I was already in the back garden with the phone pressed to my ear when I heard her key in the door. I had to speak fast before she walked in on the conversation. “Jody, hi. No, no worries.
I saw you missed my call. I’m just at home with Harper. Yeah. Are you on your way home?
All right. See you in a minute. Bye. ”
I hung up and turned to Liam, who was standing by the kitchen counter with his arms crossed.
“She’s coming. ”
We had been waiting for this moment for days. Ever since Lily found that gun in Jody’s bag, we had been turning the house upside down trying to figure out where she had hidden it. The landing was clear.
Her room was clear. And now, with her walking through the door any second, we had one chance to corner her and get the truth. The door opened. Jody stepped inside with a smile that faded the second she saw both of us standing there.
“Hiya,” I said. She knew something was off. She always did. “Where is it?
” I asked. She blinked. “What? ”
“Where’s the gun?
”
Jody’s face went still. She looked from me to Liam, then back again. For a moment, I thought she was going to deny everything. But then she let out a long breath.
“Jody, please don’t lie to us. We just want the truth. Tell us where it is. ”
She shook her head slowly.
“Where are you going with this? ”
“We know you’ve got it. Lily told us everything. She swore you to secrecy, but she couldn’t keep it from me.
Not after what happened to Sarah in those woods. ”
Jody stared at the floor for a long moment. Then she turned and walked toward the stairs. “Where are you going?
”
“You asked where it is,” she said over her shoulder. “It’s upstairs. Wait there. I’ll go and get it.
”
Liam and I exchanged a look. This was too easy. After everything we had been through—after Sarah had almost died because of that gun—she was just going to hand it over? She came back down a minute later with a plastic bag in her hand.
She held it out to me. I opened it. Inside was the gun. It looked real.
Heavy. Menacing. I had seen enough of them to know the shape, the weight. “Is this real?
” I asked. “No,” she said quietly. “It’s a replica. A prop from an Amron group.
”
I stared at her. “You’re joking. ”
“I’m not. I got it a while back for protection.
I thought if I pulled it out, someone might think it was real. I never meant for any of this to happen. ”
Liam laughed—a short, disbelieving bark. “You’re insane.
You know that, right? You actually scared the life out of everyone over a toy gun. ”
“I did try to tell you it wasn’t real,” she said. “But no one believed me.
And I promise I’ll make it up to you both. To Lily. To Sarah. ”
I shook my head.
“Sarah’s in hospital, Jody. She almost died out there. And you had Lily lying to me for weeks about it. ”
“I know.
I know. I’m sorry. ”
I handed the gun back to her and turned away, trying to process everything. The gun was fake.
The fear, the panic, the way I had questioned everything about my own sister-in-law—it had all been over a piece of plastic. But that wasn’t the only secret crawling out of the woodwork. Later that afternoon, I was at the restaurant with Ali, going over some paperwork. He had been unusually quiet all day, and I knew something was eating at him.
“What’s going on? ” I finally asked. He set down his pen and looked at me. “Gran’s been keeping secrets from you.
And I think you need to know what they are. ”
I frowned. “What are you talking about? ”
“It’s about Yasmeen.
And Sharif. And, well… me. ”
“You’re not making any sense. ”
He took a deep breath.
“I’m not who you think I am, cuz. Or should I say… beti niece. ”
I stared at him. “What?
”
“It turns out Sharif seduced his brother’s wife while the man was barely in the ground. I’m not your cousin, cuz. I’m your uncle. ”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
I stood there, mouth open, trying to process what he had just said. Sharif—my grandfather—had an affair. And Ali was the result of it. Which meant Ali was actually my great-uncle.
“I don’t believe this,” I whispered. “I can explain,” he said quickly. “Be my guest. I can’t wait to hear this.
”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “My mother left a letter with our solicitor before she died. It explained everything. Sharif was her first love, but he married your gran.
When his brother—my father—died, Sharif came back into her life. She was grieving. He took advantage. She fell pregnant with me and he made her swear never to tell anyone.
”
“So the affair happened while Sharif was still married to Yasmeen? ”
“Yes. And when Yasmeen found out, she wasn’t surprised. She knew exactly what kind of man Sharif was.
She was too ashamed to admit it. She chose to pretend I didn’t exist. ”
I sank into a chair, my mind racing. All these years, I had called him cousin.
We had grown up together, laugh together, argued together. And now I found out he was actually my great-uncle. The son of the man who had broken my grandmother’s heart before I was even born. “Why didn’t you tell me before?
” I asked. “I didn’t know what to say. I only found out recently myself. And I thought maybe… maybe you already knew.
That maybe everyone was just keeping it quiet. ”
“No. Nobody told me anything. ”
He looked at me with an apology in his eyes.
“I’m sorry. I should have said something sooner. ”
I took a breath. “So, this means you and Cal were brothers.
”
Ali nodded slowly. “Half brothers. Yeah. ”
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“So I’ve slept with both siblings. ”
“Guess you have. ”
“Maybe don’t tell Nick,” I said dryly, and for a moment, the tension between us cracked. He almost smiled.
