Mollie McQueen is NOT Getting Divorced Read online

  It would appear the rest of the world believed Mollie was happy in her marriage to Maximilian, and to an extent, she was. She wasn’t bouncing off the walls happy. She wasn’t can’t wait to get home and ravish her husband happy. She was simply going through the motions. She was playing the part. She was acting the role that life had given her, but it wasn’t enough. Max might be content with a vanilla relationship, but Mollie wasn’t. She wanted more, and she was going to make damn sure that she got it.

  As easy as it would have been for Mollie to agree with Max, to concede that he was right, and to admit her actions were the result of a delayed panic attack, she hadn’t come this far to back out now.

  ‘Mollie?’ Max said, shaking her arm to get her attention. ‘Are you listening to me?’

  ‘Yes.’ She lied.

  ‘So, you’ll do it?’

  Not wanting to admit that she hadn’t been listening to a single word he had said, Mollie nodded her head hesitantly.

  ‘Yes…’

  ‘Fantastic. I’ll speak to Mum and we’ll get it all straightened out. Leave it with me.’

  Not having the energy to question it, Mollie rolled her eyes and slipped out of the living room. Another day was over, and three more people had been informed of their split, but Mollie didn’t feel the release she was searching for. She expected to feel in control, powerful and liberated. She certainly didn’t anticipate carrying the weight of other people’s disapproval on her shoulders, but she wasn’t going to let that deter her.

  No, Mollie McQueen had been raised to never hang her head, and if she did, it was only to admire her fabulous shoes…

  Chapter 11

  Positioning herself beneath the shower, Mollie enjoyed the sensation of falling water on her face and reached for the sponge. Unlike her first night of sleeping in bed alone, last night, Mollie simply could not drift off. No matter how hard she fought against it, her mind was busy and her legs were restless. The sound of Max’s annoying sleep tape drifting up the stairs was the main culprit, but she didn’t want to give him the pleasure of knowing he had succeeded in annoying her. After a decade of fighting against the maddening sounds of the rainforest, Mollie knew Max had intentionally cranked up the volume to get under her skin.

  This tit-for-tat game they had found themselves embroiled in would inevitably go on until one of them conceded, but Mollie was damn sure it wouldn’t be her. Her tenacious and stubborn personality meant that she would never be the first one to back down. If she could stand her ground in the January sales and chain herself to a tree in protest of a new housing development, she could handle Maximilian McQueen with her eyes closed.

  Telling herself she had things under control, Mollie sang along to the radio and stopped when she heard the bathroom door squeak open.

  ‘Max?’ She said, clutching the shower curtain around her wet body. ‘Is that you?’

  Not hearing a response, she poked her head around the screen and gasped when she saw Max standing over the toilet.

  ‘Max!’ She shrieked. ‘What the hell are you doing?’

  Looking over from the toilet, Max smiled and rubbed his bleary eyes with his free hand.

  ‘I need to pee.’

  ‘I don’t care! You can’t just walk in here anymore!’ She protested, raising her voice over the sound of running water. ‘We’re separating! That means we have to respect each other’s personal space!’

  ‘Oh, come on, Mollie.’ Max replied, proceeding to pee. ‘If I need to go, I need to go.’

  ‘I don’t care whether you need to go or not!’ She yelled. ‘Would you just walk in if your mum was in the shower?’

  ‘No, because that would be weird.’ Flushing the toilet, Max quickly washed his hands and reached for a towel. ‘Look, if you feel this personal space thing is something we need to talk about, make sure to bring it up in counselling.’

  ‘Yes, I will.’ She grumbled, reaching for the sponge once more. ‘Wait a minute. Counselling? What counselling?’

  ‘Counselling.’ Max stared back at her vacantly and tossed the towel into the laundry basket. ‘This afternoon. One o’clock.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘You agreed to go to counselling today, remember?’

  Mollie didn’t remember and the look on her face told Max so.

  ‘I asked if you would try counselling in a last-ditch attempt at saving our marriage and you agreed.’ Max said casually, stepping out of his tracksuit bottoms. ‘We owe it to ourselves to explore every avenue before we pull the plug.’

