Splintered Memory - By Natascha Holloway Page 0,90
the house to look for you,” Claire said hoping that he could figure out the rest of what had happened so that she wouldn’t have to tell him.
“So what she just got to the house and changed her mind? Thought sod it, he’s only my husband. I’ve only spent half my life with him, he doesn’t need to know?” He asked angrily.
“They thought you were out,” Claire said; “so they waited outside in the car. You know what Charlie’s like, she wasn’t just going to let herself in and shock you when you came home from work. But the thing is. You weren’t at work. You were in, and when you left the house you weren’t alone. You were with…” but Matt interrupted her knowing what she was about to say.
“Emily,” he said.
Claire thought that he was doing well now to keep his tears at bay, and she said almost sympathetically; “yeah. Charlie and her dad watched you kiss her, and head off smiling and holding hands. Charlie decided not to tell you at that point. She hasn’t said this to me, but I think she feels guilty for all the pain that she caused you in the six months after the accident. She didn’t want to hurt you again. So when it looked to her like you’d moved on with your life, she decided to let you be.”
“That’s the real reason why she wasn’t shocked to see me at the wedding with Emily?” He asked sounding choked, and Claire nodded.
“Why are you telling me this now?” Matt demanded his emotion turning from shock to anger.
“Because I think Charlie’s making a huge mistake,” Claire said.
“What mistake?” Matt said loudly.
“Not telling you. She’s being selfless, and sweet, and kind. She’s putting everyone else’s needs and feelings before her own. She wants you to be happy,” Claire said feeling her own anger rising; “and she’s scared to death of hurting you again, but she’s making herself miserable.”
“She’s miserable?” Matt asked sounding concerned again and the anger in his voice ebbed away.
“Yes. She just works all the time or sits in her room alone. She won’t go out, and she refuses to try and move on with her life. She’s stopped going on dates, and she refuses to accept my advice that she should come back here and fight for you! Instead she just bottles it all up,” Claire said; “and then she cries when she thinks I’m out or I can’t hear her.”
“You told her that she should come here and fight for me?” Matt asked sounding genuinely surprised and smiling slightly.
Claire rolled her eyes but returned his smile. “Look. I’m actually quite a nice person, and believe it or believe it not she’s my best friend. I’ve only ever wanted what’s best for her. It’s just taken me a long while to realise,” she said; “and then to accept, that you’re what’s best for her.”
Matt smiled but didn’t say anything. Then after a few minutes of silence, in which Claire could have sworn that she’d seen numerous different emotions cross his face, he seemed to compose himself. He opened his desk drawer and took out the divorce papers again.
“Do you want me to give them back to Charlie, tell her you won’t sign?” Claire asked him smiling.
“No,” Matt said taking a pen from out the front of his coat pocket and opening up the papers.
“What are you doing?” Claire asked sounding horrified as she watched him sign them.
“I’m giving Charlie what she wants in order to move on with her life,” he said with no emotion in his voice or trace of expression on his face.
“You’re divorcing her?” Claire asked.
“Well technically I believe she’s divorcing me,” he said still without the slightest show of emotion in either his voice or in his face.
“But I just told you that Charlie, your Charlie has her memory back. How does that make it okay to divorce her? You were having doubts, but now that she’s all recovered you want out?” Claire asked feeling both confused and angry.
“She’s made a choice, and I’m choosing to respect that. I also have someone in my life now that I need to consider. I think it’s best that Charlie never know that I know though. Once we’re divorced,” Matt said calmly; “I very much doubt that we’ll need to see each other again.”
“And you don’t care that she’s alone and miserable?” Claire demanded rising up from her chair.