Unfaithful (The Complete Trilogy)

by Clancy, Joanne

  Laura used to be a family lawyer and an old school friend of Rebecca's. She had provided Rebecca with a wealth of information on her rights if she divorced Mark. Laura had advised her that it would be easier to obtain a divorce if she could prove that Mark was indeed having an affair and she was sure that she'd have all the proof she needed in a very short time.

  Laura had advised her that it would be at least four years before she could even apply for a divorce from Mark as Irish law states that both parties must be living apart for at least four out of the previous five years. Her first step was to apply for a judicial separation which was granted when one of the parties had committed adultery amongst other reasons. The judicial separation decree confirms that the couple is no longer obliged to live together as a married couple.

  The court may also make orders in relation to custody and access to children, the payment of maintenance and lump sums, the transfer of property, the extinguishment of succession rights, etc. Rebecca knew that Mark would more than likely turn very nasty once he realised that there was no hope for a reconciliation and that she really meant business, which is why she so badly needed hard evidence that Mark was indeed committing adultery.

  She realised that she had a difficult road ahead of her as she knew that Mark would fight every point regarding maintenance, ownership of the family home, ownership of their business assets and what worried her most of all; custody of their unborn child. Chris was old enough to make his own decisions but she worried about her baby.

  However, she knew that leaving Mark was her only option and the right thing for her. She had tried to ignore his philandering ways but living with his deceit was undermining her self-esteem and she found that she was constantly annoyed and stressed. It needed to end and the only way to end it was divorce.

  Chapter 24

  Rebecca jumped as the front door slammed. She’d been having a peaceful afternoon watching daytime television and drifting in and out of sleep. The tiredness these last few weeks was almost debilitating. She’d be up an hour in the morning when shed have an overwhelming urge to go back to sleep. She tried not to succumb to the tiredness too much as she felt the more she indulged in sleeping the more sleep her body craved.

  “Darling, I’m home! “ Mark called from the hall, as he hung up his heavy winter coat.

  “I’m in here,” Rebecca replied, as she sat up and rubbed her tired eyes.

  ''Is everything ok darling?'' Mark asked as he bent to kiss her cheek. “It’s not like you to be sleeping in the afternoon.''

  He looked at her quizzically.

  “Everything’s fine,'' she replied shortly. “I haven’t been sleeping very well recently, that’s all.'' ''Are you still feeling ill?”

  ''No, no, I’m fine,'' Rebecca lied. ''Anyway, what are you doing home so early?''

  ''I thought I’d pop home and keep you company. You looked very pale this morning and I was worried about you,'' Mark replied.

  Rebecca managed to force a smile. “Thanks darling. Would you like a cuppa?''

  ''Let me get it,” Mark insisted, as he hurried into the kitchen.

  Rebecca groaned as she struggled to her feet. Spending any extra time with Mark was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment. It was all she could do to restrain herself from screaming at him and telling him exactly what she thought of him and relations between them were getting more and more strained by the day.

  She was sure that he had been on the verge of saying something to her on several occasions, but somehow she had always managed to distract him. She certainly didn’t want a confrontation any time soon, and certainly not on his terms.

  ''Tea’s ready darling,” he called from the kitchen, ''shall I bring it through to you?''

  ''Let’s have it in the conservatory,'' she suggested as she took the hot cup of ginger tea from him. ''This is my favourite room in the whole house.” Rebecca settled herself carefully into the wicker seat, adjusting the cushions to support her aching back. She placed another cushion in front of her to hide her bump.

  ''Best birthday present I ever gave you,'' Mark smiled as he spooned sugar into his Earl Grey and noisily stirred it.

  ''Hmm,'' was all she could manage as she sipped her tea in an effort to cover the expression on her face. She was finding it difficult to restrain herself from flinging her tea cup at his smug face and giving him a serious piece of her mind.

  ''What have you been doing with yourself today?'' Mark asked eventually, in an effort to break the awkward silence.

  ''Not a lot,'' she replied stiffly, “resting mostly.''