“Look,” he said, his voice softer now. “This doesn’t change anything between us. You’re still family to me. Just thought you should know the truth.
”
I didn’t know what to feel. Relief that he had finally told me? Anger that it had been kept from me for so long? Sadness for my grandmother, who had carried this shame for decades?
In the end, all I said was, “I need to call Yasmeen. ”
“She’s on holiday in Pakistan,” Ali reminded me. “But I don’t doubt she’ll have a fair bit to say when she finds out you know. ”
I nodded.
“I’m sure she will. ”
Later that night, I was home with Liam. We had put Harper to bed and were sitting in the kitchen, finally alone. He could tell something was weighing on me.
“What’s wrong? ” he asked. “Ali told me something today. About his family.
About Yasmeen. ”
Liam waited. “He’s not my cousin,” I said quietly. “He’s my great-uncle.
Sharif had an affair with his brother’s wife. ”
Liam’s eyebrows shot up. “Bloody hell. ”
“I know.
I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about it. I mean, he’s still Ali. He’s still the same person I grew up with. But everything I thought I knew about our family is different now.
”
Liam reached across the table and took my hand. “You don’t have to figure it all out tonight. Just take it one day at a time. ”
I sighed.
“There’s also something else. Ali mentioned that Gran’s been keeping secrets. And he thinks she might be more willing to sell the restaurant now that the truth is out. ”
“Are you serious?
You want to buy her out? ”
“Like you said, she’s sleeping on this place. You and me running it together could make a killing. ”
He smiled slowly.
“Now you’re talking. ”
But I couldn’t quite summon the same enthusiasm. There were too many pieces of my past shifting beneath me. My family was a puzzle I had never fully seen, and every day seemed to reveal another piece I didn’t recognise.
The next morning, I was still trying to make sense of it all when I ran into Lisa at the café. She was sitting alone with a coffee, looking exhausted. “How are things with you? ” I asked, sliding into the seat opposite her.
She shrugged. “Complicated. Connor’s running me ragged. And I keep going back and forth about whether I’m doing the right thing with Theo.
”
“You’re doing your best. That’s all anyone can ask. ”
She gave me a faint smile. “That’s what I keep telling myself.
”
We sat in silence for a moment, and then she asked, “How’s Sarah doing? ”
“She’s staying positive. She’d be pleased to know you’re keeping Harry busy. ”
Lisa frowned.
“What do you mean? ”
“Kit’s been great with him. Harry loves him. We’re just trying to keep everything as normal as possible for him.
”
Lisa didn’t answer. She just stared into her coffee as if trying to find the right words. I knew the look. She was carrying guilt as heavy as a stone.
“Lisa, it’s not your fault,” I said. “What happened to Sarah—it was an accident. A terrible accident, but not something you could have prevented. ”
“I know.
It’s just hard not to feel responsible somehow. ”
Before I could say anything else, Nick came storming over to our table. His face was red, and his fists were clenched. “What the hell do you think you’re playing at?
” he demanded, glaring at Lisa. Lisa looked up at him, calm and measured. “I’m sorry? ”
“Connor Swain,” Nick spat.
“You’re representing him, aren’t you? The man who nearly killed Tracy. ”
“I’m representing his legal interests, yes. That’s my job.
”
“She’s got nothing to feel guilty about,” Liam said, stepping in. “She’s just doing her job. ”
Nick laughed bitterly. “Oh, that’s rich.
Doing her job. While Tracy’s in hospital fighting for her life. ”
Lisa set down her coffee and met his gaze directly. “Nick, I’m not going to quit my job over this.
If you don’t want to drink in the same pub as me, that’s your choice. But I’m not doing anything wrong. ”
“You know what, I think we should call it a night,” Liam said, standing up. He put a hand on my shoulder.
“Come on, love. Let’s get out of here. ”
I nodded and rose to leave. As we walked past Nick, I could feel the anger radiating off him.
It wasn’t truly aimed at Lisa—it was aimed at the situation. At the fear and the helplessness and the feeling that nobody was being held accountable for what happened to Sarah and Tracy. But that didn’t make it any easier to watch. That night, Jody came over.
She hovered by the door, looking uncomfortable. “Hey,” I said. “Sorry about before. And for, you know, being a weirdo.
”
I shrugged. “It’s fine. ”
“It’s not fine,” she said quietly. “I didn’t say this to the others, but the real reason I asked Lily to keep quiet was… well, I didn’t want to add to their stress.
You know how difficult it’s been with Harper. They’re dead on their feet. ”
“I know. It’s just… why didn’t you just tell us the truth when we asked?
”
She looked down at her hands. “Because I was embarrassed. I didn’t want you to think I was crazy. And I didn’t want anyone to know I had a gun—even a fake one.
It was stupid. I know it was stupid. ”
“It was,” I agreed. “But at least now we know.
”
She nodded, and the tension between us softened just a little. “Night, Liis,” she said. “Night, Jody. ”
The secrets were out now.
The whole messy, complicated truth of it—the gun, the affair, the family that wasn’t quite the family I thought it was. It all lay open on the table. I didn’t have answers to all of it yet.
But at least I was finally looking at the full picture.
