‘You need to know it’s not you,’ Mum said. ‘He was being pursued by money-lenders. He was absolutely desperate. But I hope this helps you realise you’re worth ten of him. There’s no point you trying to impress him because he’s only ever focused on himself. The best thing you can do is be proud of yourself, forget about him, and get on with your life.’

Jai had been very quiet, sipping his tea. ‘My family are an absolute nightmare as well,’ he said. ‘I think it’s character-building.’

‘Just not the character I wanted,’ I said.

59

The pigs were in an outdoor pen with their piglets, the hazy evening sun highlighting the blond hairs on their backs and the flakes of mud where they’d rolled. The one with the patch over her eye was there, rooting around with a quiet determination. Our saviour.

Bex and Violet sat opposite me on a picnic bench, one of Tony’s creations. They were close to one another as if they’d known each other for years.

‘How could he not see it?’ Bex said. ‘Even if the occasional piglet gets crushed, which if you give them enough space they don’t, this is so much better.’

‘Will you be taking over the farm then?’ I asked.

She grimaced. ‘No. We’re both staying away from pigs for a while. But Dad’s paid for this lot to go to a sanctuary to live out their lives.’

‘Oh, thank goodness,’ I said. ‘I was going to offer to help with that. Old Patchy here saved us. I wasn’t going to let her spend another minute in a cage.’

‘No,’ Bex said. ‘It’s a drop in the ocean, but at least we can save these.’

Violet looked up. ‘No more barbecue videos for me,’ she said. ‘I don’t know why I ever got into that in the first place. I’m going to use my notoriety to campaign against factory farming. And I’ve got the right look for that now.’ She touched her head. Her hair was beginning to grow back and she looked stunning – the benefits of good bone structure.

‘How are you feeling?’ I asked.

‘I’m okay.’ The fading light touched her cheekbones and for a moment she looked much older, as if I was seeing the woman she would become. ‘It’s funny how much you appreciate simple things like the sun on your face. And I’ve got a birth mother, a grandmother and an aunt I never knew I had. Also a grandfather and another aunt, but I’m not sure I’ll be keeping in touch with them. And I’ve sorted things out with my parents – my adoptive parents.’

‘Good,’ I said. ‘I’m really pleased.’