  ''Don’t you think you should see a doctor, darling?'' Mark asked, ''you seem very down in yourself lately, depressed almost. I suppose it must be strange for you now that Chris is away at college. The house must seem so empty without him. He was a full-time job with all the running around you had to do, ferrying him back and forth to school, to soccer matches, friends' houses. I guess it was non-stop really.''

  ''Yes, I do miss him,'' Rebecca forced herself to speak, ''but he has his own life to lead now.'' ''Yes, that’s true,'' Mark agreed, ''it will give us more time to spend together anyway.''

  ''Mmm,'' she sniffed.

  ''Are you sure you’re ok?'' Mark asked again.

  ''Oh, just drop it Mark, will you, for heavens' sake! I’ve told you that I’m fine, perfectly fine!” She stood up suddenly, saying, ''I’m going to have a bath.''

  Mark looked after her curiously. “What’s her problem,” he muttered as he sipped his tea. He gazed out the conservatory window and watched the rain as it ran in rivulets down the window pane. He admired the palm trees which were now almost twenty feet tall. He’d planted them almost ten years previously in an effort to give them more privacy from any nosy neighbours. The trees surrounded the house now, like a warm blanket, protecting them from the cold, harsh winter elements.

  He and Rebecca and even little Christopher had had such fun back then. He remembered how they’d dug up each hole in the muddy garden to plant the fledgling trees and how Chris couldn’t believe the photos of how tall the trees would grow one day.

  He missed Chris around the house. The place seemed so lonely sometimes with just him and Rebecca rattling around the place. Rebecca seemed so unreachable lately, distracted almost. It was as if she was lost in her own world, her own thoughts, and there wasn’t much room for him. He sighed. Probably another mood swing, he wearily tried to convince. I wish she'd hurry up and get her period.

  He gathered up the tea cups and popped them into the dishwasher. Then he wandered into the sitting room and switched on the television. He hoped Rebecca would be upstairs for another while. He wasn’t in the mood for looking at her sad, pale face. She was really starting to irritate him and she made so little effort for him these days. She barely listened to him when he was talking to her, whereas before she would almost hang on his every word.

  She rarely bothered to cook a decent dinner, telling him to have a sandwich or call for a takeaway if he was hungry. That’s probably why she’s getting so chubby herself lately, he thought unkindly, too much fast food, it’s about time she started cooking some healthy food for us again, just because Chris isn’t here anymore it’s no excuse to let things slide. I’ll have to mention something to her, he decided as he flicked from channel to channel.

  Suddenly, he heard a loud bang from upstairs and a muffled cry. He jumped to his feet and ran upstairs. He burst into the bathroom where Rebecca was lying in a crumpled heap on the cold, tiled floor. She was moaning softly, and lying awkwardly on her side, one hand protectively clutching her stomach.

  ''Darling! Darling! Are you ok? What on earth happened?''

  Mark rushed to her side and tried to help her up. She was soaking wet from the bath. He grabbed a soft, warm towel and wrapped it around her and tried to help her to stand up. She leaned on him heavily as he helped her to her feet. She immediately fell against him, clutching her stomach in pain.

  ''Oh, Mark, Mark, I think I need to
go to the hospital,'' she whispered, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

  ''It’s just a fall, darling. I think you’ll be ok in a while. I’ll get you some paracetamol and some more tea and you’ll be fine. It’s just a shock, that’s all,'' he tried to console her as he saw the panic starting to rise in her face.

  ''Please, Mark, take me to the hospital, please,'' she begged in desperation.

  ''Of course, darling, of course,'' he soothed, as he helped her to get dressed. ''There’s no need to panic, I don’t think you’ve broken anything.''

  ''You don’t understand!” she cried, as she suddenly doubled over, clutching her stomach. ''Understand what?'' he asked, turning pale as the realisation began to dawn on him.

  ''Call an ambulance, please!''

  ''Of course, of course,'' he rushed downstairs to find his mobile phone, almost falling downstairs in his haste.

