Silver Tears(30)

David sighed.

“She insists that I take the girls to riding camp tomorrow. She says they feel forgotten, that I think about sex more than I think about them.”



“She’s the one who’s been stopping you from seeing them.”

“I know,” he said curtly, pausing for breath. “Sorry. The kids are my weak point and she knows that. I don’t want them to end up getting caught in the middle. I hope you understand.”

Faye sighed. She had to look at the situation rationally. Appease Johanna. At least for the time being. And David was sleeping in the guest room, so any attempts by Johanna to proposition him would be fruitless.

“It’s okay. I miss you, but I understand. Kids always come first and that’s how it has to be.”

“Thanks,” said David, and she heard the relief in his voice. “Thank you for making the hard stuff easier.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Can’t wait. I promise to make it up to you.”

After the call, Faye sat there with her phone in her hand. Despite having reassured David that it was all fine and that she would be okay, she couldn’t help feeling lonely and abandoned.

For the first time since they’d met, she felt disappointed in him, even though she knew that was unfair. David couldn’t help that he’d had kids with a woman who’d turned out to be something other than he had first thought—no more so than Faye could be blamed for Jack. What kind of man—or human being—would he be if he didn’t try to do what was best for his daughters? On the contrary, his love for them said a lot about the kind of person he was—someone Faye wanted to get to know far better.

Faye reached for the phone and messaged Kerstin, asking if she wanted to come over and have a bite to eat. She realized she was starving and didn’t want to eat alone. Kerstin arrived within five minutes: one of the many benefits of living next door.

“I brought some cold cuts and cheese,” she said. “I went past the market earlier today.”

“Kerstin, you’re an angel.”

Faye poured a glass of Amarone and handed it to Kerstin, who sat down on the sofa.

“What’s happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” said Faye, filling her own glass.



The conversation with David was weighing on her mind and she needed to gather her thoughts.

“Are you up to talking about Revenge, then?” said Kerstin, reaching for a slice of prosciutto. “We can’t afford not to.”

“I guess so,” said Faye. “We need to figure out who our allies are now. We won’t be able to solve this on our own.”

“You know who I think you should contact.”

“And you know that I think you’re crazy for even having that thought, let alone suggesting it…”

“Maybe we need a little craziness right now.”

Faye nodded slowly. Despite it being summer, she had lit the fire in the living room and it was crackling merrily. She held her glass up toward the fire and contemplated the red wine glittering like rubies against a background of flames. She reached for some Taleggio. She finished chewing it before replying, buying herself time to think.

No matter how much she hated the idea, she knew Kerstin was right. They needed Ylva Lehndorf on board. But could she bear to let Ylva back into her life?

Before she had stolen Faye’s husband, Ylva had been a rising star in publishing—an industry she had revolutionized in the space of just a few years. As a matter of fact, it had been Faye who had convinced Jack to hire Ylva—she’d had her eye on her ever since she’d been at the Stockholm School of Economics. That was why the betrayal when she had found them in bed together had been a double whammy. But now she couldn’t help looking at the situation through fresh eyes. God only knew what Jack had told Ylva to turn her against Faye. Wasn’t Ylva also one of Jack’s victims? Like Faye, she had been infatuated and manipulated. Tamed and caged. And he had exploited her love—he had made her stop working, turned her into a suppressed little housewife. But the fact remained: Ylva Lehndorf was one of the most brilliant economists in Sweden and right now she had a red end-of-year sale sticker stuck to her forehead.

“Okay, I know what you think about Ylva. Perhaps that’s the right way to go.”



She took a sip of her wine before continuing. “I’ve been thinking about someone else who could help us.”

“Oh?” said Kerstin, leaning in. “Who?”

“Alice Bergendahl.”

“Alice? The bored, soon-to-be-divorced housewife from Liding??” Kerstin laughed.

“Yes, exactly. Her.”

During Faye’s marriage to Jack, Alice had seemed like the personification of an unachievable ideal. She was the perfect housewife. Beautiful, loyal, and understanding. Sexy without being vulgar. She looked like a seductive pixie with tastefully done silicone implants and legs so long you could sail a ferry under them.

That was why Faye’s surprise had been all the greater when she had been plunged into Alice and Henrik’s divorce, courtesy of the gossip rags. Previously Alice wouldn’t even go to the bathroom without consulting her husband, and then pausing en route to check whether he wanted sucking off before or after dinner. It had come as a shock when she suddenly turned up in the evening tabloids and celebrity magazines with an armada of divorce lawyers at her side. The protracted divorce had been the talk of the town and the hottest topic in Stockholm society for a couple of months.