Katherine didn't speak to James after their final, hateful confrontation. She ignored his phone calls, the insistent ringing a daily reminder of his cruelty and left his thick, apologetic letters unopened on her table, the sight of his infuriating handwriting sparking fresh pain and fury.
When she got to work, she pulled Ava aside, her face bruised and her eyes still swollen. Her best friend was the only person she felt she could trust. With tears streaming down her face, Katherine recounted James's infidelity and his monstrous accusations. Crucially, shame and trauma kept her silent about Adrian's violation.
"He accused me of sleeping with other men... and called me the most horrible names," Katherine sobbed. Ava, the master manipulator, immediately put on a show of outrage. She gasped dramatically, her hands flying to her mouth.
