You had no right. I didn't tell him everything. You showed him proof. Yes. You're trying to destroy my reputation.
No, I'm correcting a lie. She went quiet. Then her voice softened. I ended things with Richard. That changes nothing.
I wanted you to know. I don't care what happens between you and Richard. He doesn't want anything serious. That isn't my problem. I thought he did.
I said nothing. I made a terrible mistake, Patrick. You did? Can we please stop fighting and talk like husband and wife? We aren't husband and wife anymore.
You can't just decide that. The divorce is already in progress. She breathed heavily. I can make this difficult. I leaned back in my chair.
That's your choice. You don't want to fight me? No. Why? Because Simon is handling it.
She didn't answer. I continued. If you want to fight over property or finances, you'll be dealing with my lawyer. If you want to discuss what happened between us, there's nothing left to discuss. You're so cold.
No, I'm finished. She hung up. 2 days later, Simon called. She's requested a meeting about the house. What does she want?
She wants to keep it. I wasn't surprised. The house was one of our biggest assets. What does the agreement say? We'll determine the value and divide the equity according to the settlement.
Fine. You don't want to fight for it? No. Simon paused. That's unusually straightforward.
I don't want another year of arguments. Understood. I let him handle it. Over the next few weeks, Catherine changed her approach several times. First, she apologized.
Then, she blamed the circumstances. Then she said Richard had manipulated her. Then she said I had abandoned her. None of it changed the facts. Eventually, she stopped calling me directly.
I heard through Caleb that she and Richard weren't speaking anymore. That didn't make me happy. It didn't make me sad either. It simply confirmed something I had already understood. Catherine had destroyed our marriage for a relationship that wasn't even going to continue.
But I wasn't interested in watching her suffer. I was interested in getting my life back. One afternoon, Simon called me again. The settlement is almost finished. Good.
There is one thing. What? She wants to meet you in person. I thought about it. What does she want?
She says she wants one final conversation. I looked out the window. Fine, Simon asked. Are you sure? Yes, I'll arrange it somewhere public.
Good. I ended the call. I knew exactly what Catherine would ask, and I already knew my answer. I met Catherine at a quiet restaurant on a Tuesday afternoon. Simon had arranged the meeting because the remaining details of the settlement needed to be discussed.
But I knew Catherine had another reason for asking to see me. She was already sitting when I arrived. She looked different, not physically. She just didn't carry herself with the same confidence she had before Santorini. I sat across from her.