WORD spread through the mums in the school tuckshop. It was September, 2011, and word of Gerard's infidelity had spread from the real estate community to the school community. A friend of Allison's approached. It was time she knew.
Allison was shocked. Devastated. She felt dirty, sick to her stomach. She went straight out to confront her husband. He didn’t deny it.
She blamed herself. He blamed her too. He was sick of living with her depression.
Even when he was caught out as a liar, a cheat, he could be brutally cruel.
He told her she was nothing like his lover. He laughed.
Allison finding out forced him to finally choose: her or his mistress. He chose his family.
But the decision came with some strict rules.
Allison gave him a curfew. He wasn’t to leave the house after 5.30pm unless she was at his side. He was to show her any text messages, show her who was calling his mobile.
And she wanted Toni sacked. Allison was standing up for herself.
Gerard went to his lover’s apartment that day and told her. It was over.
He left no room for negotiation. All the promises he’d made to her over the past three years, the plans, the declarations of love — they were gone the moment Allison found out.
It was clinical. He left Toni a hysterical mess.
He went straight back to the Century 21 office to tell his staff what had happened. One-by-
one he visited with his employees to tell them he’d been having an affair. Toni had resigned.
They needed to clear her desk for when his wife arrived. Allison would be their new general manager.
But his seemingly newfound respect for his wife was thinly veiled. He made sure to tell his colleagues he was still in love with Toni.
He later complained to a colleague about the sacrifice he was making. Staying with his wife for the sake of the children when he was still in love with his mistress.
Toni tried calling and emailing. He ignored her. By December, Toni felt she was ready to accept his decision. Get on with her life.
Then, just before Christmas, Gerard called.
HE loved her. He didn’t love his wife. He didn’t plan to be married forever. He wanted Toni to know that. But he couldn’t come to her yet. He would come to her "unconditionally", free of money troubles, of his wife, and not before.
After years of broken promises, and three months after coldly ending their affair, Gerard was back.
They met at a coffee shop in Kelvin Grove and discussed the life they’d have together. Toni had heard it before. But she dared to get her hopes up.
He used an email account set up in the name of Bruce Overland. He called her GG for Gorgeous Girl and she called him GM for Gorgeous Man. They finished their messages with the acronym IKYK — I Know You Know.
Allison would leave work at 2.30pm each day to collect the girls from school. This was their “safe time’’ when Toni could contact him, or they could meet.
They emailed most days, Toni trying to get Gerard to make some kind of commitment. Give her a date. She asked him what he’d do for a place when he finally left Allison. She suggested he keep the house for when his children visited but live with her on alternate weeks.
“I have given you a commitment and I intend to stick to it — I will be separated by 1 July’’
He talked a lot about leaving his wife. He just needed to get his finances in order.
He’d been borrowing money from friends to keep the business afloat. But it wasn’t enough. Around Christmas 2011, he asked his friend Bruce Flegg for a loan. He wanted $400,000. Dr Flegg didn’t have that kind of spare cash. It was an uncomfortable conversation. Flegg refused.
He tried again in March. Flegg missed the call. Busy with an impending election, he asked his friend Sue Heath to phone Gerard back.
Sue was alarmed to hear the normal stoic and professional Gerard in a bad way. He now needed $300,000. He was desperate. He said he'd go bankrupt.
Sue felt terrible. She promised to get the politician to call him back. But nothing had changed since his last phone call. Flegg didn’t have the money to lend him.
They spoke to their financial planner about ways to cut back on expenses. Allison had two life insurance policies and her superannuation paid out on the event of her death. It would save them money if they dropped one of the policies, he said. Allison told the financial advisor to go ahead.
He wouldn’t get around to it.
There was pressure from all sides in early 2012. Gerard had been brought up to make something of himself, to make something of the Baden-Clay name.
But the business he’d built was going under. He was in debt and those debts were about to be called in. He had no money to pay those he owed.
His wife was watching his every move, asking him to come along to sessions with a marriage counsellor. She watched him like a hawk.
His lover was insistent he keep his word this time. She wanted to know when they’d be together, wanted to know when he was leaving his wife.
Something had to give.
On March 27, Allison went to see Relationships Australia counsellor Carmel Ritchie and told her her marriage was falling apart. She no longer trusted her husband. She felt inadequate. Gerard’s way was always the right way.
He criticised her parenting. She was scared he was going to leave her.
She told Carmel she’d been having trouble since the honeymoon. Carmel told Allison she needed to speak to Gerard. She asked if they would come in together.
Allison was doubtful. He agreed though. Much to her surprise. Allison had booked the appointment for April 16.
As the date for the counselling session approached, Gerard continued to contact his mistress.
Toni continued to press him for a date. She wanted to know when he was going to leave his wife.
On April 3, after four years of empty promises, she got one.
“I have given you a commitment and I intend to stick to it — I will be separated by 1 July,’’ he wrote in an email.
He'd given her Allison's birthday as the day he would come to her a free man.
He wrote to her again five days (April 11) before their appointment with the counsellor.
“This is agony for me too,’’ his email said.
“I love you. I’m sorry you hung up on me. It sounded like you were getting very angry. I love you GG. Leave things to me now. I love you. GM.’’
On April 16, he went with his wife to a clinic in Kenmore. For him, it was an appearances-only appearance at the counsellor's.
Carmel took Gerard into her office alone so they could talk before Allison joined in.
She took a snapshot, some basic questions to gauge his personality.
He didn’t say anything personal. He boasted about his work and achievements. Although, by then, the business was on its knees, staff were walking out and he was drowning in debt.
He told Carmel his wife was disappointed with her life. He was disappointed too. He supposed Allison was to blame.
His affair was in the past, he said He lied.. He didn’t want to discuss it anymore. They needed to move on.
Carmel advised him to give Allison 10 to 15 minutes every second night to talk to him about the affair. He should not get defensive. He reluctantly agreed.
They began their timed chats right away.
She wrote a page and a half of notes. The devastated thoughts of a mistreated woman.
On April 18, Allison opened her journal to prepare for their second attempt. She made a list of points about her husband’s affair, questions she wanted to ask.
“Really hurt — had so many opportunities to tell me — let me believe it was all my fault and therefore I was at your mercy,’’ she wrote.
“Afterwards — why so mean? Laughed at undies. Told me I smelled.
“Said I was so different – laughter – why"
She wrote a page and a half of notes. The devastated thoughts of a mistreated woman.
On the afternoon of April 19, Gerard, on his way to the shops to buy sausages for dinner, answered a call on his mobile. It was Toni. There was a real estate conference on at the Brisbane Convention Centre the following day. Toni was booked to go for some time.
"Two of my staff are going,’’ Gerard told her. One of those staff members was his wife. Toni couldn’t believe it. She flew into a rage. How could he do this to her? How could he do this to both of them? The wife and the mistress. Together for an entire day. She railed at him. Allison had to know, she insisted. This was impossible.
April 19. Gerard’s life was spiralling towards a major catastrophe. Toni and Allison. All Toni had to do was approach Allison, tell her the truth, and his marriage was over. Allison would not forgive him again. She’d divorce him. He’d lose the business. He’d be broke. He’d be nothing. He’d shame the Baden-Clay name.
That evening Allison went to see her hairdresser to have her hair coloured. She was excited about the conference. She’d wanted to look good. Then she went home. Tucked her daughters into bed. Sang one a song as the little girl nodded off. Then she went to talk to her husband once again about his betrayal.
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Here’s what you can expect with tomorrow’s Parramatta weather
As summer moves towards autumn what can locals expect tomorrow? We have the latest word from the Weather Bureau.