“Talk to someone” was the advice Al-Anon had given her as a teen. But who? Patrice? Jess rejected the thought the moment it landed. She didn’t know the woman well enough and she couldn’t afford to lose her job. The hot oil of anger spat all over her fear. This was Libby’s fault. How dare she put Leo at risk like this when she knew what Jess had been through as a kid!

Libby was a doctor, for God’s sake. Libby knew that children of alcoholics likely had a predisposition to addiction and yet, it wasn’t stopping her from treating Jess like she had no rights in this situation. The easiest day of the week not to drink was Thursdays. Access day for Leo and exclusion day for Jess. It should have been the hardest day to stay sober, but it was the knowledge that Karen was visiting that kept Jess far away from the bottle. She didn’t want to read disappointment in Karen’s eyes. It was hard enough knowing she was failing Leo.

Each time Jess watched her son toddle off with Karen to spend the afternoon with Nick, another bit of her heart crumbled. She’d anticipated Leo’s access visits with his father would include herself and that the three of them would continue to have short but undeniable family time together. During the long nights on the couch with her good friend Bundy rum, she dreamed up ways of seeing Nick. In the light of day, she knew Libby was just waiting for her to turn up at Burrunan or anywhere else Nick took Leo and the girls and use it as an excuse to revoke Leo’s already limited access to his father.

So much for Libby’s oft-repeated phrase “It takes a village to raise a child.” The six of them were supposed to be that village—one big, happy extended family living on a sprawling property. Leo deserved to have his father and sisters in his life every day. She wanted him to be surrounded by Nick’s love and grow up learning how to be a good and decent man, living his life with his family at its heart, not be a once-a-week visitor. But Libby was not only blocking it, she was making everyone’s life a living hell.

The town chatter about Nick and Libby had never completely gone away, having moments of resurgence when the gossip mill was particularly quiet. Lately it had started up again.

“Have you seen Nick Pirelli? He looks like shit.”

“You would too, if your missus had you by the balls.”

“He deserves everything that’s coming to him.”

“He didn’t murder anyone.”

“Women are evil. You watch. She’s put him through months of shit and then she’ll up and leave and expect him to pay for the lot.”

“If he wasn’t so whipped he’d have left months ago.”