I stood in the middle of the street, my heart pounding, as Todd’s voice echoed in my ears. “Todd, come back! ” I shouted, but he was already gone. He had accused me of treating the baby like evidence, not a human being.
“I took mercy on it,” he said, his voice breaking. “No child should ever have to have a grandmother like you. ”
I turned to Maggie, my own mother, who stood there with a cold look. “Maggie, no,” I pleaded.
“Just think about what you’re doing. You can’t do this. ”
“Oh, but I can,” she replied, a smirk on her face. “Because I’ve done it before.
”
“Stop! Leave her alone! ” Todd shouted, but it was too late. The damage was done.
Later, I found myself in a tense conversation with Will, the man I thought I loved. “Tell him what you told me,” I said, but he played dumb. “I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about. ”
“Fine.
I will tell him then,” I said, my voice shaking. “The baby. It wasn’t a miscarriage. She aborted it.
And I know you know it wasn’t Daniel’s. ”
Will’s face went pale. “Listen to me, kiddo. One day you’ll understand.
”
“I understand now,” I said, my voice rising. “You running away and you leaving me. ”
“This is grown-up stuff, Lil,” he said, trying to dismiss me. “I’m not wanting you.
But I’ll miss you. I promise I’ll come back for you one day. ”
“Miss you, too,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “Come here,” he said, pulling me into a hug.
“Right, and this isn’t Shona’s fault, okay? Don’t be taking it out on her. ”
I nodded, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was falling apart. Days passed, and the tension only grew.
I found myself in a confrontation with Will again. “You’re having an abortion? ” he asked, his voice cold. “Not that it’s anyone’s business,” I shot back.
“Who are you going to believe, eh? Me, or this psychopath? ”
“You know what? I think I’m just going to leave you two to it,” I said, turning to leave.
“Goodbye, Will. I hope you see what she’s doing to you. ”
“I’m right, aren’t I? It was yours,” he called after me, but I didn’t look back.
Later, I was brought in for questioning. The police wanted to know about the accusations I had made. “Look, I know you’re only doing your job, but if you knew anything about the woman making these accusations, you’d understand,” I said. “Give us a name, will you?
” the officer asked. I sighed. “I saw your face. You can’t hide us.
”
“I was trying to figure out why you’d make up a lie like that,” the officer said. “Nonsense. You were hurt and you had every right to be. That woman has manipulated you time and time again.
”
“Look, you don’t get it, all right? You don’t understand. She’s hurt you in ways you don’t understand. ”
“But lying to you about miscarrying your child, that must be a knife in your heart.
”
“Look, it was Daniel’s baby, not mine. Speak to him. ”
“Oh, fine. Deny it.
Look, I know you think you’re part of some big love story, but in 5, 10, 20 years, you’ll see differently. But I guarantee you this, for every night of those years, I will have been praying that that Hedwig has not done you lasting damage. ”
“Right, look, you just don’t understand, right? It’s not love.
It’s twisted. It couldn’t be further from love because you are a child. You know about love? You cheated on your husband, lied to him and dad for years.
”
“Now, look here,” the officer started, but I cut him off. “Oh, no. I’m not going to stand here and be lectured by some old two-faced witch. How dare you speak to me like that?
”
“Oh, shut up. I cannot stand you. I don’t care if I never speak to you again. ”
I stormed out, my heart racing.
I needed to get away, to clear my head. I met up with a friend, and we hatched a plan to sneak out of town. “Plan B,” I said. “I’m going to go get my ID.
You’re going to go back to the wedding and have two bottles of wine, and then we’re going to meet at the corner shop, and then bam, back to town. ”
But as I walked, I ran into Rona, who looked worried. “You all right, love? ” I asked.
“No, I’m not,” she said. “Have you seen Nick? ”
“What? Um, he’s staying in tonight, I think.
Why? ”
“Well, he’s been arrested and I can’t find me phone. ”
“What? What’s he been arrested for?
”
“For slapping that [__] Megan. Will you go and tell him? ”
“Why can’t you? ”
“Because I’m going to the hospital to see Harper, honestly.
I’m so wound up. That woman wormed her way into that family and turned out to be a complete snake. She got everything she deserved. ”
I nodded, but I couldn’t help feeling that everything was spiraling out of control.
