I was called into work early, trying to be accommodating, but I couldn’t focus. My girlfriend Megan had been accused of grooming a child, and the whole thing was a nightmare. My boss tried to reason with me, talking about safeguarding and taking allegations seriously. I snapped back, “Megan is the dictionary definition of appropriate.
She’s kind. She’s decent. ”
But then he asked where to begin, and I realized I’d forgotten my phone charger. I went to look for it in the bedroom, and he asked if there was anyone in there.
I said no, but the question hung in the air. He noticed the mess, and I explained I’d been focused on the marathon. Tomorrow was the big day. He said he might be able to help with the situation.
He was thinking of moving to Belfast, getting away, because his kids didn’t want to know him and he was making things difficult for me. I told him he had to do what was right for him, but I felt a pang of guilt. He reminded me that family had my best interests at heart. Then he asked about the time I attacked Daniel Osbourne.
Was it about Megan? I didn’t answer. I just told him to back off. Later, I found out Megan had been suspended, and we’d both been dragged to the police station because of lies.
I was furious. My ex, Adam, was representing Megan, and I couldn’t believe it. I thought, “What’s he playing at? ”
At the station, the police told us they’d rushed through the devices and were working on the hotel CCTV.
Then they dropped a bombshell: they thought Megan might be pregnant with my baby. They wanted DNA tests, but they couldn’t force her. I knew there was something fishy about that PE coach, but it was horrific for everyone. My dad tried to defend Megan, saying the boy’s lies were ruining lives.
But I asked, “Are they actually lies? ” I needed to know the truth. Megan insisted it was all made up, but then my sister Ali brought up that Megan and Adam had done terrible things to Sam too. I was reeling.
The police threatened to charge Megan with abuse of a position of trust, and they asked why she hadn’t told them she was pregnant. She said she was keeping it to herself until Daniel was ready to be a father again. They suggested a DNA test to prove it wasn’t my baby, but she refused, saying she wouldn’t be bullied. I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t do it if she had nothing to hide.
Later, I met Megan in secret. She told me she’d told the police the baby was Tony Owens’s, not mine. She said we had to stick to the plan, and everything would be okay. She was proud of herself, and I was proud of her too, but I was terrified she’d go to prison.
That night, I went to the pub with Theo and Daniel. Theo was thinking of moving to Belfast, and I thought it was a great idea. We talked about the marathon, and I felt a bit of hope. But then Daniel asked about Megan, and I couldn’t say much due to client confidentiality.
He pushed, and I told him she was insisting the baby was his. He said not to believe a word she said, that she’d lied about an abortion and was lying about this too. I confronted Megan later. I asked why she hadn’t told me she was pregnant.
She said she was scared of scaring me off. I asked if the baby was mine, and she was hurt I’d even ask. I told her people might think it was Will’s, and she accused me of not trusting her. I said, “Stick me at the top of that list until you do the test.
” She said she was better off without me, and I walked away. Adam was representing Megan, and my sister Lianne was furious. She called him a groomer’s representative, and they argued in the pub. Adam tried to defend himself, saying he couldn’t judge clients, but Lianne wasn’t having it.
She said they were silent partners now. Daniel was drinking heavily, and I tried to get him home. He was upset about Megan refusing the paternity test, saying she was clearly guilty. I told him everyone had the right to a fair trial, but he was convinced.
He brought up that I’d slept with her, and I snapped back, telling him to stop projecting his self-hatred onto me. The pub owner kicked us out, and I walked Daniel home. I was exhausted, but I knew the marathon was tomorrow.
I just hoped I could get through it.
