Mum probably justified it to herself by thinking my incarceration would only be for a day at most. Or two. The kidnapping would have needed to look real to anyone on the street who might’ve caught sight of what happened. That was probably the reason she hadn’t just arranged to have me snatched from home – too easy to trace it back to her. It was risky but think of the money she’d make. And no doubt she’d promised herself that she’d make it up to me afterwards. Yeah, that’s just how she would’ve convinced herself to go along with Pete’s plan. It had to be her bastard of a lover’s idea. At least he’s dead now too. Not much consolation, but it was something. I don’t mind so much that he’s dead. Correction. I don’t mind at all. But it doesn’t matter who originally had the idea, does it? All that matters is that Mum went along with it. Blood may be thicker than water, but wads of cash are thicker than both. I know my mum. She wouldn’t’ve seen it from my side; she wouldn’t have thought about what effect her actions might have on me. She could never see anything from any other point of view than her own. She wanted money, I was a means to an end to get some – and that’s all there was to it.

Troy was just collateral damage, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He keeps telling me that I shouldn’t feel guilty, that I’m not responsible, but I have enough guilt inside to sink an aircraft carrier.

And the worst thing of all? If my mum could do that to her own daughter, what does that say about me? What is it about me that makes me not just unlikeable but unlovable? Even my own mother thought so or she never could have done what she did.

I wonder where the ones who killed her and her accomplices are now? Upstairs? Or long gone?

Did they try to tap my dad for money too? Did he say no? Is that why they boarded up the door to seal us in here? Why should Dad pay a ransom for me? He doesn’t even know me. He hasn’t seen me since I was a baby and I certainly don’t remember him. Strange to think of all those times I saw him on the news or on the TV and I barely paid attention. Why would I? Tobias Durbridge was nothing to me, or so I thought.

My mum didn’t want me.

It looks like my dad doesn’t either.