  Mollie opened her mouth to tell Max that she had already explored every avenue, but recalling the look of utter shock on the faces of Margot, Ralph and Tiffany stopped her.

  ‘After counselling, we can walk away from this knowing we gave it our all.’ He continued, almost sadly. ‘You can stick two fingers up at my parents and say we have tried to fix this, but there’s no going back.’

  Mollie brushed her wet hair out of her face and sighed. She knew their relationship was over, even if Max didn’t. What harm could it do to appease him with an hour of counselling? Also, the idea of not being labelled as the woman who walked away from her marriage because her husband trimmed his nose hair while watching television did appeal to her.

  ‘If you can’t do it for our marriage, do it for me. Do it so that I don’t have to live the rest of my life with my mum giving me a hard time for abandoning my marriage without a fight.’ Max said, clasping his hands together in a prayer position. ‘Just think, you get to wash your hands of my parents. I’m bloody stuck with them!’

  Despite her attempts to stop it, a laugh tumbled out of Mollie’s mouth as she stepped under the shower once more.

  ‘Fine.’ She shouted from behind the curtain. ‘I’ll go.’

  ‘Thanks, Mollie. I appreciate it.’ Max replied happily, throwing a fresh towel onto the bath mat for her. ‘I’m going to get some breakfast. Hopefully, I won’t need a tetanus today.’

  A smile sprung to Mollie’s face as Max left the bathroom. She wasn’t going to ruin his breakfast two days in a row. That would be too predictable. Plus, after last night’s antics, she hoped their vengeful game might be over. She had agreed to the counselling, so surely that bought her some respite from Max and his pranks?

  Reaching for her shampoo, she gave the hair removal cream a fleeting glance before deciding to use Max’s. You know, just in case…

  Chapter 12

  As she sat in the plush waiting room, Mollie looked around the pristine clinic and placed her handbag on the empty seat next to her. She had always envisaged marriage therapy to take place in a bohemian building surrounded by dreamcatchers and wind chimes, but the chic building in the heart of Chelsea was as far away from what she expected as could possibly be. The walls were white, the seats were transparent, and the huge chandelier up above illuminated the room in a bright light. Simply stepping over the threshold made you believe you had stepped into the future. If the future was filled with glistening tiles and incredibly beautiful receptionists, that is.

  When Max let slip that it was actually Tiffany who had booked this impromptu therapy session, Mollie should have known it would be spectacularly elaborate. You see, Tiffany McQueen was a woman who had more therapists than she did friends, and being the Chelsea-loving, Prada-wearing woman she was, Mollie shouldn’t have expected anything less. Apparently, Evangelina Hamilton was the therapist of all therapists. With a celebrity client list longer then the phone book and an endless portfolio of awards, if Evangelina Hamilton couldn’t fix your marriage, no one could.

  Despite being so well-known in the lives of the rich and famous, Evangelina Hamilton was something of a mystery. Rarely seen and never photographed, she was almost an urban myth, but if punctuality was one of her traits, it wouldn’t be long before Mollie could put a face to the renowned name.

  Anxiously studying the clock on the wall, Mollie offered a smile to the two women who were sitting opposite her. Both smiling brightly as
they held hands, they gave her a pang of hope. If they were an example of Evangelina’s magic, Mollie couldn’t wait to see what she could do for her marriage.

  ‘Maximilian and Mollie McQueen?’ A gentle voice sang. ‘Mr and Mrs McQueen?’

  Picking up her handbag, Mollie followed Max as he led the way down a brightly-lit passageway. The door at the end of the lobby was a shocking shade of blue, with a sparkling crystal handle that reflected all the colours of the rainbow. Slightly surprised by how unfazed Max appeared to be, Mollie allowed him to take the lead as he confidently knocked on the door.

  ‘Come in…’ A muffled voice responded, prompting Max to release the handle.

  Stepping inside, Mollie visibly gulped as the elusive Evangelina Hamilton beamed back at her from behind an enormous marble desk. Her hair was as black as midnight and flowed down her back effortlessly in a series of perfect waves. Her skin was golden and her eyes greener than the finest emeralds, causing Max and Mollie to fall into a mesmerised silence.

