The Other Husband, page 7
‘What did you talk about?’
‘She spoke about herself mostly. And Rob. I just got the impression that maybe they’re not as close as they seem.’
What Greg is telling her makes no sense; Sienna has always had the opposite impression – that Abby and Rob are as solid as steel. Then she remembers Rob’s declaration about loving Abby more than she loves him. Sienna tries to press Greg on what has led him to this conclusion, but he remains vague.
‘It’s hard to remember, Sienna. I’d had so much to drink. It’s more of a feeling I got, which I still recall now, even though I can’t remember every detail of what she said.’
Again, she tries to coax more detail out of him, which only leads to Greg shutting down. This is what he always does.
‘Can we talk about something else?’ he says.
They’re outside the restaurant now, and Sienna’s appetite has vanished.
If she didn’t before, now she knows she has something to worry about.
NINE
Abby
When she wakes up on the morning after the dinner party, Greg has gone. For a fleeting moment, none of it seems real. She reaches across the bed for Rob, but of course he isn’t there. On her phone there’s a notification from Sienna; she can’t bring herself to open it.
Abby needs to speak to Greg.
She recollects from the dinner party that he was planning to go to the hospital the next morning, despite it being a Saturday. Something about dealing with paperwork. He’d mentioned it to Rob, and she’d paid little attention at the time. Now it feels as though nothing could be more important; it might be her only chance to catch Greg alone.
In the shower, Abby leaves her hair unwashed – she needs to be out before Rob gets home. She has no idea what she’ll say to him if she sees him now, or what she will do. Will she be able to act normally? It’s likely that Rob will see straight through her. But this isn’t the first time she’s had to hold back from him; she just never thought she’d be facing it again so soon.
She’s too late. Rob’s standing there in the bedroom, peeling himself out of yesterday’s clothes. She stops in the doorway, wrapped in her towel.
‘The morning after, eh?’ Rob says, smiling. ‘So how was your night?’
‘Yeah, fine. Greg’s nice. How was it with Sienna?’
‘She’s certainly easy to talk to,’ Rob says. ‘I feel a bit bad though – I was shattered and just wanted to crash out. In their spare room, of course.’ He winks. ‘I see Greg’s already gone.’
‘He needed to get to the hospital early.’
Abby always gets dressed in front of Rob, never hiding any part of her body from him, but right now she can’t seem to manage it. Instead, she wraps the towel tighter around her, conscious suddenly of her body, of her whole self.
Rob pulls on a clean T-shirt and jeans. ‘I’d better get straight to Mum and Dad’s.’
Lillian and Eric. She’s forgotten he promised them he’d help them sort out their garden this weekend. Now she won’t have to explain where she’s going. The fewer lies the better. ‘Okay, do you mind if I stay here? I’ve got a few things I need to do.’ This much, at least, is the truth.
‘’Course not. I’ll probably have lunch there, though.’
This gives her more time. Still in her towel, she begins applying her make-up, even though she always gets dressed first, while Rob says goodbye.
As soon as the front door shuts, she lets the towel drop to the floor and hunts through her underwear drawer, pulling out the first thing she finds. Another sweltering day is forecast for today, so she grabs a white summer dress and pulls it over her head. She usually feels good in this dress, confident; right now, though, she doesn’t feel a thing. It doesn’t matter – she has to find Greg before he goes home to Sienna.
* * *
St Thomas’ Hospital looms before her, large and imposing. On the other side of those walls is death and life, and she’s powerless to prevent images of her mother playing through her head. It’s a different hospital, yes, but she knows stepping inside will be reliving the pain. There is too much at stake to turn back, though, so she continues. She has no choice.
If she had Greg’s mobile number, she would have called him instead, but she only has Sienna’s; until now there’s been no reason for her to have Greg’s. Still, what she needs to say is better done in person.
Inside, she realises she has no idea where to begin looking for him. She knows he is a gynaecologist, but this place is so vast that she’s afraid she’ll never track him down. And surely there are rules about the public wandering around hospitals when they have no reason to be there? She has no choice but to ask someone at the front desk.
