With a sigh I send Nigel a text message.
Me: I need to talk to you.
To my surprise, he answers immediately: What about? Everything okay?
Me: Yeah. Everything okay with you?
Nigel: I’m doing great.
Me: What did you do last night?
Nigel: Nothing much. Stayed in. Got a take-away. Watched some telly. Missed you like crazy.
Me: Do you ever still feel like gambling?
Nigel: NEVER.
Me: Not even a bit?
Nigel: Not even a bit. All I want is for you to come back so we can start our life together again. I can’t wait for you to come back, Star.
Me: Funny thing happened last night.
Nigel: What?
Me: I saw you in Ziggurat.
For a full minute there is no reply. Then:
Nigel: What do you mean you saw me there? You mean outside?
Me: No. Inside. At a roulette table.
My phone rings. I accept the call and hold it to my ear.
“I was not gambling, Star. I’m finished with all that. That was not even my money. You have to believe me that I was just keeping my boss company. I had to pretend. To keep him happy. You know how it works.”
“Jesus, Nigel. How stupid do you think I am?”
“You don’t believe me?”
“No.”
“As if I would jeopardize everything by gambling again. Come on, Star. You know me better than that.”
“It would seem I don’t know you at all.”
“Okay. I was gambling last night. I regressed, okay. I’m sorry It happens to all of us at the beginning of the treatment. I’m sorry I lied. I just don’t want to lose you. I love you, Star.”
“I went to the house last night.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Just wanted to see the house.”
His voice is cautious. “I don’t keep it as clean as you.”
“You brought someone else back and fucked her in our bedroom, didn’t you?’
“Eh! No, What? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You let her wear my uniform.”
There is a shocked silence. “No, I didn’t,” he splutters.
“God. You’re such a liar.”
“I’m not lying. I swear. I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“How could I have been so blind?”
“I’m not lying.”
“Whatever. There is no longer any need to meet. All I wanted to say is that I’m leaving you. I’ll be filing for divorce as soon as I can.”
“On what basis?”
“I suppose the easiest would be irreconcilable differences.”
“Don’t be so silly. You can’t make it without me.”
“I beg to differ.”
“If you think I’m going to support you with alimony payments for the rest of your life you better think again. You won’t get a penny from me.”
“I don’t want anything from you. You can have it all.”
“What will you do? Live at your nan’s place together with your dad, and become a clerk somewhere? I can tell you now you won’t even earn enough to buy a pair of good shoes. After the good life I’ve given you, you won’t last a day.”
“I won’t have to become a clerk. I’ll be an author.”
He laughs uproariously. “What do you think? Anybody can become an author? There are millions of people who want to be authors and only a handful have the talent to become one. I suppose in your tiny mind you imagine that publishers are just lining up to buy your book.”
“My entire series has already been picked up by a publisher.” It is astonishing how much pleasure and satisfaction I get from saying that to him. All these years he tried to keep me down. Well, I floated to the top, Nigel.
“Bullshit,” he explodes.
“It’s true.”
“What? You sold your series to a publisher?”
“Well, not me. My agent did.”
“Since when do you have an agent?” His voice is deadly quiet.
“Last week.”
“And you’ve already sold your book?” he asks incredulously.
“Yeah, my agent held a mini auction for it and two publishers wanted the entire series.”
“An auction?”
“Yeah. They do it for books they think will be highly sought after,” I say casually.
“How much are they giving you?”
“That’s very un-English of you, Nigel. You shouldn’t go around asking people how much money they earn.”
Nigel goes silent with shock.
“Well, I should be going. I’ve got a ton of things to do, but you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.
“Star—”
I hang up, put the phone on the table, and bury my face in my hands.
“Well done, babe,” Rosa says from behind me and comes and hugs me. “I’m so proud of you.”
“My heart is breaking, Rosa.”
She pulls back and looks at me. “Not over Nigel, right?”
I shake my head slowly. “I tried to fool myself last night, but Nikolai’s not going to call me. Ever. I know him. He’s too proud and too insular.”
She looks into my eyes. “Oh, Sugar. I’m so sorry.”
Too distraught to speak I can only nod.