"I guess I'm confused over why you want Peter back," Veronica said to her friend Chelsea. "He hurt you so badly. Do you really feel like you could trust him again?"
Chelsea considered Veronica's question. "I don't know," she said honestly, "but I also don't want to raise this child on my own. It would be different if Peter didn't live in the same town and if I didn't still love him but he does and I do so I want him back. Does that make sense?"
"You're a very forgiving woman," Veronica remarked.
"Wouldn't you have wanted Kirk's father in the picture if that had been at all possible?"
"Well, sure, if Kirk's father hadn't been Ron Schuyler. But I can see your point and there's always the possibility that Peter will snap out of whatever spell Mavis has over him and come back to you."
"That's what I'm hoping too." Chelsea sighed. "It has to be the money. Mavis is nice looking but her personality leaves something to be desired. Peter's head has been turned by that posh lifestyle she's offered him. We never had much money."
Veronica's heart went out to her friend. "It will all work out," she said. A knock on Chelsea's back door interrupted them. Struggling to her feet, Chelsea went to the door and opened it.
"Peter! What are you doing here?"
It pained Veronica to hear the hope in her friend's voice. Peter had been treating Chelsea so badly for so many months that just about everyone in Schuyler Square considered the Van Husen's marriage to be a lost cause. But maybe Veronica was wrong. Maybe Peter had finally realized what a first class jerk he was being and had come back to where he belonged. "I should go," she said. Veronica nodded at Peter. He looked tired. He also looked a little worried about something. "Hi, Peter."
"Veronica. How are you?"
"Oh, all right. I'll see you later, Chelsea." It was on the tip of Veronica's tongue to ask Peter to please not hurt his wife anymore but she controlled herself. The Van Husen's marriage was going to have to fix itself without her input.
"So why are you here, Peter?" Veronica heard Chelsea ask as she slipped out the back door.
"I need your help," Peter replied. "I need you to help me find something. I'm not sure I can find it without you, Chelsea."
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