Page 37 of Crying in the Rain
“He wants what’s his and he loves me.”
“He wants what’s his? Has he got clothes at your place?”
“That and…he means me. He thinks I belong to him. And yes, I know it’s insane, but he thinks because he financially supported me when I was an intern, he owns me.”
Kris shrugged. “I financially supported Shaunna when Krissi was little. I don’t own her.”
“I’m not saying I agree with him. But that’s how his mind works, and he has a point. I do owe him.”
Kris drank his coffee and stayed quiet, but what he thought was patently clear.
“Plus, there is still quite a lot of his stuff in my apartment,” Ade added.
“Does he have a key?”
“Not anymore. I’m going to have to go home.” The thought of what he was going back to made him want to abandon the flat and everything in it, but damn it, he’d worked his backside off to keep it this long. He couldn’t just walk away.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Kris asked.
“Thanks, but no. It’ll make him worse, and I need to deal with it.”
“So what will you do? Leave his things outside?”
“That’s my plan.” Ade opened the notes app on his phone and visualised his apartment, trying to recall everything that belonged to Fergus.
“What are you doing there?” Kris asked casually, though his expression was anything but.
“Making a list of Ferg’s things.”
“So that’s his name.”
“Yeah.” Ade paused, surprised he hadn’t mentioned him by name to Kris before now. He hadn’t intentionally avoided doing so; despite Kris’s remark about hunting Fergus down, he was a very gentle, albeit persistent man.
“Didn’t you say you were together for ten years?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“No reason really…”
Ade gave Kris a pointed look.
“All right. I was thinking about all the stuff in this house. Other than our clothes, toiletries, jewellery and whatnot, none of it’s mineorShaunna’s. It’sours.”
“You were married.”
“True. I’m not sure it matters, though, because if you’re sharing a living space, don’t the fixtures and fittings belong to you both?”
“Well, legally, I suppose it’s all mine, as my name’s on the mortgage, but there’s no point fighting him when some of it’s always been more his than mine.”
“Like?” Kris pressed. No doubt he had Ade’s best interests at heart, but it was stressing him out. He went back to his checklist, saying aloud each item as he added it.
“The TV. The stereo is fifty-fifty, but he can have it. What else in the living room? The PlayStation’s mine…I think that’s it. In the kitchen—”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand this,” Kris interrupted. “What do you mean, the TV’s his? Did he buy it?”
“He chose it. I didn’t really want one that big.”
“Soyoubought it?”
