He pulled away from her and, stepping back, he said gently, ‘I’ve got to go, Josephine. But if you don’t stop this I can’t visit you any more. I’ve told you over and over again I will bankroll your treatment, and I will always look out for you. But our marriage is over.’

He walked away from her purposefully, aware that he didn’t have even a small sliver of doubt about what he was doing. She had ceased to exist for him when he had seen that letter. It was like he had woken from a coma, and seen his wife for what she really was. It had been a revelation. He had suddenly seen how much she had manipulated him over the years and, the worst thing was, he knew that he had gone along with it all: her agoraphobia, her fear of telephones, her fear of fucking everything that didn’t suit her. But she didn’t have a fear of wine – she could neck that all day and night. He had swallowed it until he had seen that letter which resulted in his daughter dying in such pain and with such injuries. Knowing that if Josephine had just once put someone else first it might have all have been avoided wasn’t something he could excuse.

He walked into the reception room. Jake was waiting for him – he looked so worried, bless him.

‘Is Nana OK?’

Michael grinned. ‘’Course she is. Come on, let’s get home, shall we? Dana is cooking us a shepherd’s pie! With real shepherds in!’

Jake smiled a real smile at last. ‘That’s my favourite dinner!’

‘And mine too! What’s the chances of that, eh?’ He grasped his grandson’s hand and walked him out to the car park. Jake stopped in front of the Mercedes, and Michael looked at him quizzically.

‘What’s wrong, Jake?’

The little boy suddenly looked vulnerable and frightened. Michael smiled at him gently. ‘You can tell me anything, Jake, you know that.’

Jake started to cry, and Michael rushed over to him, and he swept him up into his arms, hugging the boy to his chest tightly.

‘Nana scares me. I don’t like coming here, Granddad.’

Michael knew then, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would never come back here again. ‘Then we won’t come here any more, Jake.’

Jake pulled himself away from his granddad’s chest and looked into his face as he said seriously, ‘Promise?’

Michael smiled at the little lad; he loved him so very much. ‘Promise.’

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Two

Chapter One Hundred
and Forty-Two