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“My husband told me we were coming to the Hamptons for the week. I thought it was for our anniversary. It wasn’t until we got here that I realized it was a work thing.”
She spat out the wordworkwith such animosity that Alexandra guessed this had been an ongoing battle between the woman and her husband.
“That had to be disappointing.”
The woman sniffed. “You have no idea. I’ve been trying to get us into counseling for a year. All he does is focus on how much money he can make. He’s become obsessed. He doesn’t pay any attention to me or our son.”
Alexandra stood and poured the woman a glass of water from the sideboard. She handed it to her, along with a napkin, and resisted giving the woman a hug. How many times had she heard her two stepmothers utter the same sentiment? Her father had ignored them, and he had ignored her. Too many times David hadn’t bothered to show up to her piano recitals or polo matches, activities he’d pushed her to do to show off his accomplished daughter but didn’t bother to see how hard she’d thrown herself into them, all in an effort to please a man who couldn’t be pleased.
“What has he said about counseling?”
Beneath the harshness of the woman’s laugh lurked a pain Alexandra was all too familiar with.
“Not enough time. Never enough time when there’s money to be made.”
Alexandra hesitated. She’d known the woman for all of five minutes. She certainly wasn’t a good person to give relationship advice, and perhaps the woman wanted nothing more than to vent. But the circumstances she was describing sounded all too familiar. What if she stayed, seduced by the lifestyle her husband provided or by a futile hope that things might improve?
“Have you thought about leaving?” she finally asked.
The woman slowly shook her head. “I mean, I have. But the worst part is I love him. And he wasn’t always like this.”
“What changed?”
“A friend of his lost everything in an investment scam two years ago.”
Alexandra looked away as nausea crawled up her throat.
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.” The woman plucked at the tablecloth. “When I say everything, I mean everything. His wife left him, he lost his job, the house. Now Harry’s become obsessed at making sure we have ‘enough.’ Which I guess I should appreciate. I just miss my husband.” She blew her nose, looked up and grimaced at the gilded mirror on the far wall. “I’m a mess, aren’t I?”
Alexandra smiled reassuringly. “Nothing a splash of cold water won’t fix. Your hair is stunning, by the way.”
The woman laughed again, this time softer with a hint of self-deprecation.
“I thought Harry was taking me out to dinner for our anniversary. I spent two hours getting ready.” She shook her head as she stood. “I don’t know. Maybe I just need to accept things the way they are.”
“No.”
The woman looked just as shocked as Alexandra felt at her emphatic response.
“I mean...it sounds like you love him. I once gave up on something I should have fought for.” Her voice dimmed as she recalled Grant’s brilliant smile on the deck. A smile she would most likely never see aimed in her direction again. “I’ve regretted it almost every day since.”
She blinked away her memories and refocused on the woman standing next to her, gripping the back of her chair like it was a lifeline.
“If you think your marriage is worth saving, don’t give up.”
The woman stared at her for a long moment before offering her a shy smile.
“Thank you... Alexandra?”
“Yes. Alexandra Moss.”
“I’m Lucy Hill.” Lucy cocked her head to one side. “You didn’t used to be Alexandra Waldsworth, did you?”
The floor opened beneath her as her breath rushed out of her chest.
“Um... I...”
