‘Someone I met online. On an app.’
She recounts how things haven’t been great between her and her husband for some time, and so she sought attention from others. I ask how Nicu found out.
‘That’s the thing, he didn’t. I told him.’
‘Wow,’ I say. ‘That’s brave.’
She shakes her head. ‘Brave has nothing to do with it. We’d been talking at cross-purposes. I was admitting to a fling with another guy, but he was talking about Brandon.’
‘Brandon?’ I repeat. ‘As in Liv’s husband, Brandon?’
Margot breaks eye contact.
‘What does Brandon have to do with this?’ I ask.
‘Liv’s birthday party on Saturday night. We kissed.’
‘You did what?’
‘Don’t judge me!’ she cries.
‘I’m sorry,’ I say, then wonder why I’m the one apologising. ‘You kissed?’
‘Yes ... well ... not exactly. It wasn’t what I’d call mutual.’ Her face reddens. ‘I kissed him and he pulled away. I was drunk, and Nicu and I’d had another argument before I left the house and Brandon was flirting with me ...’
‘That’s no reason to kiss your friend’s husband.’
Her tone switches to defensive. ‘I know, but it’s not like he didn’t offer me any encouragement, Anna. He was leading me on.’
I can’t explain why, but I feel disappointed by her behaviour. I shouldn’t, given what I know she’s capable of. But I thought I’d witnessed a different side to her when she found me in trouble. A nurturing side that was genuinely worried about another human being. And now she’s reverted to type. I half expect to hear Ioana’s voice chirp up with a ‘told you so’, but she maintains her silence.
‘And who is this other man you were having an affair with?’
Margot looks shifty. ‘It doesn’t matter.Hedoesn’t matter. Again, I was lonely and it was stupid.’
She admits it lasted a few months before she ended it when her mysterious other man began to fall for her.
‘And you definitely haven’t been having an affair with Brandon?’ I ask. ‘What happened on Saturday night was a one-off?’
‘Yes.’
‘Does Liv know about it?’
‘I have no idea,’ Margot groans. ‘I didn’t recognise the number of the person who sent Nicu the video.’
‘There’s a video?’
‘Yes. Someone recorded what I did but edited out the part where Brandon pushed me away and left me alone, looking like an idiot.’
‘The party was two days ago and you’ve not heard from Liv?’
‘No.’
‘I think if she knew, she’d have confronted you about it by now.’
‘Perhaps. Unless she was the one who recorded it.’
‘I think she’d be more inclined to slap you than take the time to record you.’
