‘Fine,’ Audrey says, removing her hand from my arm, her eyes widening as she notices the livid bruises and scratches on my skin. She looks like she’s about to say something, but then she clamps her mouth shut before opening it again. ‘Go into the sitting room, dear. I’ll fetch Dominic.’
I step into the vast lounge, an eighties time warp with its dark wooden drinks cabinets, Laura Ashley wallpaper and chintzy sofas. I wish I didn’t have to have this conversation in this house, on his territory, but it’s too late now.
‘Kirstie, what are you doing here?’ Dom comes into the lounge, a puzzled look on his face. Audrey follows him in. ‘We won’t be long, Mum,’ he says. ‘Give us a few minutes?’
‘Of course. Can I get either of you a drink?’
‘We’re fine,’ Dom replies, answering for the two of us.
She leaves the room, closing the door behind her.
Dom glances out of the window. ‘You drove here, Kirst. I told you not to drive. You’re probably still over the limit.’
‘I’m fine. This is the most sober I’ve ever been in my life. How’s Daisy?’
‘Asleep.’ He turns to face me.
‘I know that,’ I say. ‘But how is she? Has she been okay?’
‘A bit grizzly. But yeah, fine.’
She’s probably grizzly because she’s missing her mummy, I think angrily.
‘You look tired,’ he says.
I bring a hand up to my face self-consciously. ‘Yeah, well, it’s been a stressful morning. A stressful week. A stressful bloody month.’ I exhale. ‘I need to ask you something, Dom. And I need you to be completely honest with me.’
‘I’m always honest with you, Kirst.’
I drove over here angry, ready to demand answers. But now I’m here, faced with my husband, I can’t think what to say.
‘Well? What’s this thing you need to ask?’ he prompts.
I stare into my husband’s eyes, terrified to ask the question.
‘Kirstie?’
‘I heard something today,’ I begin. ‘An accusation.’
‘What have you done now?’
‘This is about you, Dom.’
‘Me?’
I swallow and lick my lips. I can’t put this off any longer. ‘Are you sleeping with Hannah Slater?’
‘Who?’ He gives a disbelieving snort and shakes his head. ‘This is a joke, right?’
‘No joke,’ I reply. ‘I wish it was.’
‘First you think I’m sleeping with Mel, then Tamsin, and now someone called Hannah. This is getting ridiculous, Kirstie.’
‘Don’t pretend you don’t know who she is. I’m talking about Lorna’s daughter Hannah, who lives next door.’
‘Oh, right. And you actually think I’m sleeping with her?’
‘I found Callum Carson in our house today and he had some interesting things to say about you and Hannah.’
‘That little shit. What do you mean you found him in our house?’ Dom’s face clouds over. ‘Did he break in? Don’t tell me you believed a word that came out of his mouth. I already told you he’s a liar.’
The lounge door opens and Audrey pops her head in. ‘Everything all right in here? I heard raised voices.’
‘We’re fine, Mum,’ Dom snaps, then immediately softens. ‘Can you give us a minute?’
Audrey’s face flushes. ‘Of course.’ She glances from Dom to me and then backs out of the room, closing the door once more.
‘You still haven’t answered me, Dom.’
‘Of course I haven’t answered you,’ he cries. ‘Because it’s a ludicrous question. Am I sleeping with Hannah Parkfield? I mean what am I supposed to—’
‘Slater,’ I correct him. ‘She’s Parkfield’s stepdaughter.’
‘Well, the very fact that I don’t even know her surname should tell you that of course I’m not sleeping with her. I’m not sleeping with anyone – least of all you!’
I nod, flushing. ‘Well, that’s not all my fault,’ I say.
‘Sorry,’ he says, running a hand over his hair. ‘That was uncalled for. But Kirstie, how could you take the word of a teenage boy over your own husband?’
‘I’m not taking his word for it,’ I reply, ‘I’m asking you, aren’t I?’
