The Marriage Act(50)

And Roxi craved more. Much, much more. A larger house in a better part of New Northampton, five-star luxury holidays, sponsorships . . . and they were so tantalizingly close that she could taste them. However, the stigma attached to a failed marriage might risk all of that.

‘Did you hear the Push notification a couple of days ago?’ Owen continued.

‘Which one? There are so many.’

‘The one about remembering what we were like before we got married. How all couples change who they are when they’re carried along on a tidal wave of love – their description, not mine. Then, after you marry, you slip back into the person you were before. And that’s when you must start working and growing in the same direction. Somewhere along the line, you and I went off course separately, so we need to find common ground.’ As he spoke, an image of a younger Owen returned to Roxi, the one who’d make frequent visits to the HR department of the recruitment company where they’d worked. On sight alone she’d been able to tell he was a decent type but her attraction hadn’t been instant. Back then, she was accustomed to dating men who treated her poorly but were exciting to be around. She could fall in love at the drop of a hat with men like that because that’s all she’d thought she was worth. She’d readily dilute herself for another.

But Owen had made it clear he didn’t want that from her. He wanted an equal partnership. And when he’d showed Roxi love, she’d been at a loss as to know what to do with it. The more tenderness he’d offered, the more awkward she’d felt. Likewise, three years later, when Darcy was born, she’d found loving her child easy, but only until her daughter had begun to return that affection. Then, Roxi had pulled away. She’d known why Owen loved her – he’d told her frequently – but she hadn’t been able to understand why a baby would show her such devotion.

She’d clung on to the hope the pieces might fit together when Josh had come along. But the pattern had repeated itself. The distance she’d created between herself and her family continued to this day. She was doomed to remain in the hallway listening to the fun of others behind closed doors.

Roxi had never admitted to her husband that she had taken a Match Your DNA test four years earlier. Her soulmate turned out to be an elderly widower living in the town of Blagoveshchensk, on Russia’s border with China. In her desperation to find belonging she had used a translation App to communicate with her Match and they had talked via email for a month. But then, after a brief silence, his daughter had contacted Roxi one day to inform her that her father had died of a stroke earlier in the week. Roxi had grieved quietly for a man she would never meet and a love she would never experience.

Her phone illuminated on the island. It was likely to be an updated summary of her collated insights. She held back from grabbing it.

‘The clock is ticking,’ Owen continued, oblivious to her distraction. ‘We only have a few weeks left to start pulling together.’

Roxi’s phone flashed again. It was so near but yet so far.

‘So what do you think?’ he asked. This time, the phone caught his attention too. ‘Could we try and find something that interests us both?’

Roxi nodded.

‘Good, good, well that’s a start,’ he continued as the Audite’s timer buzzed to indicate dinner was ready. He continued talking as he turned his back on her, and Roxi seized her opportunity. But her clumsy fingers pushed the phone along the countertop and sent it crashing to the floor. Owen spun around to find his wife scrambling to pick it up. He was as disappointed as she had ever seen him.

‘Help yourself to dinner,’ he said, defeated, and made for the kitchen door.

Roxi didn’t try and stop him. Instead, she scrolled through her notifications. #IWillDoBetterWillYou? was now today’s most trending hashtag and her combined social media accounts had just reached the one million mark. This was everything she had ever dreamed of, only she had no one to tell but her fans.

She scanned her Instagram comments under the video ITV posted of her earlier appearance. A familiar name had commented. No, she thought, I’m ignoring it. She scrolled past it and read positive comments instead, but just knowing it was there niggled. She went to delete it without reading it but couldn’t help herself.

‘Motormouth bitch won’t stop jabbering, will she?’ @JustSayingBabe had posted minutes earlier. ‘Bet that’s why her husband is screwing around. Wonder if she’s asked where he’s really going when he says he’s playing hockey? Hasn’t she noticed his kit is never dirty? LOL.’

Roxi dropped her phone onto the counter as time ground to a swift and sudden halt.





38


Jeffrey




For a moment, Jeffrey thought he was imagining it. He partially opened his eyes but his head remained on the pillow. He listened carefully and the noise appeared again. It was a muffled groaning sound coming from another room. A half-moon shining through a crack in the curtains offered enough light to locate his ear pods and the fob controlling Noah and Luca’s Audite system. As he switched it on, his ears flooded with the muted sounds of their lovemaking.

He was desperate to witness what was happening further along the landing and behind their closed bedroom door. It was difficult to determine who was taking what role as the grunting and groaning became more frantic. Jeffrey began touching himself and imagined being in their bed, lying on his back, the back of his knees hooked over Luca’s shoulders. Before he knew it, he and one of the men climaxed together, but apart.