No Safe Haven by L.K. Chapman

Author:L.K. Chapman [Chapman, LK]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

25

Jessica’s eyes were wide with shock. ‘How did you–’

‘So it’s true, then?’

She nodded.

‘Jess, how… how did it end up happening?’

‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ she said. ‘It’s so awful you can’t believe any one would ever do it. My own sister’s husband…’

I smiled at her kindly. ‘Torturing yourself about it this much after all these years isn’t helping anybody. You have to forgive yourself.’

‘I can’t,’ she said. ‘I mustn’t.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because Harriet is still hurting. As long as she’s hurting, I should be hurting too.’

‘That’s not true. Perhaps if you can forgive yourself it will help her to heal as well.’

Abruptly she stood up and went across to Reef, feeling his forehead before sitting down beside him with a sigh.

‘Do you have any food here?’ I asked her.

‘No. I was going to go across to the little shop and get some croissants.’ She looked at me with concern. ‘You look exhausted,’ she said.

‘I’m okay.’

‘No, you’re not.’ She glanced between me and her son. ‘I can’t believe I’ve done this. I let myself get so wound up about bloody Tyler that I ran away and hurt the people who actually do care about me.’

‘Jess,’ I said calmly, ‘it’s all right. Everyone is fine. Reef is catching up on his sleep, but he’s not feverish now. He’ll probably be completely fine by tomorrow. But you do need to message Harriet and explain where we are. She’ll be getting up in a minute and she’ll worry when she realises none of us are there.’

My words did the trick, as Jessica’s face lost its haunted look and after messaging her sister she bustled off to get dressed and buy some croissants. By the time she got back with our breakfast Reef was beginning to wake up, and he ate a few bites of a pain au chocolat, though he didn’t have much appetite. Admitting defeat Jessica tucked him up under his blanket and put on the TV, before sitting down at the table opposite me.

‘It wasn’t just physical,’ Jessica said once she’d finished her croissant, her voice low as Reef was the other side of the room. ‘Ben had this way of drawing you in.’

‘I know what that’s like,’ I said, thinking of Liam.

‘He seemed to be offering me everything I ever wanted,’ she continued. ‘I always had kind of a sheltered life, staying at home with my parents rather than moving out. I felt safe with them, but it got boring sometimes. I started to want adventure, and Ben fed into that – he encouraged all my wild ideas, he said we could go travelling – that I didn’t need to hold myself back and be afraid. And I believed him. Now of course I know it was all empty promises to manipulate me. As soon as he found out I was pregnant he didn’t want to know. He was absolutely furious when I said I would tell Harri. He told me I was deranged and childish, and that it had all been a big laugh to him.

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