AN : Chapter 4 ! This is it ! Hope you'll like it.
Thank you so much for the lovely reviews and messages on my intagramm account reignxcath :)
Disclaimer : I own nothing.
Chapter 4:
This left him even more confused : "You know everything ?" He repeated her words. "What do you know exactly ?"
This time, if looks could kill he would be a dead man : "You dare to ask me what I know ?" He still looked disbelieving so after looking to the heavens in an eye roll, she continued more calmly, for the first time she resigned herself : " I know about you and her, Henry. I have known for years. I know she is the woman of your life, the one who you join when you leave us for months."
Henry was afraid that if his eyes opened bigger, they would fall out of his orbs. She thought that he had a relationship with Diane De Poitiers ?! For YEARS ?! "Catherine I…" he began.
"You don't need to explain it to me Henry. I understand, she's the woman of your dreams… not me. I had a hard time coming to terms with it but… I think I finally accepted the situation.
I am not enough for you but I want you to know… all I ever needed was you, only you. I wasn't lying earlier, I love you Henry. Even after all these years of hurt and loneliness, thinking about you wrapped in her arms, I still love you. Oh ! I remember times when we were enough for each other, we were happy and in love. I was so naive, thinking it could last forever… Now, it's only memories, I know I'll never be what you want, who you need but it doesn't diminish the magnitude of my feelings for you. I loved you then, I love you now and the worst, is that I know I'll never stop and I hate you for that. You're the only one who had my heart long enough to break it, I never thought you would but… all those years ago, when you went to her, you did." She finished, and took a deep breath, as she spoke. It seemed as though a weight was lifted off of her when she finally admitted what she had denied for years : the deep and passionate love she held for her husband.
While speaking her gaze had wandered back to her hands, not trusting herself capable of looking at her husband without crumbling into tears and sobs when she poured out her heart to him.
On the other side, Henry's eyes had never left her face, the whirlwind of emotions in him made silent tears run down his cheeks for the first time in decades. He was sad, happy, and regretful all at the same time but the dominating feeling was confusion. He was thoroughly confused as to what she was saying. During all these years, she had resented him because she thought every time he went away he cheated on her with another woman. She was the woman of his dreams not that snake Diane. Oh Catherine, I should have asked more questions…
How he regretted not looking further as to why she was becoming so cold towards him… years ago. He simply thought that she had enough of him, that she didn't love him anymore, that he was nothing but a disappointment to her… never would he have imagined she thought he had a mistress. Now he finally understood what she had held against him during all this time. What a fool he had been not to look further into the problem. Oh… what happened to them ? He still remembered everything of their happy beginning, how could he ever forget ? The day he met her, the day he had married her, his own personal goddess, the woman he didn't even dare to dream of, not Diane. The day she announced to him she was waiting their first child, the happiness that was carved in her face as she held his hand to her belly and smiled brighter than the sun. The moment he had held his blue-eyed, golden boy in his arms, the joy that overtook him at the thought of becoming a father. He remembered, he remembered it all. They had had such good times, he had never felt better than when he had been hers and she had been his, in all things. Not even the distance could pull them apart at the time. He recalled the passionate letters they wrote to each other, she was such a minx, his minx.
Then, there had been the trying times, the cold looks, the stinging comments, the reproachful glances and the hurting words. When he thought about it, it all paled in comparison of the bliss they had known together.
He had never cheated on her, it was all a misunderstanding, a terrible misunderstanding. He wanted his wife back, now more than ever. He had never been this sure about anything in his life.
It appeared that he was lost in thought for several minutes but it all happened in a few seconds. Catherine said nothing more and was still looking away but when she heard a sniffle she risked to gaze into his direction and immediately regretted it.
She saw Henry, her brave, courageous and fearless husband with tears running down his cheeks silently. Her eyes grew wide, he never cried, she couldn't even recall the last she had seen a tear leaving his eye. It worried her. "Henry ?"
Henry looked into her eyes, unable to stop the tears from flowing. With the saddest and most miserable look Catherine had ever seen, he found his voice and spoke overcome with regret and self-hatred. "You think, this vicious woman is my mistress ? That's why you became cold and distant all this time ago ?"
She opened her mouth to answer but he beat her to it, taking her hands in his and imploring her to see the truth in his words he continued "Never Catherine, never. There has only ever been you, no one else. I beg you to believe me, I never cheated on you. Who made you believe this ?"
Catherine didn't know how to respond to that, she usually was able to tell when he lied, she knew him better than anyone but strangely he didn't seem to be lying now. As she took a look at his eyes, she noticed the pleading glimmer in his orbs and it took her breath way. She wasn't accustomed to seeing him like this. She didn't believe what she was about to do but she did it anyway. "She did. Somehow Diane found my phone number and sent me a picture… of her with you. I still have it on my phone along with the text conversation that followed."
Henry was shocked, a picture of him with Diane ? When had he taken it ? The conversation that followed ? Wanting to see it immediately, he went to find his wife's phone. When he had it between his hands he searched for the messages his wife spoke of.
After a few moments of running his fingers along the conversions on the screen he found it.
