Tears prick my eyes.
“I married him.” She drops her gaze to her coffee. “He cheated on me.”
For a moment, I don’t know what to say. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
She smiles at me, but it’s forced. “You don’t have to say that. I wouldn’t feel sorry for me if I were you.”
“But I know how it feels. Patrick might not have cheated on me, but I thought he did. And it broke my heart. Did you have kids?”
She nods, and my heart aches on her behalf. “Two. He left and didn’t look back. I’ve been chasing him for child support for years.”
“I always knew he was useless.”
Vicki snorts. “You’re not wrong. What about you?”
My throat tightens. “I was pregnant when Patrick and I split. But I didn’t know.”
Her mouth falls open. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s a long story, but we found our way back to each other. We’ve got a fourteen-year-old daughter.”
“How long were you apart?” The pain in her eyes is unbearable.
I almost wish I hadn’t dropped that on her.
“We just got back together recently. I’ve been living in Hamilton. I’m up here for a few days while we look at houses so Sophie and I can move.”
Her smile seems more genuine this time. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you. I hope you have more luck extracting money from Dave.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m not counting on it. But I’ve got my kids and we’re doing okay. It’s not easy, but I don’t have to deal with his bullshit anymore.”
That makesmesnort. And I clamp my hand over my nose in shock.
“I’m so sorry, Cassie. When things got bad with Dave, I was so far in over my head and I felt so bad about what I’d done. But you’d moved and I didn’t know where you were.”
I take a sip of my coffee. “How did you end up here?”
“We moved before Dave decided the grass was greener. Cheated on me with a twenty-one-year-old. God only knows what she saw in him. Maybe she thought he was wealthy, but that’s a joke. They’re not together now.”
“He was always such a dick.”
She nods. “I didn’t see it for the longest time. It made merealise how lucky I was to have Patrick for as long as I did, but I think he was really always yours.”
Finding out what happened that night is good, but I do actually feel sorry for her. She’s got nothing, and I have everything.
Speaking to her just emphasises the fact that I’ve made the right decision.
I can’t wait to tell Patrick.
I’mat the stove stirring pasta when Patrick walks in the door.
“Did you have a good day?”
He slips his arms around my waist and nuzzles my neck. “Not bad. Coming home is the best part.”
“I started looking at houses online. But I don’t know what budget we’re looking at, and they’re all out of my price range.”
