life have to be so harsh and cruel at times?
“Maybe to him it is,” Venetia said, and Nadia sighed. “How are the girls?”
“Happy to be home. They had fun with Nicolas but they seemed thrilled to see me. I am too.” She smiled. “But I had a nice time with you.”
“Did you see him when he brought them back?” Venetia asked her.
“Yes.”
“How was it?”
“Sad. He gave it one last stab before we sign the final agreement next week. He still wants us to get back together. I can’t.”
“Let me ask you something,” Venetia said, sounding matter-of-fact. “Do you still love him?”
Nadia hesitated. “That’s beside the point. Yes, I still love him. I probably always will. He was my first love. That doesn’t die overnight or maybe ever. If he were dead, I’d still love him. But it’s over. It’s not a viable marriage. He’d probably do it again.”
“Then you leave him again. I just don’t see why you want to divorce him, if you still love him. Maybe you could breathe life into your marriage again after all.” Venetia was always the most practical among them, Athena the most compassionate and forgiving, and Olivia by far the toughest and least forgiving. It was ironic that she was in the situation she was in now, begging her husband for forgiveness for her own crimes, and not being forgiven so far.
“What about my self-respect?” Nadia countered. “Do you realize what an ass I’d look like? My husband had the most publicized affair in recent history, has a child with someone else, and I take him back? Everyone would think I’m an idiot.”
“No, they’d think you love him. And who cares what people think? Do you really give a damn about that? Nadia, if you love him, you have to think about it, for your sake, not just his.”
“He has to be held accountable,” Nadia said insistently. She had gotten tougher since it happened. It had made her stronger, which wasn’t such a bad thing. And more decisive. She wasn’t as soft and shy and accommodating as she’d been before.
“Then make him wear a hair shirt or something, or put him in shackles. He was a good husband for a long time, and you’re great parents together. What he did was terrible, but I suspect he loves you. If this is fixable and you love each other, you should think about it. Think about Olivia. She’s a hanging judge. She kept pushing you to divorce him right from the beginning. What if Harley does that to her now? What do you think about that? Do you think he should forgive her?” Nadia was silent for a moment, considering it.
“Olivia’s deal was more of a sin of omission about Will, rather than the cheating part. Nicolas’s sin was insanely, flagrantly outrageous. He made a complete fool of me!”
“Is that what you care about, that he made a fool of you?” Venetia asked her.
“No.” Her voice was a low growl of pain. “He broke my heart. That’s what I care about.”
“So do I, for you. I hated him for what he did to you. But hearts can be mended. Not always, but sometimes. That’s what you need to figure out before you end it forever. Can your heart be mended? Only you know. I guess that’s what Harley is trying to figure out right now too. You two have a lot in common.” Nadia hadn’t thought about it like that. Venetia always had a way of presenting things to her in a way that made sense. She was hoping, for Olivia’s sake, that Harley would forgive her, because she didn’t want her sister to be hurt. But she was guilty too. She had lied for fifteen years. Nicolas hadn’t. The two cases were both similar and different.
They promised to stay in close touch about Olivia, and hung up a few minutes later. Venetia had given her a lot to think about. She thought about it all day while she was with the girls and lay awake considering it for hours that night. And in the morning when she woke up, she knew what she had to do. She was going to divorce Nicolas. She was sure. Accountability. She couldn’t let him off the hook. He had hurt her too much. She wondered if Harley felt that way about Olivia too.
Chapter 13
Olivia continued calling and texting Harley day and night for three days. She left a letter for him at the yacht club, pouring