Chapter 6 - Scarlett Finally Said Why She Wanted Jonathan GoneEvelyn answered on speaker.
"Scarlett."
Scarlett's voice came quickly.
"Are you okay?"
Evelyn looked at Jonathan.
"I'm fine."
"Did he yell?"
Jonathan's jaw tightened.
"No."
"Did he threaten you?"
"No."
A pause.
"Did he call a lawyer?"
Evelyn stared at Jonathan.
"No."
Scarlett exhaled.
"Okay."
Jonathan could hear fear beneath her words.
Not fear for Evelyn.
Fear of consequences.
Scarlett continued.
"You need to come here."
Evelyn's face tightened.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because Hazel is here."
"Bring her."
Jonathan felt his anger rise.
Evelyn shook her head even though Scarlett couldn't see.
"No."
"We already have the house."
Jonathan mouthed:
Keep going.
Evelyn swallowed.
"Jonathan knows about it."
Silence.
Scarlett finally whispered:
"How?"
"Hazel."
Another silence.
"Of course."
Something about the irritation in Scarlett's voice changed Jonathan.
Hazel wasn't a problem.
She was his daughter.
Scarlett continued.
"Evelyn, listen. You need to get ahead of this."
"Get ahead of what?"
"Court."
Jonathan's eyes narrowed.
"You know what he's like."
Evelyn looked at Jonathan.
Then asked:
"What is he like?"
Scarlett hesitated.
"When he feels betrayed, he gets controlling."
Jonathan almost laughed.
Evelyn's face hardened.
"Has he ever been controlling with you?"
The question surprised Scarlett.
"What?"
"Jonathan. Has he ever controlled you?"
"No, but—"
"Has he ever threatened me?"
Scarlett paused.
"Not directly."
Jonathan mouthed:
Not directly?
Evelyn continued.
"Did you actually see emails about a divorce attorney?"
Silence.
Scarlett said:
"Evelyn, now isn't the time."
"Answer."
"I saw emails."
"About divorce?"
Another pause.
"They looked like it."
"Did you read them?"
"No."
Jonathan looked away.
Evelyn's voice changed.
"What about Rachel?"
"What about her?"
"Did you know that trip included fourteen employees?"
Scarlett went silent.
Evelyn whispered:
"You knew."
Scarlett exhaled.
"I suspected."
"That's not what you told me."
"Evelyn—"
"You told me Jonathan was taking another woman to hotels."
"I told you what I saw."
"No. You told me what it meant."
Scarlett's voice sharpened.
"And would you have listened otherwise?"
Jonathan looked at Evelyn.
There it was.
Not denial.
Justification.
Evelyn stood.
"You wanted me to believe he was cheating."
"I wanted you to see your marriage wasn't perfect."
"Why?"
"Because it wasn't!"
"Why did that matter to you?"
Silence.
Scarlett's voice softened.
"You know why."
Evelyn looked toward Jonathan.
He gestured for her to continue.
"No. Say it."
Scarlett breathed slowly.
"Because I loved you."
Jonathan felt the words settle strangely.
Evelyn closed her eyes.
Scarlett continued.
"I loved you before you knew I loved you."
"How long?"
"Years."
Jonathan looked up.
Years.
Evelyn stared at the phone.
"How many?"
Scarlett gave a sad laugh.
"Does it matter?"
"Yes."
"Since Hazel was three."
Jonathan went still.
Four years.
Scarlett had carried feelings for Evelyn while attending family birthdays, holidays, vacations.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you were married."
"You eventually did more than tell me."
"I know."
Evelyn's voice shook.
"Did you ever actually believe Jonathan was leaving?"
Scarlett didn't answer.
"Scarlett."
"I believed he didn't deserve you."
Evelyn's eyes filled.
"That wasn't my question."
"No."
Jonathan stopped breathing.
Scarlett continued.
"I didn't know if he was leaving."
Evelyn covered her mouth.
"Then why?"
"Because every time you were angry at him, you'd come to me. Every time he worked late, I saw what it did to you. Every time he missed dinner, every time he forgot something—"
Jonathan looked away.
Some accusations were true.
Not infidelity.
But absence.
Scarlett continued.
"I kept watching you wait for him."
"So you lied."
"I pushed."
"You lied."
"Yes."
The clean admission hurt even Jonathan.
Evelyn whispered:
"You showed me those messages."
"I wanted you to question him."
"You told me he said he felt trapped because of Hazel."
Scarlett went silent.
Evelyn's voice broke.
"Did he ever say that?"
"No."
Jonathan closed his eyes.
There it was.
Scarlett had invented the cruelest sentence because she knew exactly where Evelyn was vulnerable.
Scarlett continued:
"But Evelyn, you were unhappy before I did anything."
Jonathan looked at his wife.
Evelyn didn't deny it.
Scarlett's voice softened.
"I didn't make you kiss me."
"No."
"I didn't make you come back."
"No."
"I didn't make you tell me you loved me."
Evelyn began crying.
Jonathan felt something unexpected.
Not sympathy for the affair.
Recognition of complexity.
Scarlett had manipulated the door open.
Evelyn had walked through it willingly.
"Come to the house," Scarlett said.
Evelyn looked at Jonathan.
"No."
Scarlett stopped.
"What?"
"I'm staying here tonight."
"Why?"
"My daughter."
"Bring Hazel."
"No."
"Evelyn."
"No."
Scarlett's voice sharpened.
"We planned this."
"We planned a lie."
Jonathan watched Evelyn say it.
Scarlett went silent.
Evelyn continued.
"I need to deal with what I've done."
Scarlett whispered:
"So you're choosing him."
Evelyn looked at Jonathan.
"No."
That answer surprised him.
"I'm choosing not to run."
She ended the call.
For several seconds neither she nor Jonathan spoke.
Then Jonathan said quietly:
"You don't have to choose me tonight."
Evelyn looked at him.
"But you don't get to use Hazel as the bridge to Scarlett either."
She nodded.
Jonathan picked up his keys.
"Where are you going?"
"Guest room."
"Jonathan."
He stopped.
"I'm not leaving the house."
Evelyn's shoulders relaxed slightly.
Then he added:
"Tomorrow we're telling Hazel that adults made mistakes and none of this was her fault."
Evelyn nodded.
"And after that?"
May you like
Jonathan looked at the woman he'd loved for eleven years.
"After that, I find out whether there's enough truth left in this marriage to decide what dies and what survives."
Related Stories
