‘What do you mean?’
‘I had all these romantic notions but it seems he didn’t share them.’ They may not have talked about it but she had been building a fantasy in her head. A happily-ever-after where she and Damien got to spend the rest of their lives together, along with Summer and children of their own. It was a fantasy that had taken hold on the day they’d spent at the pier and she didn’t want to let it go. But it seemed she might have to. ‘Apparently he’s planning on moving to New York with his ex-wife.’
‘Really? He’s just told you this?’
Abi shook her head. ‘His ex has just paid me a visit. She told me.’
‘And you believe her?’
‘Why would she lie to me?’
‘I don’t know but I take it you don’t want to let him go?’
‘No.’
‘Does he know how you feel?’
‘No.’ Abi loved him but she was terrified of telling him. She was terrified that it would jinx everything, even though it seemed that everything was already ruined. She wasn’t about to humiliate herself further by telling him how she felt. ‘I can’t tell him I’ve fallen in love with him. I couldn’t bear to hear that he doesn’t love me.’
‘So you’re prepared to give him up?’
‘No.’
‘Then you have to tell him how you feel. You have to take the chance that his ex was lying to you. You have to take the chance that he feels the same way you do. You can’t let him go without questions. You’ll always wonder “what if.” Trust me, I’m speaking from experience.’
‘You’ve had your heart broken?’
Mia nodded. ‘In the worst possible way.’
‘Was it James?’ Abi knew instinctively that it was. It would explain all that tension she had felt between the two of them.
Mila nodded again. ‘James left me standing at the altar without an explanation and I have never found out why.’
‘You didn’t ask?’
‘I didn’t want to know at first but not knowing has stopped me from moving on.’
‘Why don’t you take your own advice? Why don’t you ask him now?’
‘It’s too late. There is no point in raking up the past. But it’s not too late for you. Don’t let him go without a fight. Don’t let him go without an explanation. You need to hear it from Damien’s lips.’
Mila was right. Abi felt betrayed and she deserved some answers. She deserved some honesty.
She waited until the end of the day to confront him. She didn’t want to run into Brooke again and she definitely didn’t want to run into Damien and Brooke together.
‘Can I speak to you?’ she asked, as she stepped into his office and closed the door. ‘I bumped into Brooke today. She told me you are getting back together.’ Abi didn’t give him an opportunity to speak. She needed to keep going, she needed to get her feelings out in the open before she lost her nerve. She paced up and down in front of his desk. ‘How can you be having that conversation with her and sleeping with me at the same time? You know how Mark’s lies and deception hurt me, you know what that did to me, and yet you’ve been sleeping with me and making plans with your wife behind my back.’
‘Ex-wife. She’s my ex-wife.’ Damien stood up and ushered Abi to a chair.
‘How could you do that to me? Do I matter so little?’
‘Abi, listen to me. I haven’t done anything that you’re accusing me of. When did you speak to Brooke?’
‘She came into my office before she met you for lunch.’
He frowned. ‘We didn’t have lunch. I haven’t seen her today.’
‘Do you think I’m making this up?’ Abi wasn’t sure who to believe, Damien or Brooke. She desperately wanted to believe Damien but she didn’t know if she should.
‘Of course I don’t.’
‘She was here,’ Abi insisted.
‘But she wasn’t here to see me. And we are not getting back together.’
‘You’re not?’
‘No. Why would you think that?’
‘You have moved before for Summer. You told me you moved here from San Francisco for that very reason. I thought you might have decided that it was best for Summer.’
‘I did it once before and it was a mistake. But do you think I would make this decision and not tell you myself?’
‘Brooke was very convincing.’
‘I don’t doubt that, she’s a very good actress,’ he said as he sat down opposite Abi. ‘She’s fooled me more than once. When I met her she was a drama student sporting a black eye. She told me she and another student had collided heads when they’d been rehearsing a fight scene. Then later she told me that it was actually from her boyfriend, that he’d hit her. She’d worked out by then that I had protective instincts. She told me he was abusing her and of course I believed her and came to her rescue.
‘The truth was that she saw me as someone who would be able to provide her with financial security while she pursued her career. I was a better bet than the actor she was dating plus I would be able to keep her looking good. Brooke is self-centred and narcissistic. Everything is about her. She doesn’t want to be a wife and mother, she wants to be a successful actress, and she has used me to get herself there.’
‘I thought you might not be able to resist Brooke. After seeing her, I couldn’t blame you.’
‘You’re kidding, aren’t you? What is under the surface is far more important. Believe me when I tell you there is absolutely nothing attractive about her.’
‘Why was she here today if it wasn’t to see you?’
‘She came to see James for some minor cosmetic surgery.’
‘James? Not you?’
Damien shook his head. ‘Not me. I won’t perform any more procedures on her.’
‘You’ve done some in the past?’
He nodded. ‘She’s had her nose narrowed,’ he said, and Abi felt a twinge of satisfaction. She’d been sure Brooke’s nose was too perfect to be natural. ‘She’s also had her lips enlarged and after she had Summer she wanted her breasts reshaped and enlarged. I did all that but I refused to do any more surgery once Summer turned three.’
‘Why?’
‘Summer was old enough then to be aware of changes to Brooke’s appearance. I didn’t want her asking why her mother was always changing her looks. I didn’t want her asking why I was changing Brooke’s appearance. Hollywood is a superficial place, I didn’t want to perpetuate the idea of physical beauty being the pinnacle of success to my own daughter, and that was the danger if I continued to operate on her mother. So I stopped.’
‘But why would she lie to me? What was the point?’
‘Think of it from her point of view. It’s always about Brooke. She wants to be the centre of attention. Summer has been talking about you and Brooke doesn’t want her attention on anyone else. She doesn’t want us but she craves attention. You have to trust me when I say Brooke is not part of my life. I moved on a long time ago.’
‘But that’s the point,’ Abi argued. ‘You might think you’ve moved on but she will always be part of your life because of Summer. You can’t cut her out but you need to decide how you want this to work. I