AllFreeNovel
Share Us
DC Langdon:Not really. Explain it to us.
Finley Adams:I mean, we were just meeting up whenever we felt like it. Nothing serious(long pause). It was just sex.
DCI Spears:And what happened in April?
Finley Adams:She just ghosted me. Like I didn’t exist any more. No message or call or anything. She just suddenly disappeared.
DC Langdon:I see. That must have made you very angry. I would hate it if someone did that to me. Were you angry with Alice, Finley?
Finley Adams:Are you kidding me? The girl was a psycho. I was glad to be rid of her.
Something crashes into my back, forcing me awake. I roll over and see Poppy flailing around, still asleep. Confusion clouds my mind until I remember.
This isn’t our house. It’s Taylor’s flat. And last night I had to deliver crushing news to my daughter, and watch her face crumple, her body sag as if her heart had been ripped out.
I tried to soften the blow, telling her that Max and I just needed some time apart for a while. But her five-year-old brain couldn’t make sense of my words.
Unsurprisingly, she didn’t embrace the idea of sleeping in a new place, a place without Max, and it was nearly midnight by the time she fell asleep.
‘Poppy?’ I gently nudge her. It’s nearly seven o’clock and I need to get her ready for school. From here, the school run will be much longer.
Her eyes pop open. ‘Where’s Daddy?’ she asks.
‘At home. Remember? We’re just staying here for a few days.’ The truth is, I have no idea where Max is. He hasn’t tried to contact me since I ran from that flat yesterday. But his silence only fills me with dread. ‘We need to get ready for school, Poppy. We can call Daddy later. What shall we have for breakfast?’
Taylor bought a few groceries yesterday before he left, from the convenience shop across the road. I haven’t checked what there is, and don’t expect him to know what Poppy likes for breakfast, but I’m grateful for his kindness.
Poppy yawns and climbs out of bed. I don’t know how she’ll get through the school day with so little sleep.
While she gets dressed and brushes her teeth, I go to the kitchen to search the cupboards. There are Corn Flakes and Weetabix, bread and jam. A carton of milk. Everything we need.
‘Mummy?’ I turn around and Poppy’s standing in the doorway. ‘This feels weird.’
‘I know.’ I go over to her and put my arms around her. ‘But we’ll get through it together, okay? You and me.’
Poppy nods and forces a smile. She eats her breakfast in silence; normally, she talks more than she eats, and breakfast can take over half an hour.
Everything feels different when I open up the shop this morning. It’s partly because I’ve driven here from Chiswick, instead of walking from my house. And it’s also the fact that Max is only a few roads away. I’m easy to find if he wants to. He knows how much this place means to me.
Cole arrives not long after me, when I’m immersed in sorting out a new delivery of books. ‘Everything okay?’ he asks, nudging me.
It would probably be easier not to mention anything that’s happening with Max, but I’ve told enough lies to the people around me. ‘Not really.’ I say. ‘Um, Max and I have separated.’
Cole stares at me for so long I wonder if he’ll ever open his mouth. And when he does, he seems lost for words. ‘Oh, um…Really?’
‘Yes.’
And then his questions come thick and fast: Am I okay? What happened? How is Poppy feeling about it?
Too many questions, none of which I want to answer. ‘It’s a long story, but Poppy and I have moved out.’
Cole sighs. ‘Right. I see. I’m sorry.’
‘Thanks.’
‘This kind of thing is never easy. My parents divorced when I was ten. Did I tell you that?’
I nod, even though I’m not sure he has ever mentioned it.
