The morning started like any other, with Todd trying to drag Harley out of bed and into the shower while Kit looked on, already exhausted from the night before. Harley was supposed to be at the children’s drama group, but he was refusing to budge, hiding under the duvet and snapping that he wasn’t a child. Todd didn’t have the patience for it. He had a meeting he couldn’t miss, and he wasn’t about to let his nephew win this one.
After Kit managed to get Harley into the bathroom, the bickering between the brothers started up again. Kit, fresh off a flight from a holiday with his cousins, was trying to wind Todd up about a woman walking in on him in the shower. Todd wasn’t in the mood. He was still smarting from the fact that Kit had been away while he was stuck at home dealing with everything.
Their banter was familiar, but the edge was new. Kit had changed while he was away, and Todd was starting to worry that his brother wasn’t taking anything seriously anymore. “You’ve got a job to do tomorrow,” Todd said. “And you’re on your own.
”
“While you swan off to Somerset to see the cousins,” Kit shot back. “They’re going to be so jealous when I show up with you on my arm. ”
Before Todd could retort, the conversation shifted. Sarah.
She was out of prison and wanted to see them. Todd’s mood soured instantly. He hadn’t spoken to her since everything went wrong, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to. But she was waiting, and he owed her something, even if he didn’t know what.
He left Kit to deal with Harley and headed out, the weight of the day already pressing down on him. Sarah was waiting for him in the visiting room, a bruise darkening her cheek. She looked smaller than he remembered, older too. She started apologizing before he could even sit down, saying she’d done everything wrong, that she hated herself.
Todd cut her off. “I don’t hate you,” he said, though the words came out slower than he meant them to. “You messed up, big time. But I love you.
”
Sarah’s eyes welled up. She said she loved him too. He asked about the bruise, and she admitted she’d had a run-in with someone inside, a woman she called Casy. Casy had been looking out for her, protecting her from the other inmates.
Todd didn’t like the sound of it. He’d heard enough prison stories to know that “looking out” came with a price. But Sarah brushed it off. She told him she’d made a friend, and that was enough for her.
Todd wanted to push, but he knew better. She had enough on her plate. Meanwhile, back at the drama group, Harry was trying to keep the peace with Jake Winders, a kid who never missed a chance to throw a jab. Harry’s mum had just died, and Jake wouldn’t let it rest.
He was going on about Sarah, about how Harry’s dad could wind up in prison because of her, and Harry snapped. He grabbed Jake’s headphones and smashed them against the floor. The drama teacher, Glenda, heard the commotion and came running. She pulled them apart, demanding to know what was going on.
Harry was breathing hard, his fists still clenched, but he didn’t say a word. He just stood there, staring at the broken headphones, like he didn’t know what to do with the anger sitting in his chest. Kit arrived later to take Harry home. He heard about the fight and tried to make excuses for him.
“He’s lashing out because Sarah’s banged up,” Kit said. “He needs an outlet. ”
But Todd wasn’t convinced. He’d been there before, in Harry’s shoes, and he knew that an outlet wasn’t going to fix anything if Harry didn’t learn to deal with.
Still, he didn’t push. He just told Harry to go get a drink and sent him off, the tension still hanging in the air. That night, the family gathered for a meal, and the cracks started to show again. Kit was trying to smooth things over, but Todd could see the strain in his brother’s eyes.
They talked about the cousins, about the beach raves Kit had been to, about how much he’d changed while he was away. Todd brought up the debt he was drowning in, and Kit went quiet. “Well, you’re not on your holidays anymore,” Todd said. “So maybe that should be your last.
”
Kit didn’t answer. He just stared at his plate, the silence filling the room. Later, Adam found Harry on the couch, staring at the TV. He sat down next to him, didn’t say anything at first.
Harry turned to him. “Sometimes I feel dead normal,” Harry said, “and then something happens and I just lose it. ”
Adam put a hand on his shoulder. “I know.
And I haven’t helped you have I? Telling Jodie about you. That wasn’t my place. ”
Harry shrugged.
“You were just trying to help. ”
“You and Lily are going to be best friends,” Adam said, trying to sound hopeful. “Let’s take the small win. ”
But Harry didn’t look convinced.
He just nodded and went back to staring at the screen. The next morning, Todd’s phone started buzzing. Missed calls from Bethan, from Adam, from practically everyone. He’d taken the day off work, but he hadn’t told anyone.
Now everyone was wondering where he was. Bethan caught up with him, accusing him of ghosting her, of lying about where he was. Todd bristled. “I don’t have to answer to you, Bethan,” he said.
“I wasn’t checking up on you. I’m just worried about you,” she said. “With your mum inside, I know you’re going through a tough time. ”
“I’m not,” Todd said, his voice flat.
Bethan didn’t push it. She just told him to call his sister, who was trying to track him down. But Todd didn’t feel like talking to anyone. He felt like the walls were closing in, and he didn’t know how to stop it.
That’s when Emma caught up with him. She could see he was spiraling, and she wasn’t going to let him do it alone. “You need to report her,” Emma said. “Report who?
” Todd asked. “The woman in prison. Casy. She’s the one who hurt Sarah, didn’t she?
”
Todd didn’t answer. Emma was right, but he didn’t know what to do about it. He couldn’t just sit back and let Sarah suffer. But he also couldn’t just go to the police without proof, without making things worse.
“If you won’t talk to Kit, I will,” Emma said, her voice firm. “You can’t keep this bottled up forever. ”
Todd rubbed the back of his neck, exhaustion washing over him. He didn’t know what the right move was anymore.
He just knew that he couldn’t handle it on his own.
