Sienna was fast asleep when I arrived, and I could tell Billy was feeling guilty about leaving her. He hovered by the door, looking back at the two of us like a lost puppy. “It’s only a few hours,” I called out. “Get gone, you sappy man.
”
“I know, but I feel so guilty. ”
“She’ll be asleep most of the time. She won’t even know what she’s gone, will you? ”
He just shook his head, and I saw that flicker of insecurity cross his face.
“Hey,” he said, softening. “You know, when you go back full time, I could have her for you. I mean, it’s much better she’s with family. ”
I could hear the hope in his voice, but I also knew that whatever was in that smoothie Amy had made me didn’t matter.
I felt tired, so tired, and something about the day felt off. “Come on,” I said gently. “Roy’s going to dock your wages. ”
He finally headed out, still reluctant, and as he left, I felt a strange heaviness settle over me.
He kissed the top of Sienna’s head and whispered, “Just like she’s about to fall asleep with your Auntie Jody now. ”
I watched him go, and I could feel my own exhaustion pulling at me, but I forced a smile. Downstairs, in the salon, Cassie was going on about dog fouling on her walk and how appalling it was. She was rambling about E.
coli and salmonella, and I wasn’t really listening. I was trying to shake off the strange sickness that had been creeping through me all morning. “You okay, love? ” Cassie asked, looking at me closely.
“You’re looking a bit peaky. ”
“Am I? ”
“So sweet,” she said, snorting. “Always putting everybody first.
What? What about you? ”
I shrugged, forcing a small smile. “I’ll tell you what.
Let you take it easy. Catch up on a box set. Hey, you could have some of that smoothie Amy made. Give yourself a boost.
”
“Okay,” I said, sitting down, grateful for the rest. Cassie went to fetch the smoothie, mumbling about how I should just sit there and rest. I heard her call out to Asha, asking if she was home. I closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion swallow me, and I wondered why I felt so heavy, so disconnected from everything.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about Ross. About the way Tracy had told me we were moving on, that we needed to leave it all behind. I had agreed, swallowed my pride for Tai’s sake, even though every instinct told me that man was dangerous. And now I was paying for it.
I was exhausted, and I could feel myself fading. That’s when I heard the sound of Cassie’s voice, distant and alarmed. “Ambulance. Ambulance.
”
I opened my eyes and realized I was on the floor. I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn’t obey. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak.
I could only hear the sound of my own heartbeat, slow and weak, as the world slipped away. In the distance, I heard Tracy, panic-stricken. “Mom, what’s going on? She won’t wake up.
She just collapsed right in front of me. ”
Then I heard Billy’s voice, urgent and close. “Has she fainted or had a fall or something? ”
“She collapsed right in front of me,” Tracy repeated, her voice breaking.
I felt hands on me, lifting me, and I realized I was being carried. I could hear Adam’s voice, calm but strained. “I’ll go with her. ”
“Hey, try not to worry,” someone said.
“She’s in good hands. ”
I didn’t know how long I was out. When I finally came to, the world was white and sterile. A hospital room.
Billy was sitting beside me, his face etched with worry, and I could see the exhaustion in his eyes. “Hello, sleepy head,” he said softly. I tried to smile, but my lips felt dry and cracked. “Bet the doctors have just told me some good news,” I managed.
“You’re going to be discharged tomorrow. ”
“It is too soon,” I said, my voice trembling. “No, I don’t think it’s too soon, darling,” he said gently. “I think it might feel a little bit daunting for you.
I get that. But I promise we’re going to take things really nice and slow, and that they’re not just going to abandon you here. You know, you’re going to have loads and loads of physio. ”
I turned my head away, the weight of everything pressing down on me.
“Oh, it’s going to be bad. Gossip. ”
“Oh, no. No, darling.
Okay. Yes, you were the talk of the town, but not anymore. Everybody’s moved on. Oh, sweet.
I promise you it’s going to be absolutely fine. You trust me. ”
I didn’t trust anything. Not myself, not this new life I was trying to build.
All I could remember was the smoothie Amy had made me, and how tired I had felt right after drinking it. But I couldn’t say that out loud. Not yet. “I’m so bored,” I muttered.
Billy smiled, trying to lighten the mood. “Right. Well, we could stick a film on later if you like. Oh, I used to love watching all the old black and white films with me Nan.
Brief Encounter. Have you ever seen that? ”
“Yeah,” I said. “Is that the one where everyone talks really fast and really posh?
”
“Yeah, that’s the one. Oh, but do you know what my favorite one was? Billy Liar. Oh, they’re all northern in that, so they talk proper, right?
Come on. Here you go. Take this to the shops and get some sweets. ”
I stared at him, and for a moment, the world felt almost normal.
But I knew it wasn’t. I knew that something had been done to me, something I couldn’t prove, and that the people I trusted most were hiding something. Later, when Billy left to get some air, Tracy came in. She sat beside me, and I could feel her tension.
“So,” I said slowly, trying to piece it together. “You let him off then, Trace? He sleeps with me for money when I was underage, and today it’s all forgotten. ”
She sighed.
“No, actually, it’s not. Well, Ross has explained he was 18 himself and the other squaddies pushed him into it. ”
“Yeah, right. Poor him.
”
“We all make mistakes, Cassie. And unfortunately, you were his. Anyway, we’re going to make a go of it. So, I just think we need to all move on.
”
I looked at her, and I felt the cold truth settle in my stomach. I couldn’t trust her anymore. I couldn’t trust anyone. A few days later, I was back in the salon, still weak but determined.
Adam had convinced Abby to accept the landlord’s settlement, and I could see the tension passing between him and his brother, Roy. Money had been moved, envelopes had gone missing, and I was beginning to realize that the people around me were holding secrets like knives. I caught Cassie in the back of the salon, staring at her phone, a blank look on her face. “What is it?
” I asked. “It’s nothing,” she said, but her voice was flat. I didn’t believe her. I had learned too well what it looked like when someone was hiding something.
“Listen,” I said, my voice low. “I know you’ve got nothing to apologize for. I’ve learned my lesson. I will definitely knock next time.
”
Cassie looked at me sharply. “What are you talking about? ”
I froze. I had been speaking to Nina, not Cassie.
I had been remembering the moment I had walked in on Nina and some man in the flat, the way she had gasped and apologized, and I had said the words out loud without realizing. “Sorry,” I said quickly. “I was just thinking out loud. ”
But the damage was done.
I knew I couldn’t keep everything inside, not when my body was still recovering from the poison I had been fed. Later, I found Billy in the kitchen. He was standing at the counter, staring at the smoothie Amy had made. “Don’t drink that,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.
He looked up, confused. “What are you talking about? ”
“That smoothie,” I said, pointing at it. “It’s the last thing I had before I collapsed.
Amy gave it to me. And I don’t know… I don’t know if it was just tiredness, or something else. ”
Billy’s face went pale.
He picked up the bottle and looked at it, his hands trembling. “We need to get this tested,” he said quietly. I nodded, and I felt a cold certainty settle over me. The people I trusted most were not who they said they were.
And I was going to prove it. I waited until they were all asleep that night. I knew what I had to do. The smoothie was in the fridge, still sealed, and I took it carefully.
I walked out of the house, into the cold night air, and I made my way to the police station. I walked in, holding the bottle, and I felt my heart pounding in my chest. “I need to report something,” I said, my voice steady. “I think someone tried to kill me.
”
The officer looked at me, and I could see the skepticism flicker in his eyes. But I didn’t care. I had the evidence.
And I was going to make sure the truth came out.