‘Well I’m telling you, I am not and never have slept with that girl. How old is she anyway?’
‘Just turned sixteen.’
‘Christ, he’s accusing me of sleeping with a child. I’ll bloody kill him.’
‘There’s more,’ I say. ‘You know that “phantom” baby I heard crying?’ I add air quotes to the word phantom.
‘What about it?’ Dom asks.
‘It’s real. It’s Hannah’s baby and she’s saying it’s yours.’
Dom’s face turns white. He staggers two paces and sits heavily in one of the flowery armchairs. I almost feel sorry for him. Or I would if I could truly believe he was innocent. But after the last few weeks, I’m just not sure I do.
Thirty-Seven
‘Kirstie, listen to me,’ Dom says, twisting his hands in his lap, his voice almost a whisper. ‘I know I haven’t been whiter than white in the past. But I swear to you that I never slept with that girl. I’ve barely even spoken to her.’
‘Then how do you explain this?’ I show him the selfie of him and Hannah on my phone.
His eyes narrow and his cheeks flush. ‘What the hell?’
‘So? Are you still going to deny it?’
‘She said it was for some school project about the neighbours. She said she was taking pictures of all of us. I have no idea why she’s pretending to be in a relationship with me! It makes no sense and it’s total bullshit!’
He looks like he’s telling the truth, but then again, he could just be an extremely good liar.
‘For some reason that Carson kid hates me, and now he’s roped Hannah into this – this sick prank,’ Dom continues.
‘Or maybe he hates you because you’ve been sleeping with the girl he likes.’
‘No! Kirstie, what do I have to do to convince you?’
‘That’s the problem,’ I say. ‘I don’t think there’s anything you can do to convince me. I honestly don’t know who to believe.’
‘But I’m your husband!’
‘Yes, and you took my child away and ran off to your mum and dad’s when I needed you most. You’re asking me to believe you, but you didn’t believe me when I told you I didn’t drink any alcohol yesterday, when I told you that someone must have spiked my beer. Trust goes both ways, Dom. Maybe if you’d listened to me then, I might be more inclined to listen to you now.’
‘I’m sorry, Kirstie. You’re right. It’s just, you have to admit, you’ve been acting pretty strange over the past few weeks.’
‘Yeah, for a reason. I’ve been worried because I thought someone wanted to snatch Daisy. You know that. And it wasn’t me going mad either – I found out who that voice in the monitor was.’
‘Who?’
‘It was Callum.’
‘Callum?’
‘He was telling Hannah they should take her baby and leave. It sounded sinister, but it wasn’t. That was the conversation I overheard that night.’
‘Are you serious? So those voices you heard were real?’
‘I knew you thought I was hearing things!’
‘Well, look at it from my point of view, Kirst. It did sound a bit far-fetched.’
‘Dom, you don’t trust me and I don’t trust you. Not a great situation for a married couple.’
‘Look,’ Dom says, getting to his feet, ‘why don’t I get Daisy and we’ll go home now together. Sort this out. Talk things through properly.’
So now he’s interested in coming home. Now that his reputation is on the line. ‘No,’ I reply. ‘I think you should stay here for now.’
‘What? Why?’
‘Because I need some time. I need to think about all this.’
‘But you do believe me though, Kirst? About the Slater girl?’
‘Honestly? I don’t know.’
‘But—’
‘No.’ I cut him off. ‘Can you go and keep your mum occupied while I get Daisy?’
‘Daisy? You’re not taking her—’
‘Yes, I’m taking my daughter back home.’ I move towards the lounge door, suddenly keen to be gone.
‘But—’
‘Don’t try to stop me, Dom. I’ll give you a call when I’ve had time to think about things.’
‘Kirst, don’t do this. Don’t let a teenage boy dictate what happens to our marriage. I barely know that girl and I would never lie to you.’
‘What about the steroids?’ I ask. ‘Or is he making that up, too?’
‘Steroids?’
‘Don’t bother denying it.’