. ‘If you’re willing to do the same,’ she replies.
Sienna turns, her eyes fixing on Abby. ‘I’ve got nothing to hide. I’m not guilty of anything.’
Abby steps towards her; she needs to prove that she’s not afraid. When she speaks, her words are slow and precise. ‘I don’t know where Greg is. I have nothing to do with him disappearing and I know nothing about it. I’m sorry he’s gone, but I can’t tell you anything.’
Sienna sighs. ‘You see, this is exactly why we have a problem, because you’re not being honest, are you, Abby?’
‘How about you be honest with me? Why did you cancel my job interview from that fake email account? You know how much I need a new teaching job. Actually, don’t bother answering that. I know why you did it, and it’s despicable.’
Sienna places her finger on the glass, rubs away a smear.
‘So too is sleeping with other people’s husbands, isn’t it?’
This is when Abby knows she has to leave. Sienna knows too much and there’s no way she’ll listen to anything Abby has to say, not like this. There has to be another way. ‘It was a mistake coming here. I should have known that. Just stay away from me and Rob or it will be me going to the police.’
She turns and walks back to the front door, Sienna following closely behind her.
‘You’re not denying it then? I never had you down as that kind of person. If I’d known what you were like, I would never have let myself think you were a decent friend.’
Abby almost stops. She wants to defend herself, to help Sienna understand, but she knows it’s futile; ultimately there is no defence. It’s only when the door slams behind her that she realises she’s lost the chance to put things right.
* * *
She’s making a cup of coffee when the doorbell rings that afternoon. Her first thought is that it’s Sienna, but when she opens the door, sees the man holding up his badge, Abby knows this is much worse.
‘Abby Nichols? I’m DC Roberts. Do you have a minute?’
Her body heats up. She doesn’t want to let him in. Does she have to? She’s not sure what her rights are.
‘Can I come in?’
‘Um, yes. Has something happened?’ She sounds defensive – surely that’s a sign of guilt – yet she doesn’t know how to stop it.
DC Roberts smiles. He must be used to this. ‘I’ll explain everything inside.’
