“Tell your mom I’m thinking about her, but obviously not a word about Gaddy. It’s for her own good. ”
I kept repeating that line, trying to make it sound reasonable. But the person on the other end wasn’t buying it.
“You keep saying that, but I’m still not comfortable lying to her. ”
“Well, maybe you’d be more comfortable rotting in prison, eh? ”
Silence. Then, a quiet apology.
That’s how my day started—by bullying my own son into keeping a secret that was eating me alive. Kit had told me to get a plan, to fix this mess before it swallowed us all. But the only plan I had was to sacrifice Gary, and I hated myself for even considering it. The truth was messy.
Sarah had been assaulted, and in the chaos that followed, something happened that made everything worse. A scaffold pole, a weapon, a desperate act to save her. Now the police were circling, and Kit was threatening to make Gary hand himself in to protect me. I didn’t know who I was anymore.
I was trying to hold together a family that was crumbling in my hands. Later that morning, I found myself in the café with Tim, trying to pretend everything was normal. He was talking about his cousin Richie, about Sally’s Greek history podcast, about Roy’s famous full English breakfast. I nodded along, forcing a smile, while my mind was stuck in a loop of worst-case scenarios.
“You’re not having a go at me, are you? ” I asked. “No, I’m not. ”
“It just feels weird when we’re apart now.
Like I’m suddenly useless. ”
“You’re not. You’ve just forgotten how to switch off. ”
I hadn’t forgotten.
It was easier worrying about Debbie than worrying about myself. At least that way, the fear had a focus. “I reckon there’s something else you’re worrying about, though,” Tim said. “Come on, you can tell me.
”
I shook my head. “Not now. ”
The rest of the breakfast passed in small talk. Board games.
Nibbles. Lies about where I’d been and what I’d done. Every word out of my mouth felt like a stone sinking deeper into my stomach. When I finally got home, the house felt wrong.
Too tidy. Too quiet. It was the kind of clean that only happens when someone’s trying to hide something. “You been tidying?
” I asked, trying to sound casual. “Yeah, just a little spruce. Nothing major. How was your boys’ night?
”
“It was just board games and nibbles. Actually pretty sad. ”
Someone laughed. “Like our dishes pine for Penelope.
”
I didn’t laugh. I couldn’t. Every joke felt like a knife in the ribs, reminding me how far I’d fallen from the person I was supposed to be. That’s when I got the message.
Urgent. From the one person who might be able to help me out of this nightmare. “I need a lawyer,” I said, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. The meeting was tense.
The lawyer laid out my options like a menu of terrible choices. “Option one,” she said, “you hand yourself in, play dumb about the scaffold pole, and take the blame for Sarah not contacting the police. ”
“And option two? ”
“Tell Kit where to stick it.
Pray he’s bluffing. ”
“And if he’s not? ”
“Then you’ve got a serious problem. If the police locate the weapon and prove you concealed it, you could be looking at anywhere between four years and four months with good reason.
”
“What about Sarah? ”
“If you confirm her version of events, it could support a self-defense play. She might even get off. ”
I stared at the table.
The weight of every choice pressed down on me like a physical force. If I confessed, I’d be admitting to perverting the course of justice. Marie would be dragged into it. Gary would be destroyed.
And for what? To save a woman who was already slipping away from me. “There has to be another way,” I whispered. “You’re the one who rode in on his white horse for her, not me,” the lawyer said.
“I’m just giving you the facts as I see them. ”
I thought about Kit. He’d downloaded everything off Gary’s phone. That’s how he knew where the scaffold pole was.
He was breaking the law, ruining his career, destroying Gary’s life—all to protect me. “I can’t believe he would do something like this,” I said. “He’s losing it. At this point, I think he’d do anything for you.
”
“I didn’t want Gary being dragged into this. ”
“He’s already in this up to his neck. Because of you. ”
The words hit me like a slap.
Because of me. Everything was because of me. Later, I went to see Sarah. She looked fragile, like a bird with a broken wing.
She told me about Stephanie, about the gift she wanted to get for Harry. I offered to help, but she refused. “You’ve already done more than enough for me,” she said. “I really don’t mind.
”
“But I do. This has to be my decision. You understand that, right? ”
I nodded, swallowing my pride.
“Okay. I’ll do as you ask. ”
“Thank you. ”
“I love you, Sarah.
”
“Me too. ”
And then she was gone. I stood there, watching her walk away, knowing that I might never see her again. Knowing that everything I’d done to save her was about to blow up in my face.
On my way out, I ran into Kit. He was standing there with that smug look that made me want to scream. “Is Sarah okay? ” he asked.
“Surviving. ”
“What did you talk about? ”
“None of your business. ”
“It is if it relates to a case.
”
“It’s a domestic disagreement. Check the recordings if you don’t believe me. ”
He gave a cold laugh. “No, I trust you.
Just as I trust you to stay out of my way so I can do my job. ”
I walked past him without another word. Kate was watching from across the room. She gave me a look that said she knew more than she was letting on.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I kept replaying every conversation in my head, searching for a way out. But there was none. Every road led to the same dead end.
The next morning, Tim found me in the kitchen, staring at a pot of coffee I hadn’t touched. “You all right, mate? ” he asked. “Fine.
”
“Why the face like a wet weekend? ”
“Just tired. ”
“Come on. Something’s eating you.
I can tell. ”
I opened my mouth to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come. He was right. I was falling apart, and everyone could see it.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” I said, finally. “I was out of line for kicking off like that. ”
He shrugged. “Me too.
Got a lot going on, that’s all. ”
“Snap. ”
“Tell you what,” he said, slapping me on the shoulder. “Let’s grab some proper food.
My treat. You look like you need it. ”
I managed a weak smile. “Thanks.
”
We walked to the café together, the morning sun casting long shadows on the pavement. For a moment, almost, I felt like a normal person. Like I didn’t have the weight of the world crushing my chest. Then my phone buzzed.
A message from Kit. I need to see you. It’s urgent. My stomach dropped.
This was it. The moment I’d been dreading. The final confrontation that would decide everything. I stepped into the meeting room.
Kit was waiting for me, his face unreadable. “What’s this all about, Gary? ” I asked. “Why are you here?
”
He looked at me with something I couldn’t quite name. Then he said the two words that would change everything. “To tell the truth. ”
Everything stopped.
The room went silent. I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears. I didn’t know what truth he meant.
But I knew, deep down, that whatever came next would either save us all—or destroy everything I had left.
