A Sense of Guilt ✔

Chapter 38 Part 1

Joe swept through the bathroom throwing random toiletries into his gym bag before he headed to the study, the quietness of the house putting him on edge. He packed away his laptop and paused, there was nothing else he needed to take but it wouldn't be fair on Kat if he was to keep coming and going. She definitely wouldn't want the PlayStation but he'd have to leave it for the time being.

He wandered towards their bedroom feeling every so slightly perturbed. The house felt different somehow. He opened the bedroom room door and at first, he did not see anything amiss. Idly he looked around the room thinking he'd probably have to have it redecorated if Kat moved out as well. He was certain there was something in their contract about keeping the decor neutral, however, the flowered feature wall was anything but. It was then that his eyes honed in on Katherine's dressing table. Normally it was cluttered with her jewellery and makeup but the surface was bare. Maybe she'd been cleaning?

He opened the wardrobe and his eyes widened as he looked at the empty coathangers, half of Katherine's clothes were missing.

She'd left him.

Stunned he sat down on the bed wondering why she had done it now? Of all the times over the past few weeks, months even. He tried to remember how he'd left things on Sunday morning, she must have realised he'd gone to see Shannon, and he'd told her he was staying at his mom's, but still... Worse had happened before now and she'd dug her heels in at any suggestion that they end their relationship.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the front door open, nor the footsteps coming up the stairs. Startled, he spun around when the bedroom door opened.

'Katherine.' He swallowed his mouth going dry.

'Oh my god,' she gasped her face turning scarlet whereas he was sure his had lost a few shades. 'I saw your car, why aren't you at work? What are you doing here?'

He cleared his throat. 'Hi, I just came to get a few things.'

Her eyes flew to the open bag on the bed. 'So you were just going to walk out on me? Without a word?' She folded her arms across her chest and he almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

'It looks like that was your plan.' He gestured to her side of the wardrobe. 'If anything you're one step ahead of me.' He took a few breaths, forcing himself to be serious. 'I was getting a few of my things, I was going to come and see you tonight. I thought you'd be at work today.'

'I took a personal day.' Her eyes narrowed. 'So you didn't come home last night?'

'Neither did you.'

'Only cos you were with Shannon,' she spat. 'What was I supposed to do after you sent that bullshit text claiming you were staying over at your mother's?' It didn't seem possible but her face went even redder. '"Kat, you're dumped" would have sufficed.'

'I wouldn't dump you by text,' he said his voice faltering. 

She scoffed. 'It seems like you've been trying to avoid the conversation altogether.'

'Maybe I have,' he said thinking it would be futile to remind her that every time he'd tried to have that conversation she'd steamrollered him down another path. 'But I told you the truth, I was going to stay at my mom's.'

'But you stayed with her.' She gave him a challenging look as if daring him to deny it.

He looked away for a moment, contemplating how best to reply. 'It wasn't my intention when I texted you to stay with Shannon but you're right, I did stay with her,' he admitted. 'That was only cos I couldn't stay at my mom's and it was too late to come back here.' He smiled slightly. 'Or that's what I thought, I didn't know you'd left. You didn't have to.'