‘How the hell did you get in here? You cheeky fucker!’ she yelled at him, her heart pounding in her chest.

‘Sit down, Sandra!’ he growled.

‘Don’t tell me what to do. This is my home,’ she shrieked. Who the fuck did he think he was? But she regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. He moved so fast she didn’t have a chance to react. Grabbing her by the hair, he dragged her to her knees until all she could feel was the searing pain in her scalp. She was kneeling in front of him then, her face level with his crotch. Heart hammering in her ribcage, her breathing fast and shallow, she swallowed. What was he going to do to her next? How the fuck would she get out of this? Before she could think of anything else, he grabbed her by the throat and started to squeeze her neck as he pulled her back to a standing position until her face was level with his. The look in his eyes made every hair on her body stand on end. He was enjoying himself. She was struggling to breathe, and just as she was about to lose consciousness, he released his grip.

He smiled at her. ‘Are you going to sit down now?’

Nodding, she sat down in the nearby armchair as quickly as she could.

‘There’s ten grand in there, Sandra.’ He nodded towards a carrier bag on the coffee table. ‘You can take that today on the understanding that you never, ever, bring that little bastard anywhere near me or my family again. You tell no one that he is my son, and that includes him. I don’t want to see either of you ever again. I don’t even want to hear your names. Do you understand me?’

‘Yes,’ she whispered.

‘Should you decide to change your mind,’ he went on, his voice low and full of menace, ‘remember how easily I let myself in here tonight. You have no idea of the things I am capable of. I could kill you in your bed while you sleep and not even break a sweat. And who would look after your little bastard then? And should my wife ever find out about your little offspring, then you really will wish that you’d never laid eyes on me.’

She believed every word he said, and suddenly she felt sorry for his wife having to spend her life with that animal. The woman she had envied for so long, she now felt nothing but pity for. One thing Sandra did know was Nathan would never be a part of Eddie’s life – that she would make sure of.

Chapter Twenty

Present Day