Chapter Forty-Five
Her cell phone rang once more and she stared at her husband's name on the screen.
"Should I come back later?" Elsbeth was still sitting there, probably aware of what Diane was going through.
"Yes, please, I'll call you," Diane said and waited until Elsbeth left her office and tactfully closed the door to answer Will's call.
"Diane, thank god, I was starting to get worried."
Her only reply was silence, she wasn't really sure what to say to him, not to mention she still wasn't feeling too well after her body's intense reaction to the news.
"Are you there?" he tried to reach out to her and just to say that one small word took her too much effort already.
"Yes."
"We need to talk right now, are you in the office?"
"Yes," she repeated it, for the second time it was only a little bit easier.
"I'm coming over, just please wait for me, okay? And don't jump to conclusions until you hear me out. You know I love you, right?"
"I know," she wanted to trust him, believe that there was a reasonable explanation for all this, but she couldn't help feeling angry and hurt. It wasn't about winning or losing anymore, it was about her firm's reputation and her own.
"I'll be there soon."
"No, don't come here," they couldn't meet in the office, they had to be completely alone for this conversation, since the outcome was unpredictable. Besides she really needed to get out of there, if only for a while, "Let's meet at home."
"Sure, whatever you want, I'm on my way. I love you."
Diane hang up without a word.
o-o-o
On her way home Diane managed to gather herself, she slowly started to feel better physically and with that she also regained her mental strength. Had it been any other firm defeating her that way, she would have handled it better, it felt a hundred times worse coming from him. And he must have known, otherwise he wouldn't have behaved like that on the phone. The only question was how could he let this happen on the first place?
"Are you all right?" Will's first question convinced Diane that even though she was feeling better, her looks probably betrayed her.
"I've been better," she shrugged and took a seat on the couch opposite from him, "What the hell have you done?"
"I didn't have a choice."
She was hoping to hear it hadn't been him, so his statement was like a knife sting right into her heart.
"You always have a choice," she said in a painful voice and felt the tears gather in her eyes, but she was unable to stop them. Her freshly gathered strength was about to disappear.
"I have no idea how they got that information, I had nothing to do with that, but they made me use it, I was outvoted."
She got her explanation, but it didn't make her feel so much better, he shouldn't have hurt her like that, she should have been more important to him than his own firm.
"Do you have any idea how much it will hurt my reputation if it comes out that I slipped information to my opponent?"
"I told you you shouldn't have taken the client on the first place," his reaction was rather unexpected and it just exasperated her even more.
"So you basically say I've dug my own grave? I feel so much better now, thank you," she had to wipe off her tears now, because they started running down her cheeks. Will got up from his seat, approached her and kneeled down in front of her.
"I'm sorry, I want you to know how sorry I am, that I don't approve of their methods. I would never hurt you like that, you have to know that."
"You are turning into them, I knew it would be just a matter of time," she looked into his eyes on the verge of crying.
"It won't happen and I can prove you that easily."
"How?"
"I quit today."
"You what?"
"I'm done with them, I'm choosing you. I'm going to help you find out who slipped this information and we're going to defend your reputation together."
She'd been waiting for him to say this for so long and it was the only answer that could really heal her pain. Still she couldn't stop the crying that made her whole body tremble, she had to get rid of the tension inside of her somehow. Will sat on the couch next to her and put his arm around her to pull her closer to him.
After a few minutes she took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears and blow her nose, then she looked at him and at last her lips curled up to a smile.
"I love you," she said and he replied with a kiss that spoke volumes about his feelings.
Nothing else mattered anymore, only their love for each other that had helped them through whatever obstacle had come their way. It had been a bumpy ride, but they were on each other's side again and together they were so much stronger.