  "The ambulance is on its way, darling.” He was breathless from his run upstairs.

  "Ok," Rebecca gasped.

  She was sitting on the edge of the bed, struggling to get into her tracksuit.

  "Let me help," Mark rushed to her side and helped her dress. "Are you in a lot of pain, darling?" he looked at her face, which was paler than he'd ever seen.

  She was moaning softly to herself.

  "Yes," she gasped, clutching her stomach again, and doubling over in agony.

  "What on earth is the matter?" he asked, sensing that she wasn't telling him something, and wanting desperately to know what was wrong.

  "Not now, Mark, not now."

  She pulled her top over her head and winced with the effort.

  "Rebecca, please, what are you hiding from me? I know you're not telling me something." "You're not the only one with secrets around here!" She snapped viciously at him.

  He felt like she'd just slapped him sharply across the face, in fact he wished she had slapped him, it would have been easier to understand the sudden intense pain he felt in his heart. He could feel a huge shift in his world.

  "Becky, please. Tell me." He hadn't called her Becky for many years. It had been his pet name for her when they first met. She relented a little.

  "Oh, I suppose I may as well tell you. You're going to find out at the hospital anyway."

  "Tell me what?" He held his breath, dreading what his wife was about to say.

  "I'm pregnant," she said slowly.

  He exhaled loudly and sank on to the bed next to her. "Pregnant," he repeated, as if he'd never heard the word before. "How is that possible?"

  She looked at him and smiled sarcastically, "the usual way, Mark, darling. It wasn't the Immaculate Conception. I'm sure you can remember."

  "It's been months since we've made love," he was trying to figure it out.

  She could almost hear his brain ticking over. He was finding it difficult to remember which woman he'd been sleeping with and when. "Getting mixed up are we?" she looked at him in disgust.

  "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

  "You know very well what it means," she replied. "I know you've been cheating on me." She winced as the pain grabbed her again.

  "I have not been cheating on you," he lied shrilly.

  "Please, Mark, don't insult me anymore than you already have by lying to me. I saw the texts on your phone. I know!"

  He sat silently beside her. He didn't know what to say or what to do. He'd just had two huge bombshells dropped on him and he didn't have a clue how he was going to extricate himself from the fiasco, so he sat there, in stunned silence. "What now?" he managed, eventually.

  "Well, right now, I'm going to the hospital. She started to head towards the stairs, but was finding walking very painful. "Help me," she reached out for his arm.

  He rushed to her side and she leaned against him for support. He helped her downstairs, just as the ambulance was pulling into the drive. They banged loudly on the door. Mark pulled open the front door and two ambulance men rushed inside, with a bed on wheels.

  "You must be the patient," one of the men approached Rebecca and helped her onto the trolley. "Yes, that's me," she managed a wan smile. She explained to him what had happened, as they bundled her into the ambulance.

  "Darling, I'm here for you," Mark squeezed her hand gently.

  "I don't want you here, Mark," she said, staring at the ceiling, refusing to make eye contact with him.

  "Please, Becky, I want to make sure you're ok," he pleaded with her.

  "I'll be fine, Mark, I don't need you, just go away. Leave me alone!"

  Mark disembarked slowly from the ambulance and watched as the vehicle sped quickly down the drive and out onto the road, its red lights flashing and siren blaring loudly. He stood there in the drive with the pouring rain pounding down on top of him. He was soaked within seconds, but he didn't care.

  He couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Two hours ago he was sitting in the conservatory drinking tea with his wife, looking forward to the weekend. Now his world had disintegrated. He turned around and walked dejectedly inside.

  He kept replaying in his mind the look of contempt that he had seen on his wife's face. I wonder how long she's known, he thought, as he wandered aimlessly into the kitchen. He shivered suddenly. Someone walking over your grave, Rebecca always used to say. He shivered again at the thought of it.

  He was chilled, chilled to the bone and chilled to his very soul. He opened the door to the drinks cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He grabbed a glass tumbler from the sink and poured himself a large glass of whiskey straight. He couldn't be bothered with ice. He knocked the drink back in seconds and poured himself another large glass. He downed that glass in a few gulps too.

