Unfaithful (25 page)

“It makes my skin crawl to even be near him,” Shona said, scraping her hair back into a bun in an effort to look as unattractive as possible, “but I suppose it's all part of the plan.” Shona had agreed, after numerous phone calls from Rebecca, to work part-time in helping Mark put together an exhibition of his work.

Rebecca had a plan for revenge on her husband and she had enlisted the help of Shona and Penelope, who had reluctantly agreed to help her. They were happy that Mark was getting the punishment he so richly deserved, but they didn't like the fact that her plan involved them working quite closely with Mark again.

“I know exactly how you feel,” Penelope empathised, as she hungrily munched into a salad sandwich. “I can't bear the farce of still having to pose for him, all the while trying to fend off his advances without arousing his suspicions.”

“At least I told him that it's over, but then again I told him it was over so many times before and then we got back together that I'm sure he's convinced that he's still in with a chance of winning me back,” Shona continued. She shuddered at the thought. “I don't know how you stand him touching you.”

“Well, he hasn't been doing much touching recently,” Penelope said, “and I can assure that he certainly won't be touching me again. The more I think about him, the more I realise what a pathetic loser he really is.”

“I don't know what I ever saw in him,” Shona agreed, “I used to think he was so handsome and charming and charismatic.”

“It's amazing how fast someone's looks can fade when you realise the ugliness of their character,” Penelope said in between bites of her sandwich.

“Thank goodness we won't have to know him by next month.” Shona counted out the weeks on her fingers. “It's only three weeks to Rebecca's showdown.”

“I can't wait to see his face!” Penelope giggled. “He'll be so humiliated and everyone will know what an absolute cad he truly is. He'll be ruined in Dublin.”

“I have to admit that Rebecca's idea is genius,” Shona smiled. “How does she have the self-possession to go through with it, I wonder? It's difficult for us but at least we only have to spend a few hours a day with him. She's still living with him.”

“I don't know, it takes some amount of patience,” Penelope pondered, “I suppose he's humiliated and undermined her for so long that she doesn't mind waiting another few weeks to exact her revenge, and it will be so worth it. There he is living his life, feeling like such a stud, with all these women hanging off him, a successful business and a beautiful home. He must think he has the best life imaginable. Well, he's in for the shock of his life when it all comes crashing down around his ears.”

Penelope's eyes flashed fire as she savoured the thought of Mark's impending humiliation.

Chapter 30

“Darling, help me with my tie, won't you?” Mark called from the bathroom.

Rebecca sighed quietly to herself and heaved herself from her dressing-room table where she was applying the final touches to her makeup. She couldn't wait for the night to be over.

Mark had hired out the banquet hall of the city's most prestigious hotel, The Charleston Hotel and Towers, and had invited most of Dublin's glitterati to attend his first photographic exhibition. He'd spent years working on his photographs with the ultimate dream of showcasing his work and it was all about to culminate in tonight's exhibition.

Rebecca hated to admit to herself, that for all his faults as a husband, he really was a gifted photographer. He had a way of capturing the light in a photo or a certain expression on someone's face that would leave the viewer captivated. His landscapes and seascapes were breath-taking and his photographs of the sky were utterly enchanting.

She knew her revenge tonight would ruin him, but she was beyond caring. She'd watched him all evening, full of nerves and excitement about the night ahead. He’d never been so happy and proud and for a brief moment she had to admit that he was entitled to feel that way about his work.

She managed to force the obligatory smiles and words of encouragement that he expected from her, when all the while she wanted to scream one word at him; “why?”
Why, Mark?
she screamed wordlessly behind her artificial smiles.
Why did you lie to me? Why are you still lying to me? Why did you ruin everything we built together? Why don't you love me the way that you should, the way that you promised?

They'd endured several sessions of marriage counselling and still Mark hadn't admitted his multiple affairs. Rebecca figured out that he realised she'd only ever been aware of him sleeping with Shona and so that was the only affair to which he would admit.

She'd even asked him point blank if there'd been anyone else other than Shona and he'd looked her calmly straight in the eyes, even swearing on their son's life, that there had been nobody else but Shona. She'd met his eyes and searched them, hoping that he would see her desperate need for him to admit the entire truth to her, but he hadn't, he'd simply continued lying.

She'd had to fight every animal instinct within her being to restrain herself from scratching his eyes out when he'd had the temerity to swear on Christopher's life. She wondered if she would have been able to eventually forgive him if he'd told her the truth. Maybe their relationship would have had a glimmer of a chance of survival, but not now, not after all that she'd discovered. It was too late for reconciliation.

Slowly, over recent weeks and months, she'd started to realise that she'd never known her husband. She realised that she'd been living with a stranger for years. How had he changed so much? When had he changed so much? What exactly, if anything had changed him? What had happened to the wonderful young man with whom she'd fallen so madly in love all those years ago? What had happened to their plans and hopes and dreams for their future and growing old together?

She felt utterly desolate, empty and alone at the thought of having to live her life without him. She'd have to start again and carry on, find her own identity as a single person, a person in her own right. It shocked her how much of herself she'd lost in Mark. Her whole life and persona seemed to be so intertwined with his that she'd lost her own identity. Sometimes she felt overwhelmed at the prospect of being without him, all alone in the big bad world.

She was in her forties now and had a fair idea of what life was all about. She'd lost the exuberance of youth, when life and all its possibilities seemed endless, but now, more than ever, she was grateful for her accidental surprise pregnancy. At least the baby would give her a reason to carry on. She'd have someone to get up for in the morning; someone who needed her truly and absolutely. Someone she could trust and love wholeheartedly and have that love and trust returned unconditionally.

