The Forever Home by Sue Watson

Chapter Twenty-Five

Ryan stayed over that night. And he slept in my bed. It just happened, and when, a little later, in the dark, he rolled over and ran his hands all over my body, I silently said yes to everything that led to.

In the morning, when I woke to find him gone, I was sad, and wished he’d come back to bed. I felt like a lovesick teenager. My concerns about the phone call with Erin now faded. I’d probably read far too much into it and, in the cool light of day, felt there was nothing to worry about where Ryan was concerned. I leapt out of bed and called Mark straight away, ostensibly to pin down times, dates and bank transfers, if the money had come in. I also had an uneasy feeling about Erin, and wanted to double-check she was with him and had arrived back safely. Of course, as usual Mark didn’t pick up, so I left a message for him to call me. And, to my amazement, by the time I was dressed and on my way downstairs, he’d called me back.

‘Congratulations,’ I said. ‘So, the US deal’s finally gone through?’

‘Yes, I… yes,’ he said, sounding a little subdued, probably because I’d caught him out and he realised I’d be expecting my money sooner rather than later.

‘Is Erin with you?’ I asked.

‘No. She, er… we had words and she’s gone to her mother’s.’

I walked into the kitchen. Ryan was there, fully dressed, making coffee, and my heart lifted just to see him – he handed me a mug, and I gave him a peck.

‘Oh dear, what will the press say?’ I replied sarcastically. I couldn’t help but feel a little smug; here I was with Ryan whilst Mark’s relationship was already on the rocks.

He didn’t answer me.

‘Mark, are you there?’ I asked, rolling my eyes at Ryan and going to the sofa, plonking myself down.

‘Yes – I’m here – and I’m not in the mood for your humour. Anyway, she hasn’t left me, she just wanted to spend time with Lara. She’s as excited as I am… we just had a little disagreement,’ he said absently. I thought back to the previous evening and a distraught Erin. ‘It wasn’t “a little disagreement” to her,’ I said. ‘She called in here last night looking for you. She was upset.’

‘Did she?’ he said absently. ‘I’m trying to sort out tickets – need to book flights urgently.’

‘Mmm, that reminds me, before you leave the country, can we please meet with our lawyers as soon as possible?’ I said. I hated to sound like a grabbing ex-wife, but it was my money, and as it was usually so hard to get to talk to him I had to take advantage. ‘I’m desperately short of money, and our accounts need reimbursing after you drained them,’ I said, glad he and Erin were off to LA. I genuinely hoped they’d be happy, and the bonus was I’d never have to see them again.

I smiled at Ryan, who was now buttering toast.

‘Yes, yes, we’ll sort something with the lawyers,’ Mark sighed. ‘I just feel… oh, I don’t know, I wonder if Erin will survive in LA. She’s already saying I can’t leave her alone and go to work every day. I mean, why does she think I’m going out there if not to work?’

‘Oh Mark, you really did land yourself in this one, didn’t you?’

‘And she wants a big, fancy house out there – well, so do I, but until we know this is going to be a success, we can’t buy anything. But she doesn’t understand… she’s so… fragile.’

I had already done my marriage therapy for that week, and didn’t want another debrief on their dysfunctional relationship. ‘Anyway, look, about the money – the three million or whatever – we agreed twenty per cent?’

‘What?’ he challenged.

I felt a shadow cross over me. ‘It’s in all the papers, Mark, you have the US money?’

‘It’s agreed in principle. We don’t have it in the account yet; we announced it early. Estelle thought it would be prudent to get it out there.’

‘Okay, but I helped with the treatment, most of the ideas were mine – originally I was going with you – and it isn’t my fault you recast me, Mark. I put the work in, so I want the money I’m owed as soon as possible.’

‘I’m sure we can come up with something.’

‘Something? This isn’t a gift, you owe me the money!’

‘I… Yes, okay, but I don’t recall anything legally binding.’

‘I hope you’re joking,’ I replied in disbelief.