  Then he sat down on a kitchen stool, waiting for the tension in his brain to ease.

  It was at times like this that he wished he had someone to talk to. He had acquaintances; people who he played golf with, went out to charity dinners with, showed off to, but nobody who he would classify as a true friend. Nobody he could trust.

  He couldn't tell any of those people about his problems. They would be shocked and horrified. It was all about social standing with the people in his circle. There was nobody. He was alone, even more alone now that Rebecca knew that he'd been cheating on him. She'd been his best friend, his only true friend, for so long. She was his wife, his lover, his business partner, his very best friend. He knew he could trust her implicitly and could count on her wholeheartedly and he'd been so sure of her faithfulness and trust for so long that he'd started taking her for granted. He didn't know when it had started, when he'd started to want more than her. He was well and truly alone now, stuck with his thoughts, all on his own, with nobody to blame but himself.

  He poured himself another whiskey. His head was slowly starting to numb. He wallowed in the glow for a few moments, letting the peace wash over him. "Shit!" he shouted suddenly. The full consequences of his actions were starting to hit him. "What the hell is she going to do?!" he shouted. "I'm going to lose everything, my home, my business, my life!"

  His mobile phone began to ring. He pounced on it, hoping it was word from the hospital. It was Chris, saying that he wouldn't be home at the weekend. He was going surfing in Donegal with some college friends. Mark didn't know how to tell him that Rebecca was in hospital. He didn't want to deal with having to explain to his son what he'd done.

  He rang the hospital after Chris had hung up and asked for an update on his wife. She was stable but they were keeping her in overnight for observation, that's all they would tell him. He regretted drinking so much.

  He wanted to go to the hospital and try to sort things out with Rebecca but he knew he was in no fit state to go anywhere with the amount of whiskey he'd consumed. He resolved to get up early the next morning and see her then he poured himself another large tumbler of whiskey and drank until he passed out.

  Chapter 25

  The shrill ringing of the landline woke Mark abruptly from his drunken stupor. It took him a minute to reca
ll the events of the previous evening.

  "Rebecca," he gasped as he reached out and grabbed the phone just before it rang off.

  "Yes," he breathed hoarsely into the phone, his mouth was as dry as sandpaper.

  "Mark, it's me," his wife's voice came down the line.

  "Darling," he croaked.

  "I'm going to sign myself out of hospital later this morning, will you come and collect me, please?" she asked.

  "Of course, of course, I'll be straight over," he said, already struggling out of bed.

  "Thanks," she hung up the phone abruptly, not giving him a chance to say anything else.

  Mark sank back into the pillows, allowing himself a few minutes before he forced himself to get up and face the day. He dreaded what lay ahead. He was absolutely resolved to salvage his relationship with Rebecca. He didn't care what he had to do to win her back. Nothing was unsalvageable and he always got what he wanted.

  It would take hard work, determination and a lot of grovelling, he realised that, but he was prepared to do anything to keep his personal and professional lives. He hadn't worked this hard for so long to potentially be homeless and jobless just because of a few indiscretions with some floozies who he really couldn't care less about. He knew it would take a Herculean effort to win Rebecca back, but he knew he could it.

  He moaned, covering his eyes with the goose down pillow in an attempt to push the migraine that he could feel building behind his eyes. There was a reason that he didn't drink much anymore; he was getting too old to stand the almost debilitating hangover headaches. A cold shower and a strong black coffee and he felt almost as good as new.

  He sped down the road in his Audi A6 and drove the half hour distance to the hospital. He paused in the hospital car park for a few moments, bracing himself for the fight that he knew lay ahead.

  Rebecca was sitting by her hospital bed. She was half-dozing in the chair, her face pale and her dark hair looking dishevelled. She was looking a bit crumpled and the worse for wear, still wearing the tracksuit she had worn the previous night. Mark's heart went out to her as he approached her.