  ‘Maximilian and Mollie.’ Evangelina said, in a voice so soft it was almost hypnotic. ‘It’s such a pleasure to meet you both. Please take a seat.’

  Struggling to avoid staring at Evangelina, Mollie did as she was instructed and sat down in a chair that was identical to those in the waiting room.

  ‘How may I help you?’ Evangelina asked, crossing her long legs and looking at them expectantly.

  Suddenly lost for words, Mollie nudged Max in the hope he could answer on her behalf.

  ‘Mollie wants a divorce.’ Max said frankly, draping an arm around the back of her chair.

  ‘Separate.’ Mollie corrected, finally finding her voice. ‘I want us to separate.’

  Evangelina nodded slowly and brought up a detailed form on the computer in front of her.

  ‘How do you feel about that, Maximilian?’ She asked, keeping her eyes fixed on Mollie. ‘Do you want to separate?’

  ‘No.’ He answered quickly. ‘Well, maybe…’

  ‘Maybe?’ Mollie repeated, unable to disguise her surprise. ‘I thought the whole reason we were here was that you didn’t want to separate?’

  ‘I don’t want us to, but the more I think about it, I’m coming to realise that maybe you’re right.’ Max ran a hand through his hair and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Maybe we are unhappy.’

  Despite this being what she wanted to hear, Max’s change of heart came as a shock to Mollie.

  ‘What has brought you to this conclusion, Max?’ Evangelina asked, leaning back in her seat and tapping a gold pen against her lips. ‘Can I call you Max?’

  Nodding in response, Max sighed heavily.

  ‘I don’t really know. Mollie’s determination in going ahead with this, I guess. It really got me thinking about the state of our relationship. She was so quick to tell me the many ways in which I annoy her, but the truth is, she annoys me all the damn time.’

  Evangeline pursed her lips and motioned for him to continue.

  ‘Do you want me to list the things?’ He asked tentatively, giving Mollie a dubious glance.

  ‘Yes.’ Evangeline said confidently, making a note on her computer.

  Clearing his throat, Max sat up straight and began to reel off his pet peeves.

  ‘Her fussiness with food makes eating out an absolute nightmare. Our water bill is ridiculously high because she spends so long in the shower. She ridicules my dedication to vegetarianism. She’s a typical overachiever. She’s a workaholic. She makes me feel two inches tall whenever I dare to mention one of my business plans. She…’

  As Max informed Evangelina of the many ways in which Mollie irritated him, Mollie felt a stab of sadness hit her stomach. Hearing Max rip her apart like that hurt her in a way she didn’t expect, but in true Mollie style, she maintained a stiff upper lip.

  ‘The funny thing is, I’ve always looked past those things because that’s what I believed marriage was all about.’ Max continued. ‘But what if Mollie is right and we shouldn’t have to ignore each other’s annoying behaviour?’

  Evangelina stared at Max until Mollie started to feel uncomfortable. Something about her blank expression made Mollie squirm in her seat, but she refused to let it show. If the silent treatment was some kind of test, she wasn’t going to be the one to break first.

  ‘What we are going to do in this initial consultation is take some details from you.’ Evangelina announced suddenly. ‘Some of the questions might seem a little intrusive, but the more I know about the state of your marriage, the more I can help you.’

  Mollie nodded along, feeling rather self-conscious at the idea of answering any type of intrusive questions.

  ‘So, how long have you been in this relationship?’ Evangelina began authoritatively.

  ‘Eleven years.’ Max replied. ‘Married for three.’

  ‘And when did you first notice things weren’t quite right?’

  ‘A couple of days ago. Three, maybe?’

  ‘It was a few years ago.’ Mollie corrected. ‘Pretty much straight after our wedding.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ Max scoffed. ‘Everything was fine until very recently.’

  ‘Do you really think I would want to separate on the basis of a few bad days, Max?’ Mollie exclaimed. ‘This is yet another example of you burying your head in the sand and pretending everything is okay.’

  ‘Everything is okay! This is just typical Mollie. Overreacting, as per usual…’

  Listening to the two of them argue, Evangelina continued to type.

  ‘How’s the sex?’ She asked abruptly, causing Max and Mollie to fall into complete silence. ‘Do you feel comfortable discussing your sex life?’

