The Wedding Gift - Chapter 10 - Hannah

I did what in my mind was right. I told Harrison that Paulina hid the winning lottery ticket from him. Yes, I did swear I wouldn’t tell anyone. But that was when I considered Paulina to be my close friend. And I really did mean to keep it a secret because it was never my intention to be meddling in their relationship. Their relationship, their problems.

But . . . it turned out it wasn’t just their problem.

Things started to get more personal when Harrison attacked Conor. Forgiving Harrison was an almost impossible task, but with time, I think I am able to move past it. I know he was wasted and angry, and that’s always a recipe for disaster. Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house—or something like that.

What I failed to understand was that, seeing all of this, Paulina didn’t do a single thing. She didn’t tell Harrison the truth, nor did she admit that her lie led to Conor being seriously hurt and humiliated in front of the guests. That was something I couldn’t just sit by and watch.

The next day, when Harrison seemed to be almost sober, I came to him and told the truth and assured him that no one had stolen from him, including Conor. He didn’t seem to get it at first, but after last night, his brain clearly wasn’t functioning at its usual pace. He just nodded and headed towards the table where breakfast was being served. For a moment, I wondered whether he processed the information I just gave him or just pretended to listen to me so I’d leave him alone and let him eat his scrambled eggs.

After a while, he walked up to Paulina, but before saying anything to her, he decided to turn around and come up to me instead. He gently grabbed my arm and took me to the garden where no one could hear us.

His words made me nauseous. Even though we were outside, all I could think about was that I needed air. Hiding a lottery ticket from a husband is one thing, but kissing your best friend’s boyfriend and not owning up to it is a whole other thing. Harrison saw some of Conor’s text messages on Paulina’s phone, which evidently meant it wasn’t a one-time thing.

That’s why Harrison was so angry. It wasn’t about that stupid ticket. It was about his wife. I didn’t need any more proof, so I packed my things while Conor was still asleep and bought the first available flight to Dublin. I wanted to clear the apartment of my things and never see him again.

I knew I couldn’t stand Conor explaining himself. I didn’t have time or energy for that bullshit.