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Back False Witness
Chapters (100)
  1. Cover
  2. Title page
  3. Dedication page
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. Acknowledgements
  97. DEAD GUILTY
  98. 1
  99. FALSE WITNESS
  100. Also by Michelle Davies

‘Julia, your mother moved out for about three months to set up home with another man. She wanted to take you too but I refused – there was no way I was going to let him raise my child.’ Malcolm faltered. ‘Your mum didn’t want to give you up so she gave him up instead and came home. But she resented me for forcing her to choose and never let me forget it was him that she loved. It was very hard for me to deal with and I can see how, to you, it must’ve looked as though I was difficult to live with. But the constant rejection wore me down.’

Everything Julia had believed about her parents’ marriage was suddenly turned on its head. She’d always thought her mum was unaffectionate and closed off because of the way her dad behaved towards her.

‘But if she didn’t love you, why stay together long after I’d moved out?’

‘I guess we’d got used to each other by then. When you went to university I told your mum we could sell the house and split everything, but she said there was no point. I think, by then, she had started to love me again, in her own way.’ He began to cry again. Julia reached over and hugged him.

‘Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?’ she implored. ‘All this time I thought you were the problem.’

‘Is that why you hated me? We were so close when you were little but as you got older it was like you couldn’t stand me.’

Julia was horrified. ‘You could tell?’

‘I could, yes. But I never let on how upset it made me because I didn’t want to make things any worse. Life at home was already bad enough.’

A tidal wave of sorrow rose up and crashed over her. All those years she’d blamed her dad for being a nightmare to live with, yet all that time he was trying to hold their family together. How could she have got it so wrong?

‘I’m so sorry,’ she said.

Malcolm smiled as he wiped more tears away.

‘It’s in the past and all I care about is that you and I get on fine now. But you can’t hold on to the bad stuff because it eats away at you. Don’t let what happened at school thirty years ago cloud your judgement over Poppy.’

‘But it was awful, Dad. Imogen was vile to me and I can’t seem to get beyond that. Who I am, everything I’ve done, everything I do, is a result of what she did.’

‘Only because you let it be,’ he replied. ‘Poppy needs you to believe her, to be on her side. Ask yourself this, Julia – do you really want to lose your daughter the way I lost you for all those years?’

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