  Shaking her head in response, Mollie pulled her sleeves over her hands awkwardly. It had been so long since she had engaged in any kind of sexual activity. Just the word sex made her feel like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

  ‘Max?’ Evangelina pressed. ‘How satisfied are you with your sex life?’

  ‘It’s, you know, married sex.’ He mumbled, refusing to look directly at Mollie. ‘It’s exactly as you would expect marital sex to be.’

  ‘And that is?’

  ‘Do we really have to do this?’ Max asked, brushing his hair out of his face sheepishly.

  ‘We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.’ Turning back to the computer, Evangelina pressed a few keys. ‘If talking about sex makes you uncomfortable…’

  ‘It doesn’t make me uncomfortable.’ Max replied unconvincingly. ‘It’s just not the kind of thing you expect to be discussing before you’ve had your lunch.’

  Evangelina blinked back at him blankly, as though she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

  ‘It’s… average.’ He managed eventually. ‘It’s regimented, samey, quick…’

  ‘It’s only regimented, samey and quick because you make it that way.’ Mollie interjected, folding her arms protectively. ‘Just admit it, Max. You haven’t been interested in sex for years.’

  ‘Of course I am interested. We had sex just last…’

  ‘Last year.’ Mollie finished for him. ‘The last time we had sex was twelve long months ago. You haven’t so much as kissed me since.’

  ‘I kiss you every morning!’ Max protested.

  ‘Please! You kiss me like you kiss your mother.’

  ‘How important is sex to your relationship?’ Evangelina asked, making a scribble on the notepad in front of her.

  ‘Very.’ Mollie answered, not hesitating for a second.

  ‘Can you please explain to Mollie that sex is not the foundation of a happy marriage?’ Max cried, throwing his arms into the air. ‘We don’t need to break the damn bed to prove that we love one another.’

  ‘Sex isn’t the foundation of a happy marriage, but it is an important factor in maintaining a healthy relationship.’ Evangelina said knowingly. ‘Is sex the main area of your marriage you wish to address?’

  ‘No!’ Max and Mollie yelled in unison.<
br />
  ‘Just to be clear… Are you here to fix your marital problems, or are you here to confirm that your marriage is over?’ Evangelina asked. ‘Because depending on which route you wish to take, my advice will be very different.’

  Mollie looked at Max and waited for him to answer first, knowing that his reply was going to be very different to hers.

  ‘I don’t want to give up on my marriage.’ Max said, shaking his head sadly. ‘When I said my vows, I meant them. I don’t know about Mollie, but I genuinely want this to work out.’

  Mollie recognised the hurt on Max’s face, but it wasn’t enough to make her have a change of heart.

  ‘Mollie?’ Evangelina said gently.

  ‘I don’t want to walk away from my marriage either, but I really don’t see a way back for us.’ Mollie confessed. ‘I’m sorry, but I’ve been too unhappy for too long to believe this can be fixed with a few therapy sessions.’

  Taking off her glasses, Evangelina took a deep breath and straightened the gold paperweight on her desk.

  ‘If I told you I had successfully repaired marriages that had suffered twenty-year affairs, would it give you more confidence in my ability to help you?’ She asked, addressing them both equally. ‘If I told you I had clients who had already divorced, but remarried within twelve months of being on my books, would that influence your decision to proceed with therapy?’

  ‘I already have confidence in your abilities.’ Max responded, nodding enthusiastically. ‘I’m not the one you have to convince…’

  Shifting her gaze to Mollie, Evangelina smacked her lips together.

  ‘I can’t tell you that your marriage is worth fighting for, only you can make that decision, but I can tell you if I believe I can help you rescue it.’ Evangelina said lightly. ‘After spending just fifteen minutes with you both, you have my full reassurance that this relationship can be salvaged.’

  Mollie stared into Evangelina’s green eyes and felt her heart leap. She hadn’t walked into the meeting with the intention of working on her marriage, but there was something in the way Evangelina spoke that piqued her interest. Could this woman really transform their marriage into the fairy tale it once was? Could she bring back the spark that used to make Mollie’s stomach flutter with excitement? Could she convince Max to throw away the damn PlayStation and never speak of edible toilet paper ever again?