‘Carly, I’m not rolling in it. I owe a lot, plus I have another family to support now…’

‘That’s not my problem, you bastard. You agreed to this.’ I had Mark on speaker, and Ryan was looking back in shock at what he was hearing. I just shook my head in despair.

‘A discussion isn’t legally binding, Carly.’ He said this like he was tired of explaining something to a child that didn’t understand.

‘Stop patronising me. You are not just going to disappear to LA and wriggle out of this.’ My heart was thumping; what kind of stunt was this?

‘Look, as I said, I haven’t even received the money myself yet, and everything’s in the hands of Estelle and my lawyers.’

‘Great, so she’ll be salting it away and coming up with all kinds of little plans with your lawyers.’ I hissed down the phone, ‘You are a self-centred, lying, pompous—’

‘Oh please, Carly, I’m not in the mood for one of your abusive phone calls today, you’ll get some spending money, just calm down!’

‘You condescending bastard – you—’

But he’d gone, leaving me clutching the phone, angry as hell.

‘After everything I’ve done, after everything he’s done – he talks down to me like that. Spending money? Bastard!’ I yelled into the air.

Ryan was standing nearby, eating toast, just chewing and watching me.

‘He’s got his big American deal now, thinks he’s untouchable,’ I said, getting up and pacing the floor. ‘Well, he isn’t. I could ruin him. One phone call, that’s all it would take – I could simply tell the truth for once about our marriage, his drinking, his womanising. And how he used to read bedtime stories to his current baby mama – twenty-seven years his junior!’

‘Whoa, Carly, think calm thoughts, babe.’ Ryan was pretending to be scared of me.

‘He just gets me so— He’s such a pig! He’s the only person who takes me to boiling point – I could kill him, Ryan, honestly!’

I could see now that all the delays with the divorce settlement were planned. Mark had had no intention of giving me the twenty per cent he’d promised. He’d just told me that to shut me up, so it could all go through smoothly without me kicking up a stink. And thinking about it, Erin’s comments the previous evening about taking down the family photo if she lived here were real.

‘Mark wasn’t going to give up his half of the house, he was planning for me to give up mine. He doesn’t want me to have what’s owed, he wants to give me so little that I’ve no choice but to sell up. And then he’ll swoop. He wanted this house for Erin, to keep her happy. Neither his ego nor his US deal could take another relationship breakdown. They’ll probably use the house as a second home when they aren’t sitting in their luxury house in LA gazing out onto their infinity pool. Meanwhile, I’ll be so desperate for money, I’ll have to spend the rest of my days looking at the home I once owned from a rented flat nearby.’

‘Hey, it’s going to be fine, you’ll sort it all out.’

‘Ryan, how can I?’ I asked, plonking myself back down next to him on the sofa.

He shrugged, and kissed me on the cheek. He wasn’t taking it seriously, and why should he? Ryan would be off at the end of the summer; my life didn’t impact his in any significant way. I was alone, and only I could sort this.

I paced the floor, working out how I could get what I needed. I didn’t want Mark’s millions, I wasn’t greedy, just enough money to stay here in my home, pay my bills, and make my own life and have financial independence – was that too much to ask?

I was racking my brains for the answer, when my phone burst into life, making me jump, especially when I saw Lara’s name on the screen.

This was going to be very weird; we hadn’t spoken for months. I held my breath and pressed the answer button, putting the phone to my ear.

‘Is Erin there, have you seen her?’ she started, without any preamble. ‘I had a missed call from you. Do you know where she is?’

‘But I just spoke to Mark, he said she was at yours?’ I replied, taken aback.

‘She isn’t. She didn’t come home last night.’ She sounded frantic.

My head started spinning, thinking a million different things.

‘Carly,’ she said. ‘I’m really scared.’

My oldest and dearest – but estranged – friend, was telling me her daughter hadn’t come home, and all I could see in my head was the open door, the sea, the storm.