The morning of Theo’s funeral, Danny tried to act like it didn’t matter. He offered bacon butties, joked about road trips, and reminded me I deserved every penny of the insurance money. But I couldn’t stop thinking about how wrong it all felt. Todd controlled me for years, and now he was gone, leaving me a payout I never asked for.
I told Danny the truth—I hadn’t been in the Lake District when I said I was. I’d been holed up in my flat, drowning in self-pity. It was Jodie, Shona’s sister, who pulled me out of it. She listened without judgment, something my own family couldn’t do.
Danny apologized, but the guilt stayed. Later, at the Rovers, Todd showed up with Summer, acting like the whole thing was a joke. Daniel lost it, accusing Todd of manipulating Theo into changing his life insurance policy before murdering him for the money. Todd denied everything, but Daniel wasn’t backing down.
He pointed out that Todd was with Theo when the call came in, that he had the motive and the opportunity. Sarah tried to defend Todd, but Daniel turned on her too, calling her his toxic little sidekick. The accusations flew. Daniel claimed Todd and Summer killed Theo for the payout.
Todd shot back that Daniel had no proof. Then Daniel brought up the affair—how Theo had made a mockery of his marriage. Sarah tried to calm everyone down, but the damage was done. The whole pub was watching, taking sides.
Later, I found out someone had been snooping around, listening to private conversations. A secret was out, and it wasn’t mine. Gary was on the phone, desperate, and I caught him in the middle of it. He tried to spin it, but I knew what I heard.
He was having secret conversations with someone else’s wife, and he thought he could lie his way out of it. I didn’t tell him what I planned to do. I just smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll keep your little secret to myself.
For now, anyway. ”
Sarah was a mess, crying at the thought of losing everything. She said she couldn’t see a way out. But I knew better.
She was angrier than she let on, and that anger was going to lead somewhere dangerous. When Daniel confronted her, she didn’t back down. She squared up to him like Polly Gray from Peaky Blinders. “How dare he try to take what’s mine?
” she said. “Nobody’s ever given me anything. I’ve worked for everything I’ve got. ”
I tried to calm her down, told her she was icy calm while I was fiery.
She laughed, said we balanced each other out. But I could see the storm brewing behind her eyes. Later, Hope came by, laughing about something. I mentioned her to Will, wondering if they were getting close.
He said he didn’t think Will was looking for a girlfriend, but I could tell he was worried. Hope was young, innocent, and he didn’t want her rushed into anything. “I’d like her to keep her innocence for as long as possible,” he said. “That ship sailed for us.
”
I told him we needed to keep an eye on it. If it was more than friendship, there would be a big problem. “Believe me, the last thing we need is any more problems. ”
Then the call came.
Someone was in a right state, and it was on us. We’d been putting her through hell. Danny looked at me, and I knew what he was thinking. We needed to meet up soon, talk about what really happened the night Theo died.
The secret was too heavy to carry alone.
