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Standing, I approach Craig. “I want to take Ella home. Please.”
“No.”
I make an exasperated noise. “Craig, Liam has his lawyers on this. Please give her to us willingly or things will get out of control.”
Craig’s voice lowers in warning. “Don’t make me run further then.”
The air is punched from my lungs as easily as if he’d slugged me himself. “No. You wouldn’t—”
“She’s mine,” he growls. “Mydaughter.”
Stepping back, I rake my hands into my hair. “She’s not a possession. She doesn’tbelongto you!”
“You’re not taking her!” he shouts.
My brave anger retreats by the minute. When Craig decides to do something, he will, and I have no doubt he intends to follow through.
“Ella wants to go home. You can’t keep her here, Craig.”
“Call the fucking police! I don’t care—we’ll lave before they arrive.”
“Craig, please!”
I’m in Hell. I came to Italy to find my daughter, to reason with this man and I’ve failed. Did I expect him to hand her over? Be contrite? Craig doesn’t care about anyone else but himself. Everything I’ve held in today breaks through the levy and I stumble to the sofa, gripping the arm as bile stings my throat.
He steps towards me. “You’re a shit mother anyway.”
Before I comprehend what’s happening, Liam is in the room with us. He seizes Craig around the throat and I wince at the sound of Craig’s head hitting the wall.
“Don’t talk to Cerys like that or I’ll ensure you can’t walk out of this fucking room,” yells Liam, his nose almost touching Craig’s.
“Get the fuck off me!”
“We’re taking Ella. Where’s her passport?” he growls at him.
Craig pulls at Liam’s fingers but Liam presses him harder into the wall. “Give me Ella’s fucking passport!”
“I can’t do anything with your hands around my fucking throat,” gasps Craig.
Liam loosens his grip and steps back, blocking Craig’s way from the corner.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” says Craig, rubbing his neck.
“Someone who cares more about Ella than you do.”
“Bullshit! I love my daughter.Mydaughter.”
Craig stumbles back as Liam moves toward him again. “So this is love? Taking your daughter from her mother and not allowing Ella to speak to her? Is that what a loving parent does? You’re the one talking bullshit.”
I ready myself to intervene. This Liam scares me, the anger rolling off him in waves. I know Liam’s feelings towards Craig and his refusal to cooperate with Liam isn’t helping. The longer this goes on, the more worried I am that Liam could hurt Craig badly.
“I’m protecting Ella,” says Craig over Liam’s shoulder to me. “He’ll hurt you, both of you. Look at him! He can’t control himself.”
“Oh, you have no fucking idea, mate,” says Liam, loosening his grip slightly.
“Liam wouldn’t hurt us!” I retort.
Despite dropping his physical grip on Craig, Liam’s face remains close. “I will never hurt Ella or Cerys. The day I met your daughter, I met a lost little girl, unhappy because her dad kicked her out at Christmas. So you’re not exactly father of the fucking year, are you?”
