It took Helena a minute or two for her brain to compute the words she had heard, so sure had she been that she was about to hear news of Noah and Raffy.
‘Oh hello,’ she replied. ‘It’s Helena Beale, his partner.’ She might as well have plunged a dagger into her heart as the words escaped her lips uncorrected.
‘I wanted to arrange some viewings, if that’s alright with you?’
She was silent, racking her brains to understand what he could be talking about.
‘Of the property?’ he continued, a questioning tone to his words.
‘Sorry, what?’
‘Viewings? For prospective tenants?’
‘I’m sorry. I don’t follow. For where?’
‘For the house.’ He was talking to her as if she was a child. She felt like one, as if she was meant to be understanding something she could not.
He cleared his throat. ‘If you are leaving by the end of the month, I need to show prospective tenants around the property to fill the vacancy.’
‘What?’
‘You terminated your agreement early, as per the break clause?’
Helena gasped. ‘Wewhat?’
‘Terminated the lease.’ he repeated.
‘When?’
‘I received notice two weeks ago. You have a six-week break clause. Forgive me, I was in contact with Mr Hamlin, the leaseholder? May I speak with him?’
Helena stammered ‘I—I’m afraid he’s not here. I think he’s left the country.’ At this she began to cry.
She tried to pull herself together, drawing deep gasps of air into her lungs, fighting the rising hysteria. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Is everything alright madam?’ He paused. ‘You seem… distressed.’
‘I… Noah has left me, he’s left without any explanation, he’s taken his son, he’s gone back to New Zealand. Without me.’
‘Er…’
She felt light-headed. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.’
‘So, he hadn’t told you about his decision to terminate the lease?’
Her stomach clenched. ‘No.’
‘I see.’
Panic was coursing through her as she realised how urgently she needed to put a stop to this if she didn’t want to end up homeless.
‘There… there has been some kind of mistake.’
‘Well—’
‘Mr Collins, Ineedto keep living here. Please. Please don’t throw me out. I have nowhere to go.’
There was a silence down the line.