‘I’m a friend,’ she explains. ‘I’ve lost all the numbers on my phone so I couldn’t call his mobile. I really need to speak to him, though. Is there any chance you could contact him for me?’
The young woman she’s speaking to silently scrutinises her, and Abby’s cheeks flush with warmth. She must be wearing her guilt like brightly coloured clothes, there for everyone to see. The woman’s eyes narrow and there’s an almost imperceptible shake of her head. ‘Can I have your name?’ she asks.
There’s no point lying. If Greg refuses to see her, then she’ll wait here until he leaves. A pointless vow when there are probably more exits to this building. ‘Abby Nichols. Can you please tell him it’s urgent?’
She waits while the young woman speaks into the phone, relaying Abby’s message with a frown creasing her forehead. Whatever happens next, Greg won’t be happy that she’s turned up here.
The receptionist hangs up the phone. ‘He’s coming down to see you. You can wait in the seating area over there.’
It’s nearly twenty minutes before Greg appears, flanked by several people as he steps out of the lift. For a moment it looks as though he’s brought them with him, and it’s only when they head off in different directions that she realises she’s mistaken. He scans the hospital entrance, squinting until he spots her by the window. He’s smiling as walks over to her, and this surprises her. He must know why she’s here. The cynic in her believes it is just to keep up appearances; they’re in a busy hospital and he’ll know a lot of the staff here: he won’t want anyone to witness him having any type of altercation.
‘Abby? What’s going on?’ he says as he reaches her. He stops at least two metres away. ‘Is everything okay? Did I leave something behind?’
‘We need to talk, Greg.’
He looks around and smiles at someone passing by. ‘Of course. I’m a bit snowed under at the moment, though, can we catch up another time? Maybe we can all go out for dinner or something?’
This reaction is something she’s unprepared for. Is he going to pretend last night hasn’t happened? That everything has been concocted by her imagination? She lowers her voice. ‘This can’t wait, and we both know it.’
His smile vanishes. Now she knows it’s real. It takes Greg a moment to answer. ‘Let’s sit in the coffee shop over there.’ He walks off and she follows, yet still he keeps his distance.
As soon as they’re inside she knows why he’s suggested this place. It’s far noisier than the lobby, with little chance of them being overheard above the clinking of cups and rumble of chatter, even though the tables are crammed together. It’s the perfect place to hide.
‘I’d offer to get coffees, but I really am short of time,’ Greg says, making a point of looking at his watch. His initial confidence has waned, and Abby hopes now he might be ready to deal with the consequences of last night.
‘Look,’ he begins, before she says a word, ‘I apologise for my drunken state last night. It’s all a bit of a blur to be honest.’ He searches her face. Is he trying to work out exactly what she remembers? Is he hoping that she won’t recall enough of it? ‘And I’m sorry I left without saying anything,’ he continues. ‘You were still asleep, and I had to get here as early as I could. You won’t believe how hectic it is at the moment.’
She doesn’t know how true this is; it seems more likely that he’s running. Hiding. ‘You need to talk to Sienna,’ she says. Twenty-four hours ago she would never have believed she’d be talking to Sienna’s husband this way, making demands of him. All lines have been blurred. She doesn’t add anything further; discussing details isn’t necessary. She just needs Greg to be honest with her friend.
He frowns and leans back in his chair. ‘Talk to her about what exactly?’
So this is the game he wants to play. ‘You know what I’m talking about, Greg. Please don’t make me repeat it. We need to tell her.’
‘Abby, I’m not sure why you’ve come all this way here, but I really don’t understand.’ He is so believable, so genuinely flummoxed that doubt creeps in.
‘Tell Sienna the truth,’ she says. She decides she must soften her tone; perhaps this is how she’ll get through to him. ‘Please, Greg, you have to. She needs to know everything.’
