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I scoff. “He’s given me no reason to think that. He treats me well, he looks after me, and he doesn’t complain about doing simple things like having dinner together. I’m not an inconvenience to him and I’m not second best.”
“We’re meant to be, Piper, you know we are,” Hulk argues.
I shake my head. “You’re not ready, and I’m not waiting around. You and Lucy need to stop meddling because all you’re doing is pushing me closer to him.” I throw my napkin down and stand. “I hate to break it to you, Hulk, but I deserve better than what you’re offering.”
ANTON
Since my father died, my mother stays in her bedroom, where she keeps the curtains closed, shutting out any light at all.No wonder she’s depressed. I stand in the open doorway, yet I still feel suffocated by this darkness. She doesn’t move from the chair in the corner. Instead, she sits staring at the floor. Her nightdress is the blue silk one that my father brought her from Italy on his very last trip.
I march over to the curtains and pull them back, allowing the moonlight to stream in. I push open a window and breathe in the fresh night air.
Keeping my back to her, in a low tone, I say, “It’s time to stop this now, Mother.” Of course, she doesn’t respond, but I know she hears me. “I’ve sent countless psychotherapists in here to assess you. I’ve spent money on therapists in case you needed to talk. They all tell me you’ll come around in your own time. That this is some kind of grieving process.” I turn to face her. “And yet still, you stare at the damn carpet like you expect my father to miraculously fucking reappear from hell!” I shout the last few words, and her body jerks in fright. “So, I’m in here to tell you that it’s time to stop now.” I wait a few beats, but she doesn’t move. “Right.” I sigh. “Fine. I’m having you committed to a private hospital where they can manage you.”
I walk towards the door, and she suddenly jumps up and takes my arm. I stare down at her bony fingers as they grip my jacket. “No. Please.” The words come out as a whisper.
“This behaviour isn’t fair on Ella,” I snap, shaking her off me. “Pull yourself out of whatever hole you’re in and be a mother again.”
A tear slips down her pale cheek. “I miss him, Anton. I know I shouldn’t, but I miss him so much.” The last few words come out high-pitched as tears fill her eyes.
“You can’t miss a man who was so evil. Forget about him.”
“You blame me.” She sniffles. “I see it in your eyes.”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. We have to help Ella through this. As her mother, that’s your job.”
“I didn’t know. I swear, I didn’t.”
I get close to her, shoving my face in hers. “And if you had known, would you have stopped it? You never stood up to him. You were too scared.”
Ella appears in the doorway. Her smile fades as she senses the mood in the room. “What’s going on?” she asks. She takes Mum by the arm and leads her back to her chair like she’s some delicate flower ready to break.
“She’s going to a private hospital. I’ll make the arrangements.” I storm out the room and head for my office. Ella is hot on my tail. She slams the door closed and glares at me.
“No.” She says it like she believes she has any input in this. I laugh at her attempt to stand up to me. “I’m looking after her. She doesn’t need a hospital.”
“It’s not your decision. I want her gone so that you can heal.”
“Iamhealed,” she growls angrily, almost stamping her foot. “Why are you waiting for me to fall apart? She is allowed to miss her husband.”
“No, she isn’t. He was a monster. He doesn’t deserve to be missed.”
Ella screams angrily, balling her fists by her side, and it reminds me of when she was a little girl, throwing a tantrum to get her own way. “If you send her away, I’ll never speak to you again,” she warns.
“You will. I hold your credit cards. Get out, I have work to do.”
She goes towards the door but pauses with her hand on the knob. “You know that sending her away won’t make the guilt go away, Anton.” She pauses for a beat, then adds, “You didn’t know. I don’t blame you or Mum for any of it.” Then she leaves, and I stare at the closed door, ignoring the ache in my chest.
I pick up my mobile. There’s a message from Piper.
Piper: Sorry.
I check the time. It’s just after nine, so she must still be on her date with Hulk. My mind runs into overtime. Is she sorry because she’s slept with him? Is it because she’s backing out of the plan?
Letting her go on this stupid date was tough, but I fully expected him to fuck it up and she needed to see that. I throw my phone in my top drawer and slam it closed, hoping I wasn’t wrong and it hasn’t cost me her.
Chapter Eight
PIPER
