Chapter 17

From a quiet corner of the ballroom, Catherine was watching the hustle and bustle around her. For many years now they were having a party in honour of their company's anniversary and Henry was usually dancing right in the middle of their tipsy and cheerful employees.

The female CEO let her eyes wander over the numerous young women in their very short and very daring dresses. They were even outshining the sparkling decoration.
Involuntarily she asked herself which one of these little sluts would end up in Henry's bed tonight.

For though he was currently paying her more attention than ever before after her hapless breakdown, she still knew that a wolf could never pass for a sheep. His natural instinct was to hunt, and on this special evening his potential prey was dancing right in front of him. Temptingly as well as willingly.
So why should he waste even more time and energy to win back his traumatized wife in the first place, when he had a free choice of willing fuck buddies at his beck and call?

From what she could tell and by way of comparison, Henry had lived abstinently in the recent weeks, but she knew that mastering his self-control was not among his core competences.
The very idea that he was going to amuse himself this night with another - probably much younger – woman, stung Catherine's heart.

She hated herself for giving Henry her heart once again, for chasing an illusion that would probably burst like a bubble, once reality touched it's fragile shell tonight.

In fact, the thought of holding out the prospect of sex to him had briefly crossed her mind in order to prevent Henry from straying. But for some inexplicable reason she had refrained from doing so.

Perhaps it was her self-destructive nature that made her jeopardize her relationship by waiting deedlessly for his instincts to gain the upper hand. Before she fell in love with the idea of saving their marriage.

But she already knew that it was too late for that.
Henry would break her heart. Most likely before the night was over.
She could easily imagine what Doris had to say about her deliberations. Her therapist would very likely be accusing her of self-boycott.

"What's the matter? You're so quiet." Richard wanted to know and tore Catherine out of her thoughts.
"I just realized that Henry enjoys these kind of events more than I do," she replied in a sad voice and searched for her husband in the crowd. She found him standing in the middle of the hall, engrossed in a conversation with Leith, Sebastian and some young women that had joined them.
But to her astonishment, he chose this very moment to look at them. He even winked at Catherine.

"Maybe it's just me, but it looks like Henry's changed." Richard's remark surprised her. Normally he avoided topics that had anything to do with Henry or his behavior since their falling-out.
"The both of us have changed," she confessed to her friend, whose eyes went big all of a sudden.
"Are you telling me that you're giving it another try?" His surprise was written all over Richard's face.
"Yes, we must be crazy." A little smile flitted over Catherine's features that noticeably turned sad. "You think I'm naive for believing that Henry is capable of changing?", she wanted to know.
"You may be many things, but certainly not naive. As of Henry: I don't even know where to start. First of all, he is an incorrigible philanderer. Moreover he's profoundly irresponsible, an opportunist and do I really have to remind you of the innumerable women he'd had an affair with?" Catherine opened her mouth in order to interrupt him, but Richard raised his hands in an appeasing gesture. "But I also know that he was once madly in love with you. I would love seeing the two of you getting back together or even saving your marriage, Catherine. But please don't expect me to hold my breath."

"Wow, that was quite..." Catherine stopped herself in search of an appropriate wording.
"...honest?" Richard offered and put a smile on his face that looked as tormented as her own. "But I can assure you that I will always be there for you."
"You mean you will be there to sweep up the shards of our broken marriage? Because you think it's doomed anyway?"
"Why, of course not?! That's not what I'm thinking, Catherine. But I get the impression that you may think so."
"Maybe I am," she admitted hesitantly and once again she searched for Henry in the crowd.

This time he didn't raise his head to meet her gaze.

His small group had meanwhile moved towards the dance floor and to her displeasure the number of young women surrounding her husband had increased.

"Richard, would you mind driving me home after dinner?" she asked him quietly.
"Of course," her friend agreed immediately. She knew that Richard usually stayed sober since he favoured driving with his own car over calling a cab. And unlike Henry, he was a responsible driver who contented himself with a single glass of wine for the whole night.
"Thank you," she mumbled and a strange sense of discouragement overcame her.

Henry chose this exact moment to rejoin them. He was carrying two glasses. One filled with red wine, the other was a coke.
"I'm sorry, Kitten. Bash stopped by and tied me up in a discussion about the benefits of... nevermind. I'm sorry you had to wait. But I brought you your favorite wine."
He gallantly offered his wife her glass and kept on ignoring Richard's presence.

Catherine accepted the wine and smelled at the noble bouquet.
"Are you just having a coke?" She asked in irritation about his own choise of drink while Henry dropped down next to her. He scooted over to his wife until his thigh was touching hers. Then as a matter of course he put his hand on her knee.
"I'm your chauffeur tonight, remember?" Her husband whispered while fondly caressing her knee and winking at her.
"Henry, you don't have to stay sober or leave earlier because of me. Richard has already offered a ride home."

Catherine wasn't able to hide her surprise. She appreciated his care, even though she didn't quite understand his motives.
She usually left the festivity once the official part was over, while Henry kept on partying until the wee hours of the morning. So why should he chose to stay sober just to drive her home and return to the party when Richard could drive her just as well? Or she could call a cab by all means.

"That won't be necessary," Henry grumbled and gave his former friend a dirty glare, before turning his attention back to his wife. "We will leave this party any time you wish, darling."

"Henry, it's not a problem for me, not even a detour. I'll drive Catherine home and you can stay as long as you want to. I certainly won't mind."
"Very well, that's settled then. I'll leave with Richard and you can stay. Would you excuse me for a minute?" Catherine said matter-of-factly, grabbed her handbag and headed to the restroom.

Another shortish chapter, I'm sorry for that.
What do you think? Will Henry just drop the subject or is the shit ready to hit the fan? Pardon my language. ;o)

And thanks for your reviews! You're the best readers I could ask for.