Page 146 of Brighter Together

“No more hiding things because you’re scared of what I’ll think.” His voice is gentler now. “If Lee calls, tell me. If your dad calls, tell me. If you’re frightened, tell me.”

My chest tightens.

“I am frightened,” I whisper.

He gently lifts my chin so he can lock eyes with me.

“Of Lee?”

“Yes.” I force the next words out. “And of losing you.”

Tommy’s arms close around me.

I bury my face against his chest.

“You’re not losing me,” Tommy whispers into my hair.

I grip the back of his shirt.

He doesn’t promise that everything will be fine.

He doesn’t tell me Lee can never hurt me again.

He simply holds me while I cry.

Right now, that is enough.

Chapter 13

Tommy

“Mr Atkinson? They’re ready for you now.”

The young woman behind reception gives us a polite smile before gesturing towards the corridor.

I slip my phone back into my pocket and stand.

Nick gets up beside me.

I have spent the entire drive to Manchester trying to get my temper under control.

It hasn’t worked.

The anger has changed shape, though. Yesterday it was hot enough that all I wanted was to go after Lee. Then I spoke with Ella.

We took the rest of the morning off and stayed in bed for hours. For a long time, neither of us said much. We just held each other and let the worst of the anger and fear settle before trying to talk about it again.

When we finally did, it was calmer. I was still angry that she hadn’t told me, and I wasn’t going to pretend otherwise, but I understood far more than I had a few hours earlier. Years of being controlled, threatened and hurt by the people who were supposed to love her had left their mark. She’d learnt to survive by keeping the peace, giving them what they wanted and convincing herself that one more favour might finally make them leave her alone. That sort of damage doesn’t disappear just because you walk away from the people who caused it.

I’ve seen some of the scars Suzie still carries from her abusive ex. Lee isn’t Ella’s partner, but abuse doesn’t become less damaging because it comes from a brother instead. Ella promised me again that there would be no more secrets between us, and this time I believed her. When we finally kissed again, some of the tension between us eased and, for the first time since she’d told me the truth that morning, it almost felt like us again.

Eventually, we had to get up and head back to Greenview. Sheila had scheduled an all-staff meeting for the afternoon, and the last thing I wanted was to make everyone even more nervous by failing to turn up. Enough rumours had probably been travelling through the hotel already.

Ella wore a turtleneck jumper to hide the marks on her neck. It worked for everyone else, but for me it did the opposite. Every time I looked at it, I remembered exactly what it was covering, and the anger came back in a different shape. Sometimes it was aimed at Lee. Sometimes at her father for allowing any of it to happen. Sometimes at myself for not realising sooner how frightened she had been.

This morning the anger is colder.

More focused.