always known why. Because, at the back of her mind, there was always Michael Walsh. And he got in the way of everything.
‘Yeah, you do.’ He tilted up her chin, making her look into his eyes, gently brushing away the tears from her damp cheeks. ‘Now, come on. You don’t want Ellie to see her mom upset, do you?’
She shook her head, trying to smile, but in reality she just felt exhausted. Her emotions were wrecked, the confusion too much to take in.
‘You’re a great mom, do you hear me? The kids – they’re Hollywood kids, baby. They know no different.’
‘That’s not an excuse, Joe. I should be there for them.’
‘Will you quit listening to anything Michael tells you? He’s trying to wear you down, honey. Trying to make you believe everything he says is true, and you don’t need that. Get strong, will you? Forget him.’
‘That’s easier said than done though, isn’t it? When I’ve still got to work with him, still got be around him.’
‘He’s your director, India. He’s not your husband anymore.’
‘He’s still Ethan’s father.’
‘And for over six years he was Ethan’s father without you ever going near him.’
She pulled away from him, following him into the kitchen. ‘Yeah, but Ethan’s used to seeing us around each other now. If I suddenly shut Michael out of my life again, what’s that going to do to him?’
JJ just looked at her as he tidied away the debris left over from lunch, saying nothing.
‘What’s that look for?’ she asked, catching sight of him staring at her.
‘Is this really about Michael?’
‘What do you mean?’
JJ slammed the dishwasher door shut and leant back against it, folding his arms. ‘Or is it more about the newest addition to the Walsh clan?’
‘This has got nothing to do with Dominic.’
JJ just raised an eyebrow, which irritated India slightly, but she let it go. ‘Look, I spoke to my lawyer, and the divorce… it should be final in a matter of days.’
‘And is that what you really want?’
‘We’ve been through this, Joe. It’s for the best.’
‘For who, India?’
She threw her head back and sighed heavily. ‘Joe. Please. I’ve got enough to deal with.’
‘This is the end of our marriage we’re talking about here. Surely that’s something that shouldn’t just be swept under the carpet?’
‘You don’t need me or this baggage I constantly carry around with me, Joe.’
‘Self-pity doesn’t suit you, India. And don’t tell me what I need, okay?’
She pushed a hand through her hair, turning away from him for a second.
‘But maybe what you need is some stability,’ JJ said quietly, his voice softer now. ‘Because it seems to me that it’s something you don’t appear willing to give yourself.’
She turned round and grabbed her bag, pushing her sunglasses down over her eyes, checking her phone for any messages. A dozen or so from Dominic that she hadn’t yet read, and one from Michael explaining the new shooting schedule. She had to smile at that one. Complicated to the end, her ex-husband. One minute he’s begging her to come back to him and the next he’s all business-as-usual, cold as ice.
‘Okay, I’m out of here.’
‘Going out tonight?’ JJ asked, still leaning back against the dishwasher, his arms still folded. She could feel the defensive attitude emanating out of him from across the other side of the kitchen. Was this what she did to every man she became involved with? Turn them from kind and loving into cold and suspicious?
She didn’t look at him and she didn’t remove her dark glasses. She just put her phone back into her bag, walked over to her daughter and kissed the top of her head, ruffling her long dark hair. ‘You look after daddy for me, okay, baby?’
Ellie nodded, kneeling up to give India a big hug before settling herself back down in front of the TV.
‘I’ll tell my lawyer to go ahead then.’ JJ said, watching her as she put up that movie-star front she always adopted when she needed something to hide behind.
She nodded, walking over to him and standing up on tip-toes to kiss him quickly, letting that just-put-up front slip, just for a second. Then she was gone. Leaving JJ in no doubt that he’d lost his wife, for good. Even though there was no doubt in his mind that, as far as moving on from her past was concerned, India hadn’t even started.
***
Dominic walked along the busy Las Vegas Strip, hands deep in his pockets, his head down, nothing but a cap and