‘You shouldn’t have come here, Abby.’ There is no acknowledgement of anything. No guilt or shame.
She needs to try harder; there’s got to be a way to get through to him. Greg has always seemed reasonable, although that was before she really knew him. ‘I came here because I care about Sienna,’ she tells him. Her friend needs to know, even if it means causing her pain. ‘There’s no way I can live with myself, keeping this a secret. I won’t do it, Greg.’
Greg stands. ‘Abby, I really think you should stay away from us. Okay? Just stay away.’
As he leaves, she calls after him, no longer caring that people will hear. ‘If you don’t do it then I will!’
He doesn’t even turn around.
* * *
That night, lying in bed with Rob, sleep eludes her. It’s nearly midnight and Rob is on his laptop, browsing Amazon. She doesn’t know what he’s looking for and can’t muster up the effort to ask. Right now there are no words she can manage to speak; with every ticking second, it’s become harder to carry on as normal.
‘Do you think Greg’s okay?’ Rob suddenly asks, catching her off guard.
She pulls herself up, forces herself to look at him. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Oh, it’s probably nothing, but I messaged him earlier to see if he wants to go for a drink next weekend and he hasn’t replied.’
This is news to her. Rob hasn’t mentioned anything about this plan of his.
‘He’s probably just busy.’
‘Yeah, you’re right.’ He turns back to his laptop. ‘It’s just that he seemed really keen when we talked about it last night. Before… you know.’
Before they all made a huge mistake.
Abby tries to sound nonchalant, even though her heart is thumping in her chest. ‘When did you text him?’
‘This afternoon. When I was at Mum and Dad’s.’
‘Give him a chance. Some people don’t reply the second they get a message.’ She doesn’t point out that just because Rob does this, not everyone else will.
‘Yeah, you’re right. I just hope I haven’t offended him. To be honest, I can’t even remember a lot of last night.’
If only this was true for her, as if the night was a chalk drawing that could be wiped away, permanently erased.
Rob’s concern about Greg highlights to Abby that she can’t keep ignoring Sienna or fobbing her off. There’s no clearer sign that something is wrong, and Sienna is intuitive. Although Abby has replied to her messages, keeping the words she chooses light-hearted, as normal as possible, she can’t avoid seeing Sienna for long. She has to give it time, though, and give Greg a chance to do the right thing. It is down to him.
At two a.m., just as she’s managed to drift off, her phone pings with a text. There’s no name, only a number, and she knows before she reads that it is Greg.
Just give me a week to talk to Sienna. Please. I promise I’ll do it.
The clock is ticking.
TEN
Sienna
From the moment she wakes, Sienna feels that something is wrong, out of place.
It’s been a week since the dinner party with Abby and Rob, and none of them have seen each other since. This in itself isn’t unusual – they all have busy lives, so seven days is not long in the scheme of things – it’s what Greg has said about Abby that Sienna can’t ignore. He didn’t explicitly state that he doesn’t trust her friend, but that’s what lies beneath his comments, she’s sure of it.
Whenever she reminds him that he’d planned to go for drinks with Rob, Greg brushes it off with excuses about having too much work to do. ‘I just can’t spare the time at the moment. We’ll do it soon,’ he says before shutting himself in his study.
Yesterday evening, his study door had been slightly ajar when she’d walked past. She walked in without knocking – that’s what they always did unless a door was shut – and he quickly slammed his laptop shut when he noticed her, his eyes wide with surprise. ‘No more work for me,’ he’d said, standing up, smiling at her. ‘Shall we have coffee then?’
Sienna tries to piece things together, her mind constantly whirring, playing out every detail she can remember of the dinner party and the days that have followed. It always comes back to one thing. Greg and Abby.
She pores over the few texts Abby has sent her, yet there’s nothing concrete she can grab hold of, other than the fact that these messages have been few and far between this week.
But there is something, and she needs to know what it is.