He immediately caught sight of the picture in question, Diane had her arms wrapped around his neck, she was kissing his cheek more lovingly and passionately than a friend would do – not that he was ever friend with her. He remembered this, he didn't know she had taken a picture of it nor that she had sent it to his wife but he recalled. It happened at the reception that followed his upgrade as colonel nearly a decade ago. He had been so happy and proud, as everyone would be in similar circumstances. Everyone came and congratulated him, his friend who were present were hugging him, and everyone was around him covering him with congrats and bravos. He remembered the moment he felt lips kissing his cheek and female arms coming around his neck. At the time he didn't realise who it was right away and judging by the way the person was kissing him, he instantly thought it was Catherine, his wife that was showing him her joy and love.
All those years ago, when he became aware that in fact, it was not his wife but Diane, he forcefully escaped the woman and looked at her with surprise, bewilderment and anger all at the same time. He had reprimanded her while reminding her that he was married, that he loved his wife and he forbid her to ever do that again. She had not taken it well and had stormed out of the room… but apparently he had noticed too late and she had achieved her goal.
After finishing his analyse of the picture, he read the messages more quickly than ever :
(Diane) "Let him come to me." Was the caption under the photo.
(Catherine) "What the hell are you doing with my husband !? Who are you ?"
(Diane) "Calm down, calm down dear. I think the picture speaks for herself. We are in love."
(Catherine) "WHO ARE YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT !"
(Diane) "haha… you're so funny, the poor little wife discovers that her husband is passionately in love with another. If you ask my dear Henry, I doubt he would agree with you about whether or not the woman he loves is a piece of shit… I repeat it to you, bitch, let him go and come to me, the woman with whom he has a real chance at happiness."
Upon receiving the message, Catherine was heartbroken and disbelieving. At the time, she thought they were happy, Henry had never shown any shred of dissatisfaction with her. But given that wretched picture, she began to doubt… could it be true ? She chose not to respond, what would she answer to that anyway…
A little while later Diane sent her last text : " Oh and by the way my name is Diane De Poitiers, the military woman your husband joins every time he goes on mission abroad."
When she read this, Catherine felt a mix of grief, love, anger, regret, distress and shame. She felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest… As if Henry was telling her she wasn't good enough for him, that his feelings were just wind and his love just an illusion.
From this day onward, she created a protection around her heart, never wanting to be hurt by him again. She became cold and never told him about this. She supposed he understood her distance for what it was… after all he was the one who was at fault.
/-/-/-/-/
Once he finished reading, Henry was shaken and beginning to feel ill. He forced himself to look upwards in his wife's eyes, only imagining what she had felt upon receiving these texts.
She was looking at him with interest, wanting to see his reaction. When her gaze met his, she realised she had never seen him like this. He looked as if he might pass out or throw up. His face was a white as the sheet that was covering her body.
Her heart taking the lead over her head when confronted to such a sight, she put her hand above his and unable to suppress her concern for him any longer, she asked : « Henry, are you alright ? »
His eyes finding hers he answered : « Alright ? No. How could I be when years of our lives had been destroyed over a misunderstanding ? »
She immediately took back her hand as if his skin had burned her. But a split second after he took it back between his. « Catherine would you please try to listen to what I have to say ? »
She didn't have a clue as to what he was going to tell her nonetheless she agreed to hear him and gave him a simple affirmative nod.
The general took his chance and began to explain : « Catherine... I... I never took a mistress not Diane, not anyone. The picture you saw was taken at the party after my promotion as colonel. I didn't immediately shook her off of me because from the way she was kissing my cheek, I thought it was you. I never even for one second thought it could be someone else than you. When I realized that against my better judgement it was not my wife, I took a step back and untangled her from me. I forbid her to ever do that again but I never saw she had taken a picture of the moment.
And darling, I never join her when I'm on mission. The only one who invades my mind when I'm alone on my cot at night is you, my gorgeous Italian wife and no one else. »
As promised, Catherine didn't interrupt his speech but was disbelieving : « How could I ever believe you ? »
« Catherine please. You saw the sabotage that was performed on our letters. Guess who was responsible for the mail on the camp... Diane de Poitiers. She's the one who's responsible for everything bad that had happened between us for the last decade. She destroyed our marriage and our happiness. And I promise you she will pay for it, dearly. Catherine please she has cost us enough throughout all these years, don't let her cost me you."
"I… I don't know what to say Henry." Catherine admitted, after giving birth a few hours ago and now discovering this new information, she didn't know what to think anymore. She had to admit that his arguments where… believable but could she trust him now ? Even if it was true, would a man in love with his wife – as he claimed to be – ignore his wife for a decade without knowing why she was rejecting him ? Wouldn't a man in love at least try to understand the problem ?
The more she thought about it the least she was sure ; because even though he hadn't given enough effort in trying to understand why she was becoming so distant, on her side, she had stayed very closed and hadn't answered clearly any of his questions.
AN : Here it goes, I hope you like this new chapter :) Let me know what you think and if you have ideas for what's coming next hihi
Laura D.
