‘Hey, love,’ he said, putting his arm around my shoulder. ‘Don’t get upset; I know this is tough on you.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, wiping away tears. I hated when we argued. ‘I would do anything for him, you know that.’
‘But just not that…’ I heard Jay sigh under his breath.
16
MAYA
It was just after nine when Hugo arrived home from work that night. It was the earliest he had been home all week. I hadn’t seen him since I had tried to surprise him with dinner and like a lingering nettle sting, it still smarted. When I had gone to bed that night, hurt and upset, it had felt like a rejection – I had made such an effort getting dressed up and cooking dinner and he had thrown it back in my face. The worst part about it all was that we were so out of touch with one another that I don’t think he even realised how much he had hurt me.
‘Hey,’ he said, placing his phone and keys down onto the island.
‘How was your day?’ I asked, pretending not to notice how his eyes were trained on my wine glass. I could see the judgement there. The raised brow of disapproval. It was just a glass or two. I deserved it. He wasn’t at home on his own all day solo-parenting like I was. I dared him to make a comment. I almost wanted him to; I would relish the chance to tell him where to get off.
‘It was manic,’ he said. ‘Everyone is flapping around getting ready for the launch. I had press interviews all day so I got no proper work done.’
I had almost forgotten about the event his company was hosting this Thursday. They were launching their biggest development to date: a rejuvenation of a waterfront docklands site that had been dubbed ‘Dublin’s Canary Wharf’ in the papers. When complete, it would have thousands of high-end apartments, a shopping centre and offices. They had hired out a rooftop room in one of Dublin’s top hotels, inviting investors, the press, politicians and other influential people. I knew from previous developments that getting the right reception from these people would be critical to the development’s success so Hugo was keen to pull out all the stops. I hated Hugo’s work functions with a passion. As he was the managing director, he’d parade around the room, smiling and generally being a different version of the man that I saw at home. He would dangle me off his arm like I was another one of his possessions and I’d plaster a smile on my face like a good trophy wife and pretend that we were the perfect couple.
‘Do I have to go?’ I groaned.
‘Well, all the rest of the wives are going…’
‘Of course they are,’ I muttered. ‘It’s black tie, isn’t it? I’ll need to get something to wear.’
‘I’m sure you have loads of things already in your wardrobe,’ he replied dismissively. ‘Anyway, how’s Elliot?’ he asked, changing the subject. ‘I haven’t seen him all week.’
And whose fault is that?I longed to ask. Elliot had been in bed every evening by the time he eventually came home. ‘He was a nightmare today.’
‘Oh yeah, what happened?’
‘Well, Liv and Finn called over.’
He looked at me blankly. ‘Who are they?’
‘I told you about them. Remember the couple who attend Julia before us?’ I prompted. ‘Liv is the wife and Finn is their little boy.’
He hiked his brows. ‘You’re friends withher?’
‘Well, I guess we have things in common,’ I said pointedly, irked by his tone. ‘And besides, the boys are in the same class so it’s nice for Elliot to get to know some of the other kids.’
‘I guess… So how did it go?’ he asked but I could see he didn’t really care.
‘Well, she’s lovely but the boys didn’t seem to get along very well. Elliot was really tricky. He kept snatching his toys out of Finn’s hands. It was embarrassing. I think we need to work on teaching him to share. I know he’s an only child and he doesn’t have any cousins so maybe we need to invite kids over more often.’
‘He’s only five; that’s a bit harsh.’
‘We can make excuses but Finn is the same age and he’s an only child too and he was so much better behaved. I just don’t want Elliot acting spoilt and having no friends.’
‘I wouldn’t worry about it.’
‘Why are you so dismissive of me and my concerns?’
‘No, I’m not.’
‘Yes, you are; you don’t take me seriously whenever I tell you about Elliot’s behaviour. You’re completely disinterested in everything I say.’
He exhaled heavily. ‘I’m tired. For once, can we not see one another without arguing?’
