The Affair - Danielle Steel Page 0,90

wife had slept with someone else, not who knew it. On the contrary, Olivia’s transgression had been her darkest secret, especially from him, and even from her sisters until that summer. She bitterly regretted telling them now, because their reaction had made her realize that she’d been wrong not to tell him. She could see now, from his reaction, that her first instinct not to had been right. And it was too late to confess to the lie fifteen years later.

“What if he never comes back?” Olivia asked. Nadia didn’t want to say that Harley wasn’t as young as they were. He would probably die before her, and she’d have to survive without him one day. And if Harley took an extreme position to her confession, Will would need her more than ever. But Harley wasn’t a cruel man. Nadia doubted that Harley would never forgive her, or reject Will for his mother’s sins. He loved him too much to do that, no matter who his father was.

“I think he will come back,” Nadia said. “Give him time. He probably needs to sit with it for a while. This is a huge shock for him. He’s a very straightlaced, serious guy, but he loves you, Ollie. He probably feels like he’ll die without you too.”

“He says he’ll never believe another word I say. He asked me how many other men I slept with. I’ve never, ever cheated on him again.” She was wracked with sobs again after she said it, and Nadia’s heart ached for her.

“I believe you.”

“I wish I hadn’t told him.”

“In the long run, you probably did the right thing,” Nadia tried to reassure her, although she wouldn’t have told him, and had tried to convince Olivia not to. Nadia had thought it was too risky, and she wasn’t happy to be proven right. Harley had reacted just as severely as she’d feared.

They talked for over an hour before Nadia got on the plane. Will came home after the movie, and fortunately didn’t ask where his father was and went to read in his room.

“You have to pull yourself together for Will,” Nadia told her. “You don’t want to have to explain this to him.” There was no mistaking how distraught she was. She was acting as though Harley had died. But maybe their marriage had. Nadia recognized it as a distinct possibility, and so did Olivia.

“God, no. And Will is so damn smart, he always figures things out.” But not this time. How could he possibly guess what his mother had told Harley? He couldn’t.

Nadia called her one last time before the flight took off, and Olivia sounded more composed, although she was morbidly depressed, and every five minutes she had tried to call Harley. She had texted him too. He hadn’t responded to her pleas and apologies and sobbing messages.

“I’ll call you when I land,” Nadia promised. It was a six- or seven-hour flight to Paris at that time of year, depending on the weather, but she knew that Venetia and Athena would be checking on Olivia too. They hadn’t told their mother yet, and didn’t want to spoil her time in Palm Beach. There was nothing she could do anyway. What would happen next was up to Harley now. Only he could decide Olivia’s fate. The future of their marriage was in Harley’s hands.

Nadia thought about her sister as she settled back in her seat and the plane headed northeast to Europe. She had her own future to think about now too. She and Nicolas would be filing their agreement soon with the notaire for the divorce. Neither of them had been unreasonable, and Nadia was surprised by how simple the process had become, in uncontested divorces. French law had eased up considerably when both parties agreed. Her lawyer had explained that most divorces got mired down in lengthy disputes over money, custody arrangements, or property. But since neither of them was taking an adversarial position, and the only thing Nadia wanted was use of the apartment, which he had agreed to immediately, and child support, they were among the lucky few who could get through the process quickly. Her attorney had pointed out that it sometimes took years where tangible assets were concerned. Sometimes the children were adults and had left home by the time they resolved it. He cited one case he’d had that had taken nineteen years, but he said that was unusual. But most divorces weren’t as bloodless as