Chapter 44

Sitting on the sofa across from him, Claire watched as he fiddled with his fingers for a moment. It wasn’t like him at all. He was usually so self-assured, confident. After a few moments, he looked up at her and spoke.

“I know you know some of this with everything that has been posted in the media and I’ve told you a little myself, but I want to tell you everything now.”

“You should have told me everything from the beginning.”

“I know, but I can’t change that. I can only try to do so now.”

“Okay.”

“I had a daughter named Molly. I was supposed to take her to the park, but I got called away to meet with a client. I told her I would take her when I got back and left her with her mother. I don’t know what happened to her other than her mother left her alone long enough for her to make her way downstairs and drown in our pool.”

“I’m sorry you had to endure that, Harper.”

“Me, too, but let me just get through this and then we will talk if you want.”

“Fair enough.”

“Anka had been having affairs almost since the day we were married. She never loved me. I thought she did, but I came to understand that she had just married me for money. I had planned to divorce her, but then found out she was pregnant. So, I stayed. I loved our daughter enough to have stayed with her hideous gold digging mother forever. When she died, I died right along with her. Knowing that it was her mother’s neglect of her that allowed it to happen tore me apart and I had to move out for my own sake.”

Claire could tell he was near tears as he spoke of Molly’s death and she had to resist the strong urge she had to just reach out to him and hold him. Instead, she sat quietly and expressionless as she listened.

“I couldn’t cope well for months. I worked long hours and then went back to my apartment and drank myself to sleep. Then, I met Cheryl, the temp I told you about, and that happened. Anka held my feet over the coals and I let her for far too long.

The last night I left here, I went straight over there to tell her I was done letting her dictate to me and was filing for a divorce, but when I got there, I could hear people yelling. It sounded like Anka and a man.”

Claire looked at him, surprised. The reports had all claimed that he had argued with her. Now, he was telling her it was someone else? No wonder the police had been suspicious of him.

“I got out of her car and walked up the front entrance. About the time I got to the front door, I saw her come flying over the balcony. She hit her head on the concrete and then flipped over into the pool. It was so surreal and I wasn’t sure what to do.”

“I looked up and saw a man standing at the balcony and he was looking right at me. He turned to walk back into the room and I figured he would come down to attack me. I wasn’t scared of him, but feared shifting to protect myself would draw attention that I didn’t need. So, I fled.”

“Have the police arrested him now?”

“No, not yet. I didn’t know him. When I left, I called 911 and told them she needed help and what had happened, but when the police came to my apartment later, they arrested me on suspicion of murder. I tried to tell them I hadn’t done anything, but they wouldn’t hear it, especially after the neighbors claimed we argued and they saw her leave in a hurry. Then, they found the sex tape and large payments going into both Anka and Cheryl’s accounts.”

“Those came from you?”

“The ones to Anka did, but not the ones to Cheryl. Anka must have been paying her, but she had done it with a shared account, so it could have been me as far as police were concerned. They’ve grilled me over and over about everything and I’ve told them the same thing each time. I didn’t kill her and didn’t recognize the man that did.”

“Then why did they drop the charges?”

“DNA. Apparently, she got her hooks into him solidly before he pushed her and the DNA under her fingernails didn’t match up to mine. It didn’t match up to anyone yet. So, they aren’t sure who killed her, but it wasn’t me.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Listen, Claire. I know I fucked up and I know that asking you to give me a chance under current conditions is asking a lot, but I love you and I need you. I am sorry I didn’t tell you about Anka upfront. I just didn’t know how. I didn’t know what to say for a change. I didn’t want you to leave me and it was selfish to withhold the truth from you just so that you would stay with me.”

“Yes, it was.”

“We’ve both made mistakes, Claire. I would have acted differently if I had known the truth about Samuel upfront, and you would have maybe understood my position if I had told you about Anka upfront. I’m not saying you would have stayed with me. I realize that helping an old flame and being married are two vastly different circumstances, but I should have been honest. I should have been fair to you.,” he blurted out, as if the words might not make it from his heart to his mouth if he didn’t get them out quickly.

Claire looked down at the floor for a minute, biting her lip. she wanted to forgive him, but it was going to be hard. Every fiber of her being told her that she needed to get as far away from him and the remaining media frenzy that was bound to continue until the real killer was caught and speculation died down about his involvement in his wife’s death.

“I love you, Claire.”

Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him and nodded. “I love you too, Harper.”

“Then we can try to work this out? We can give it a shot again?”

“Yes. I would like that.”

Harper pulled her toward him and kissed her, then folded her into his arms and just held her there like he would never let her go again. When he finally eased away from her and looked down at her, she could see that tears were falling down his face.

“I’ve never loved anyone the way that I love you, Claire. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I promise you right now that I will never leave you and never let you down. We will get the world turned right side up again. I will make sure of that.”

“I believe you.”

“Can I stay?”

“Of course, you can.” Claire led him to the bedroom by the hand and they curled up in bed together, both mentally exhausted. It felt like she had come home from a very long, very difficult journey. She knew that things weren’t going to run smoothly with all they would still have to face, but she felt certain that they would make it through.