‘You make it sound like it’s all my fault! I’m trying to talk to you about our son’s behaviour but you’re not interested.’
‘That’s because I think you’re overreacting. He’s five!’
‘Cheers for the support,’ I said, raising my glass in his direction.
‘Why do you always get so argumentative when you’re drunk?’
‘I am not drunk!’ I said indignantly.
‘Yeah, whatever,’ he goaded.
‘This is my first glass.’
His raised his brows in a look that told me he wasn’t buying it. ‘Every night, it’s the same thing with you. I get home, you’ve already started on the wine and you have a go at me. And then you wonder why I work late!’
‘Am I not entitled to a glass of wine when I’m left to do everything by myself?’ I blazed, feeling fury warm my veins. ‘And then when I do come to you about something, I get no support from you!’
He shook his head in disgust and turned and walked out of the room. ‘You’re a mess, Maya.’
17
MAYA
On Thursday evening, I stepped out of the taxi and slammed the door shut. I picked up my gown, taking care not to trip over the hem as I crossed the ground towards the hotel, following after Hugo. I had had my hair styled into a long ponytail that curled down my back and tendrils hung loose around my face. As I’d come downstairs, I could see him looking at my shoes; he hated when I wore heels. At almost six foot tall, I was taller than him in my bare feet so I towered over him in heels. Hugo didn’t say I looked nice; in fact, he had barely looked at me and instead just said, ‘Ready?’ We still weren’t on speaking terms following our argument earlier in the week.This will be interesting, I thought grimly as I followed him up the steps leading into the hotel.
We went inside and took the elevator up to the rooftop room that they had hired. The lift doors opened and we entered the huge, glass-walled room with views stretching all across Dublin. Light from crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow across the elegant room and the air was filled with the soft murmur of chatter and the clinking of glasses. Hugo walked straight over towards a group of men that I didn’t know, leaving me standing alone. I watched as one of them clapped him on theback and they all laughed heartily. I began to feel self-conscious standing there on my own. As I looked around for a familiar face, it seemed that none of the other directors’ wives had arrived yet. Although the women were older than me and palled around together playing tennis and lunching, at least I would have somebody to talk to. A waiter came over with a tray of champagne and I took one from him, grateful for something to do with my hands.
‘Maya!’ a woman called out, pulling me out of my thoughts. ‘You’re looking dazzling as always.’ She proceeded to air-kiss me on both cheeks.
I pulled my face into a smile.
‘Where is that husband of yours? Has he gone rogue?’
I made small talk with her, all the while my mind elsewhere. I would look over at Hugo now and again and as I watched him laughing with the men, I felt my fingers curling a little too tightly around the stem of the glass.
I knew this night was important to him; he had investors present that he needed to impress in order to get them onboard. Hugo liked us keeping up appearances, with me in the role of trophy wife, but I was growing tired of it all. In the early days of our marriage, I had enjoyed playing along as the adoring wife but after our marriage deteriorated, putting on a show for these people angered me. I wasn’t an ornament. I was relieved when a gong sounded, inviting everyone to sit down. We took our seats at the table for the company directors and their wives and I noticed a beautiful young girl take the seat on the other side of Hugo. This was a departure. Normally, I was the youngest at the table by a mile but this woman looked to be almost half my age. I also had no idea who she was. My earlier smile faded into tight lips.
‘Who’s she?’ I hissed at Hugo when he eventually sat down beside me.
‘Who?’ he asked, looking around.
‘Sitting beside you. Who is she?’
He looked beside him. ‘Oh, that’s Kelly.’
‘Does she work with you?’ I continued.
‘She’s joined the marketing team; she looks after all the social media. She’s really good at it.’
I looked around the room at the marketing team, who were sitting at a nearby table. Why wasn’t Kelly on that table? I wondered.
Hugo turned around to her. ‘Kelly, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Maya.’
‘Hi,’ she began. ‘I’ve heard loads about you.’
‘I heard you’re doing great things with the social media account,’ I started.
‘Well, I’m enjoying it.’
