In Expats, Hilary Starr, played by Sarayu Blue, is not unaffected by Gus’ disappearances, as her marriage falls apart after the accident.
Hilary, whose real name used to be Harpreet Singh before she changed it, left the US to live in Hong Kong with her husband, David.
A year before Gus’ disappearance, Hilary was happy with David, who had assured her that he had been sober for almost a year.
However, on the night of the accident, David was out drinking, so when the police questioned him about his whereabouts, he lied.
This led to Margaret accusing David of involvement in her son’s disappearance. Hilary defended her husband, but not without slight hesitation.
As a result, David and Hilary were disappointed in each other. The accusation not only ruined Margaret and Hilary’s friendship but also strained Hilary’s marriage.
Strained relationships
Hilary and Margaret used to be best friends, but they are no longer on speaking terms. However, Hilary cannot help but feel for Margaret, who is still coping with losing Gus.
In an attempt to reconcile, Hilary decides to attend Margaret’s husband’s birthday party, which results in Margaret and Hilary spending some time together.
For a brief moment that night, things return to how they used to be, but the peace is short-lived because Margaret starts accusing David once again.
Hilary realizes that her relationship with Margaret will never be the same again, and for that, she also blames David for drinking and lying that night.
Hilary and David do not understand each other anymore. They are not happy together, and Hilary later comes to know that David is cheating on her.
As Hilary is not ready to lose David, having no life plan without him, she tries to save their marriage but ultimately fails.
The impact of Hilary’s past
When they got married, Hilary and David both did not want children. While David later changed his mind, Hilary did not.
David assured Hilary that she would come to love children when she had her own, but Hilary was not convinced.
She knew that if they had children, she would have to make more sacrifices than David, so she started taking birth control without informing David.
Hilary later finds out that David got Mercy pregnant. The news hurts Hilary due to the insecurities instilled by her overbearing mother.
Although she is a successful woman, her mother keeps finding faults with her. She blames Hilary’s decision to not have children for David leaving her.
Hilary’s mother has always pressured her to strive for perfection in order to get a wealthy husband. She still pressures Hilary to have children and visit her family.
Hilary refrains from visiting her family due to the traumatic experiences of her childhood. She grew up witnessing her father abuse and cheat on her mother.
Her father even has another family, yet her mother chooses to ignore these issues, pretending as if everything is normal.
Her father is sick now, but Hilary still refuses to visit him. Unlike her mother, she cannot forgive her father for abusing her mother and leaving Hilary to cover up her bruises from a young age.
A confrontation with her mother leads to Hilary deciding not to be like her mother. She divorces David and starts afresh, refusing to cover up his mistakes like her mother did with her father.
Also Read: David Starr: Expats character explained