Later, I found myself in a phone box, calling Todd. “Todd, mate, it’s me. Could you just give us a call and let me know that you got off okay,” I said, but there was no answer. I left a voicemail, my voice cracking.
“It’s all my fault this. ”
“Oh, what are you on about? ” a voice said from behind me. “I should have driven him to the airport.
I should have realized that Theo could get out of that room. ”
“You did everything you could, love. It wasn’t enough. I’m sorry.
If anything happens to him… ”
“Oh, no. Don’t,” I said, but it was too late. The phone rang, and I picked it up.
“Hello? ”
“Hello, Todd, love. Is he okay? ”
“Yes, love.
All right. Look, just tell me what’s happened. ”
“Yes. Yeah.
No, no, I know it. All right. Yeah. Will you stay where you are now?
I’ll just put the phone down. ”
“Where is he? ” I asked, my heart pounding. “Okay.
Um, he says that he’s in the phone box on Inkerman Street. And that Theo chased him to the precinct. ”
“What? He…
No, he got away. And he sounds absolutely terrified. ”
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I’ll go.
”
“Do you want a drink? I need to do something. ”
“Yes. Will you just stay here?
Police might want to talk to you. ”
“Yeah, I’ve already spoken to them. Fat lot of good that did. ”
“Georgie, love, please.
Just promise me you won’t go out and you won’t get yourself in any more trouble. ”
“I promise. Right. I won’t be long.
”
“Mind how you go. ”
I hung up and ran, my feet pounding on the pavement. I found Todd hiding, his face pale. “Oh, Todd.
What took you so long? ” I asked. “I couldn’t find him. He wasn’t near the phone box.
He was too out in the open. ”
“Oh, where’s your phone? See who’s got it. ”
“Why didn’t you run straight back here?
”
“I didn’t want to go anywhere that Theo knew. So I just ran as fast and as far away as I could. Then I saw the phone box and rang the only number that I actually know. ”
“You know he’s been tracking him.
”
“What? Yeah. How? ”
“His phone is connected to my watch.
I threw my watch away. Hunting him down like a predator. ”
“You’re safe now. Well, as safe as you can be until that brute is behind bars.
”
“Oh, you won’t get anywhere near him. I guarantee you. ”
“Look, can I stay here for a bit longer? ”
“Yeah.
Yeah, you will as long as it takes. Right, come on. Can I get you something to eat? Do you want a nice little cup of tea or…
”
“To be honest, I just need a shower and to go to bed. ”
“Yeah, that’s right, we need to. Yeah, yeah, no, whatever you need. ”
“Love you.
”
“Love you, too, mate. And thank you. ”
“No, it’s nothing. Come here.
”
I hugged him, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. But I knew the danger wasn’t over. Meanwhile, Sarah had been attacked. I found her lying on the ground, barely breathing.
“David, ring an ambulance,” I shouted. “Is she all right? ”
“Yeah, yeah, I think so. I don’t know.
I’ve just got here myself. But we must have been robbed and she must have walked in on it with something. She’s breathing. ”
“Sarah, Sarah, are you okay?
” I asked, but she didn’t respond. “Oh, those blokes must have come back for Jodie. ”
“What blokes? ”
“Uh, these blokes she had…
They wanted some flash drive thingy and, well, she gave it them back at least. I thought she did. ”
“Sarah. It’s my sister.
I think she’s been attacked. Sarah Louise Platt. Eight Coronation Street, yeah. ”
I waited at the hospital, my mind racing.
The doctor came out. “Right, we can go in and see him. Punctured lung, and I’m guessing a couple of broken ribs, but we’ll know more when we get the full report. Chest drain’s been inserted, so we just need to monitor him now.
”
“Any idea what happened? ” I asked. “Some kind of blunt force trauma. And who brought him in?
”
“We don’t know. A nurse found him when she went out to the car park. ”
I felt a chill run down my spine. This was far from over.
Later, I found myself in a quiet moment, thinking about everything that had happened. I had been manipulated, betrayed, and hurt. But I was still standing. I had to be strong, for myself and for the people I loved.
I took a deep breath and walked forward, ready to face whatever came next.
