The Wife Stalker(18)

I threw my hands up. What was the use? She always won. “I’ll stay, I’ll stay.”

That was my first mistake.

The next week, we were just finishing breakfast when a van pulled up to the house and a man knocked on the door to ask me where to put all my belongings—boxes, bags, and suitcases full of my stuff. The boxes looked like they’d been packed hurriedly, the clothing barely folded and overflowing out of the tops, my toiletries in a mixed jumble. My journals and books were thrown together in bags along with some framed photographs. I felt shocked and violated.

Thunderstruck, I called Leo. “What’s going on? Did you just have my things sent to my mother’s house?”

He sighed loudly. “Damn! I’m so sorry, Joanna. They weren’t supposed to come until tomorrow. I wanted to talk to you first.” He took a deep breath as my heart hammered in my chest. “Listen, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. It’s not healthy anymore, living together.”

“How can you do this? How can you end it like this? Leo . . . I—”

“Joanna, I’ve got a client in the waiting room. I am sorry, but I have to go for now.” He hung up.

Was he serious? How dare he use my mother’s accident to get me out of the house? I’d have to go talk to him in person.

I barely made it through the rest of the day, but as soon as the clock hit six, I asked Mom’s next-door neighbor to come over and stay with her again, and she kindly agreed. I got to the house before Leo got home from work and let myself in. Rebecca looked surprised to see me when I walked into the kitchen but said nothing. I spent some time reading to the children, then asked Rebecca to take them out to dinner in town. I didn’t want them to overhear my conversation with Leo.

While I waited for him, I looked around the room and did a double-take when I spotted a new espresso machine. I’d never known Leo to drink espresso.

I braced myself when I heard his car pull up and the garage door open.

He seemed startled to see me when he came into the house. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to talk to you.” My heart was beating so fast I thought I would pass out. It was ridiculous that I was feeling this shaky and nervous, given that this was where I belonged.

He gave me a sympathetic look. “Let’s sit down and talk about this calmly.” He put his hand on my back and led me gently to the couch in the living room, then turned to me. “Joanna, I’m sorry. I know this isn’t what you want, but I just can’t give you what you want. I’d like for us to part as friends, especially for the sake of the children.”

Tears sprang to my eyes. “Friends? I don’t understand. I’ve helped you get through this horrible time, and now you want to get rid of me? How can you just . . . dispose of me after all these years? I’ve been the one by your side as you’ve built your practice. I’ve taken care of the house. Devoted myself to the children. I’ve always handled everything so you didn’t have to worry about anything. And now, you want to replace me and go on with your life?” The pain of his betrayal ripped through me as if I were being torn in two.

He put his head in his hands for a moment, then looked at me again. “I do appreciate everything you’ve done over the years, but I can’t help my feelings. Life is short. I’m in love with someone else, and I need to be happy.”

I stood up, my face hot. “Piper Reynard? How long have you known her—three weeks, a month?” My voice rose. “She’s just using you. Why can’t you see that?” I was losing it, and I knew I sounded crazy, but there was too much emotion boiling up inside me. Later I’d wonder if I had stayed calm, if I had told him about my concerns about Piper’s lack of a past and what she might be hiding, would it have gone better? But my heart was shattering, and there was no way to hold it in.

His eyes were filled with pity. This wasn’t my Leo in front of me. It was as though he’d been replaced by a look-alike, an imposter. He shook his head. “You’re wrong. Piper loves me, and I love her. We’re going to be together, and you need to accept that. You’ll find someone yourself. You just need to let go.”

His words were like a physical blow. I actually staggered backward, trying to catch my breath. “How can you say that?”

“Because it’s true. And I want the best for you. You need to get on with your life. I’ll be more than generous. You won’t have to worry about money.”

“You think you can just buy me off? I don’t want your money. I want you! I want us!”

“There is no us. You need to let go.”

“How can you be so cruel? I love you. We’re a family. Don’t do this.”

“Please, Joanna. Don’t make this harder than it has to be. You need to go.” He rose and stood, looking down at me, waiting. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your car.”

I followed him to the front door, my mind churning. How could I be losing everything that mattered to me?





15

Piper




As soon as Piper had awakened, Leo had called to confirm their plans for that afternoon. After they said goodbye, she poured a second cup of tea, and almost immediately, her phone pinged with a text message. Counting the hours until I see you. Hated having to leave you last night. Xo. Piper smiled. She couldn’t wait either. They talked every day now, usually first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, bookending their days. They even managed to see each other three nights a week. She’d been afraid at first that it would be hard for him to get away, but now that Joanna was gone, and the nanny, Rebecca, was living there again, it had become easier. The only thing that frustrated her was that Leo had been taking things very slowly, and had told her that he wanted everything to be perfect when they finally became intimate with each other. Piper still hadn’t met the children, and a part of her wondered if that was some sort of a test, if perhaps Leo wanted to make sure that his children approved of her before taking the relationship to the next level. But she was tired of waiting and intended to speed things up tonight.