TWENTY-SEVEN
NATALIE
Natalie gazed through the window, close enough to see through the distortion on the curved glass. She could see Kyle propping the bar up, nursing one of what looked like many drinks, judging from the empties and shorts lined up next to him. No, she couldn’t walk in there while Kyle was with all his friends and show him the message about Rachel. But, then again, the man deserved the full truth. What kind of relationship did Kyle and Mary have? Kyle had a fling with Laura, and Mary had… Natalie shook her head as she imagined her husband naked with Mary. A tear slipped down her cheek. Alan hadn’t touched her like that for years now and that hurt. Where had they had sex? On Mary’s boat, in their cars, in their marital beds? She pulled a sour face as she imagined them grunting away on her bed. She was going to get a new one as soon as possible.
She pulled the hood up on her raincoat and waited, weighing up what to do. Selecting Mary’s number on her phone, she sent a WhatsApp message.
I’m outside the pub. If you don’t come out I’m coming in and I’m going to tell Kyle about Rachel. I will tell him everything.
Natalie watched as the two ticks turned green. Mary had read the message. A rumble of thunder sent a shiver running down her spine. Soon, another shower began to fall.
Within moments she heard bottles spilling into the bin around the back. Mary appeared through the alleyway that led to the pub’s beer garden that was currently closed for refurbishment. Mary had told the whole community enthusiastically about the new play area, but Natalie didn’t care then and she didn’t care now. Mary’s umbrella opened out with a whoosh. First she checked behind her, then she checked down both sides of the path before she beckoned Natalie over.
‘Can we go somewhere else?’ Mary didn’t stop to hear the answer that Natalie was about to give. Instead, she hurried through the streets.
Running to keep up, Natalie followed her to the end of the path. They turned a corner and she kept walking, all the way past the Admiral Boscarn pub and onto the seafront. As they passed the beach café, the woman finally slowed down.
‘Nat, I’m so sorry. We didn’t mean to hurt you, we really didn’t and I didn’t want you to find out the way you did.’
‘You didn’t want me to find out at all.’ Natalie shrugged. ‘Kyle knows too. How could you do that to him?’
‘I’m not the only one who cheated in our marriage.’
‘But you’re the only one who cheated with my husband.’ Tears rolled down Natalie’s cheeks. She could see what Alan had seen in her. The woman looked amazing. She glanced down at her dowdy flat boots and the old jeans that were tucked in.
Mary stepped closer and placed a hand on Natalie’s arm. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. You lost Alan and he thought the world of you. We were stupid and it became a habit, it meant nothing. I know you want to burst into the pub and upset Kyle more than he already is, but it wouldn’t help.’
‘It would help me and don’t try to tell me that an affair that lasted decades meant nothing.’ She shook the woman’s hand away.
‘I’m begging you. I love Kyle. We’ve both made mistakes and I want to work things out with him for the sake of Rachel and our granddaughter. Please believe that I’ve changed. If I could go back and do everything differently, I would.’
For the first time ever, Natalie could see that the woman in front of her – her husband’s lover – was feeling the pain too. ‘Where did you both meet up?’
‘You don’t want to do this to yourself.’
‘You don’t get to say what I want? You owe me the truth.’
Mary swallowed and wiped her eyes. ‘At my boat.’
Exhaling, Natalie clenched her fists. All that time they were having sex in that boat and she hadn’t suspected a thing. How stupid had she been? Cody knew. Kyle even found out somehow. Everyone probably knew.
‘And Rachel? Does Kyle know that he isn’t her father?’
‘What! We had an affair but that doesn’t make Alan her father.’ Mary turned away and shook her head. ‘I had a paternity test done. Rachel is not Alan’s daughter. She’s Kyle’s.’
‘That’s not what Alan thought. I saw the messages. All these years he wanted to see the results of the paternity test and you wouldn’t show him. He said the timings added up. Just tell the truth, Mary. Show me the results. I don’t want to have to ask Kyle.’
Her gaze met Natalie’s. ‘Kyle is Rachel’s father. She loves him.’ Mary began to sob loudly. ‘I’ve made so many mistakes and I hurt you too. You have to leave Rachel out of this. It will destroy her.’
‘Like you destroyed me. We were friends, not just friends, close friends and I thought the world of you.’
The rain began to pelt and Mary kept back. ‘And I ruined it and for that, I can’t forgive myself. I miss you, Nat.’
‘You don’t miss our friendship at all. You’re still the selfish little bitch you always were and you’ll never change.’
Mary’s umbrella blew inside out as a gust caught it. She whipped it on the floor in a temper before depositing the crunched up metal and material into the bin.
‘Mary, what’s come over you? Things not going as planned? You thought I’d forgive you and we could all move on and play nicely in the playground again.’