Normally Sienna resists pushing Greg, even when he is being infuriatingly cagey, but this is too important to ignore. Something is happening which is out of her control, and she’s not used to that. As well as this, it brings home how much Sienna has come to value Abby’s friendship. She misses her.
‘I need to speak to Abby,’ she announces in the morning. ‘I think something might be wrong; she barely replies to my messages.’
Sienna is watching Greg while he sits on the bed, leaning down to tie his shoelaces. ‘Aren’t you being a bit melodramatic? We only saw them last week. I’m sure she’s fine.’
She’s expected him to say this, and she’s prepared. ‘I just need to know that we’re still okay. After me practically forcing everyone to go along with my idea. Maybe she regrets it.’ Just as Sienna does.
‘I’m sure nobody’s even thinking about it,’ Greg assures her. His nonchalance puts her on edge, especially given how stressed he’s been for so long now. ‘They’re just living their lives and we need to do the same. Nobody did anything wrong; we just spent time in each other’s company. So stop worrying.’
She stares at him, noticing the way he’s so intently focused on something as simple as tying his shoelaces, and it strikes her that she no longer knows him. ‘You’re probably right. I’ll go over there this morning, though, just to make sure she’s okay.’
Greg stands up, his cheeks burning red. Yet when he speaks his voice is controlled, almost soft. ‘What’s wrong with you? You’re just so… intense all the time. What if – and I know you don’t want to hear this – but what if Abby just wants some space?’ He shakes his head. ‘You’re blowing this all out of proportion.’
‘So that’s what you think of me? That I’m intense?’ Like him, she manages to speak calmly, even though she’s raging inside. The shock of his words has numbed her; he’s never said anything like this before. Perhaps it’s what he’s always thought, though. She can deal with criticism – she is her own biggest critic – but she’s becoming aware that Greg is lying to her, and with each passing second, she knows it even more.
‘I am who I am, Greg. If you don’t like it then why did you marry me?’
He stares at her, his mouth hanging open. An argument like this is unusual for them; she suspects they’re both too good at keeping uncomfortable thoughts hidden. ‘What kind of question is that, Sienna?’
‘I don’t think it needs explaining. It’s very straightforward. Why did you marry me?’ She is measured, in control, at least on the surface.
He shakes his head, turns away from her to focus on retying his tie, even though there was nothing wrong with his first attempt. ‘I really don’t need this,’ he mumbles.
In hindsight she will wish she’d let this go. She can walk away, avoid the confrontation that has been brewing all morning, but there’s no way back for her now. Everything that’s been troubling her for months – or is it years? – has amalgamated into a storm of tension that’s run out of space in her head. So many times she’s tried to talk to Greg about their marriage, and it’s all come to this.
‘So you don’t know why you married me?’ She is pushing him, desperate for honesty, and she won’t let him leave this house until she has answers.
‘You’re being unreasonable, Sienna. Do you really expect me to answer that?’
‘Yes. Why don’t you answer? It’s a fair question, isn’t it?’
‘It’s a ridiculous question.’ He avoids eye contact; he’s never been one for confrontation.
Sienna’s never known rage like this. It starts as a dot and rapidly expands until it’s seconds away from erupting. ‘Just tell the truth,’ she says. ‘Why are you with me?’
‘I’m not doing this, Sienna. I just… can’t.’ He stands up, walks towards the door and out into the hall.
‘You’re a liar,’ she shouts after him. ‘What are you lying about, Greg?’
It’s a few seconds before the front door slams.
She knows that the second Greg gets to work she – and this argument – will be out of his head. He will focus on what he has to do, and she won’t be a factor in the rest of his day.
She won’t accept it. This needs to change, and it needs to change now.
ELEVEN
Abby
For a week Abby hears nothing from Greg. She’s done what she promised and given him this time but judging from Sienna’s texts – her attempts to arrange get-togethers with words as friendly as they’ve always been – he definitely hasn’t kept his promise to talk to her. Now it’s up to her – the guilt is Abby’s to bear too – and she has to put things right.