She sighed again and padded into the bathroom where Mark was struggling to tie his cravat. “What would I do without you?” Mark asked as she deftly fixed the knot for him.

“I'm sure you'd survive just fine,” she replied, trying to keep her tone light.

They looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment. Rebecca couldn't believe the audacity of the man. She could not detect one ounce of guilt in his steady gaze. It seemed that he'd conveniently forgiven himself for his betrayal and was happy, almost relieved that his indiscretion was out in the open.

He didn't have to carry the burden of his guilt alone any longer. Rebecca was wondering if he actually ever felt guilty for what he had done to her and how he had betrayed her. Somehow, she doubted it. She was realising more and more just how cold and calculated her husband truly was underneath his charismatic exterior.

Rebecca found it difficult to restrain herself from gouging his eyes out with her newly filed nails, but she willed herself to bide her time. It wouldn't be long until Mark McNamara had his well-deserved and long overdue comeuppance. She took solace in the thought at what lay ahead of Mark that evening, and managed to force a serene smile.

“You look beautiful,” Mark said, as he twirled her around awkwardly.

Rebecca was swathed head to toe in a loose black evening dress and would be wearing a scarlet pashmina to cover her bump and bust.

“I do not,” Rebecca protested, laughing genuinely. “I look like a beached whale already. God knows what I'll look like in another few months.”

“Even more beautiful,” Mark teased, patting her swollen belly.

“I read a horrifying story in a magazine the other day,” Rebecca said, as she applied her lipstick in the bathroom mirror, “about a poor woman who doubled her body weight by the end of her pregnancy. She went from a trim nine stones in weight to a rather hefty eighteen stones.”

“Oh no!” Mark said, looking horrified.

“Oh, yes.” Rebecca laughed again. “Her poor husband didn't utter one word to her until she broke the toilet when she hit eighteen stones.”

The two of them suddenly collapsed into helpless giggles and for a moment Rebecca forgot everything bad that had ever gone between them.

“Can you believe she lost all the weight in a year and then she got pregnant again and gained it all back?” Rebecca continued, gasping for breath in between her chuckles.

“She did not!” Mark said incredulously.

“She did,” Rebecca couldn't stop laughing at this point, tears were rolling down her face, threatening to ruin her carefully applied makeup. She was beginning to feel slightly hysterical. “Isn't it time we started to make tracks?” Mark said, trying to stifle his laughter, “the taxi will be here at any moment.”

Rebecca took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm her hysterical laughing, which only resulted in uncontrollable hiccups.

“Follow me, Mrs. McNamara.” Mark held out his arm for his wife, which she took. “Your carriage awaits you.”

She looked at him then and part of her savoured the last peaceful happy moment that she knew they would ever experience together. Her laughter subsided as suddenly and quickly as it had started as they made their way slowly downstairs.

She glanced at herself quickly in the hall mirror before facing the bracing cold of the night air. She made a silent resolve to herself to stay strong, took a deep breath and walked outside to the waiting taxi.

Chapter
31

The blinding lights and almost uncomfortable heat of the banquet hall hit Rebecca like a smack in the face as she and Mark made their way inside. She was very surprised at how many people had turned up for her husband's first photographic exhibition. He was very well known and well-respected in the community for his work, but she hadn't realised that he was quite this popular.

M&R Photography had the monopoly on photographic services in their area of Dublin. They had built their reputation slowly but surely in the early days but within a few years they were almost overrun with work.

A photographer was constantly needed for weddings, confirmations, communions, baptisms, anniversaries and birthday parties. Sometimes the business was overwhelmed with the amount of requests. They even occasionally had the need to outsource some of their work to other photographic studios or enlist the help of freelance photographers.

Mark was immediately engulfed by people wanting to shake his hand and offer their congratulations to him on the success of his exhibition. Rebecca watched him almost bursting with pride as he smiled and chatted in his usual easy manner to everyone.

She managed to force an obligatory smile and exchange the expected pleasantries with Mark's clients and acquaintances and was amazed at her own ability to carry on as if that evening was the only thing on her mind.

She caught sight of Penelope and Shona at the other end of the large hall. They were mingling with the guests, chatting about the photographs and handing out hors d'oeuvres and champagne. Penelope caught her eye for a brief moment and Rebecca gave her the smallest of winks.

Rebecca recalled with some amusement the conversation she'd had with Penelope and Shona a few weeks previously. They'd initially been shocked when she'd revealed her plan to them but then they'd both been very enthusiastic about helping her bring her plan to fruition. They'd even given her an idea or two of their own to implement.

Mark hadn't suspected a thing, assuming of course, in his typical vanity, that it was charm that had convinced Shona and Penelope to come back to work with him. He hadn't bothered to mention that Shona was working for him again, saying instead that he'd hired an assistant.

The more Rebecca thought about him, the more she fumed silently and couldn't wait to give him his long overdue comeuppance. She wondered briefly what would happen afterwards, but she didn't care.

She wanted to hurt her husband as much as he had hurt her and she knew that damaging his reputation and humiliating him in front of everyone would hurt him greatly.

The evening flew by in a flurry of congratulations and before Rebecca knew it, it was time for the after dinner speeches. Mark was positively bursting with pride at this stage. He'd had more than his fair share of champagne and was thoroughly enjoying himself.