Epilogue #2
He swallowed, then met my eyes. ‘He’s here. They’re waiting,’ he said, and though I’d been preparing myself for those very words, I felt my whole body tense.
Tears blurred my vision, and I blinked them away, looking down at Amala.
Once we left this room, I would likely never see her again.
The thought made me want to cling to her.
To fight against the inevitability of what I was about to do.
My throat constricted, and I remembered how just a few days ago, the idea of holding her had made me recoil.
I hadn’t wanted to revisit the memories of the last baby I’d held in my arms. Hadn’t thought I was strong enough.
I knew exactly why Aaron had been afraid of me being around her.
It was because he knew I had never really come to terms with my son’s death.
He was worried that all that suppressed pain, that awful grief and guilt, would come flooding out.
I could see now that he’d been terrified of what I might do.
He’d had to watch the blood trickling from my slashed wrists; he knew what I was capable of if the darkness became too great.
Losing my son had made me cold, emotionless, shutting that side of me down to protect myself, and I couldn’t blame Aaron for being concerned when he saw me with Amala.
But things had changed now. Holding her, allowing myself to care about her, had opened up something inside me that I’d long since forgotten about.
I didn’t want to lose that now, didn’t want to let her go.
I gave a shaky sigh and reminded myself that this wasn’t about me. It was about what was right for her . She wasn’t my baby to keep, but perhaps, in time, I would get another chance to be a mother. And I wouldn’t let fear stop me if that opportunity came around.
I lifted her gently from my lap, pressing a kiss to her soft, round cheek. A tear slid down my face, and I tasted salt, but I met Aaron’s eyes, determined to do the right thing, as hard as it might be. ‘Okay.’ I smiled. ‘Let’s go.’
He led me down a wide corridor and paused outside a glossy walnut-coloured door, raising his eyebrow towards me in a silent question.
I nodded, and he pushed open the door. Two people were sitting inside, and I could see the tension coiled in their bodies at having been kept waiting.
Aaron had told me that finding Amala’s father hadn’t been too hard.
He and his mother had been actively searching for her and had filed a missing person report days after her birth.
He knew Jade as Lacey Rogers. She had sent him photographs of his daughter and told him that if he wanted to see her, he would need to transfer an outrageous sum of money into an offshore account.
The idea that she would use the baby as leverage – that she would use a father’s love to bribe him – was hard to stomach.
It was the kind of thing Ryan would have done.
The man stood, and I took him in, silently assessing him, though I knew I had no say in anything that happened next.
Amala was his, and I had no right to prevent him from taking her.
He was around five eight, black, with strong, broad shoulders and kind, nervous eyes.
He reached behind him, gripping the hand of a much older woman.
She had the same warm, hopeful smile as him, and a head of wiry salt-and-pepper hair.
Both of them looked kind, and as I took a moment to silently check in with my instincts, I felt no fear in my gut.
They would love Amala. They already did.
Aaron cleared his throat. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting. This is Annie, and this ’ – he gestured – ‘is your daughter, Amala.’
The man stepped forward, the woman, Amala’s grandmother, flanking him. ‘She’s exactly as I dreamed she would be,’ he breathed. And then he was holding out his arms, tears streaming down his face, and I was letting her go, knowing she was in safe hands.
The woman touched a finger to Amala’s cheek and spoke in a strong Jamaican accent. ‘Hi, baby. I’m your granni. I’ve been waiting to meet you for so long.’
The man passed the baby to his mother, then held out a hand to shake mine. ‘Josiah,’ he said, his voice trembling. ‘Thank you so much for taking care of her.’
‘It was my pleasure,’ I admitted.
‘I had no idea Lacey— sorry, Danielle ,’ he corrected, ‘had it in her. She seemed so sweet. She was never interested in money. Our first date was hotdogs cooked on a disposable barbecue on the beach. I thought I’d finally found someone who wanted me, not my money. She seemed perfect.’
‘Too good to be true,’ his mother said darkly, cocooning Amala against her breast. ‘And not nearly good enough for you. I never liked the girl. There was something off about her.’
Amala opened her eyes and stared up at the woman as she spoke, her face blank as she took her in. The two of them shared a long look, and I watched, holding my breath. Then Amala broke into a gummy smile, snuggled into her and clutched hold of her finger.
‘You weren’t to know,’ Aaron said. ‘Danielle Lake was a professional con woman – she had years of practice learning her craft. I’m just glad she’s back behind bars, where she belongs.’
‘So I’m not actually married?’ Josiah asked, gently taking hold of Amala’s foot, as if he needed to touch her to keep reminding himself that she was real. ‘I don’t have to go through divorce proceedings?’
‘Nope. The marriage wasn’t legally binding. And of course Annie’s brother was also under the impression he was her husband. We’re going to do some digging and make sure there aren’t any more of her victims waiting to hear from her. She’s been a very busy woman.’
‘So it would seem,’ he replied quietly.
They left, thanking me profusely as they tucked Amala into a car seat in the back of a very expensive-looking SUV.
I could see exactly why Jade had targeted this man.
Aaron had already told me that Josiah was a hugely successful entrepreneur and on track to becoming one of the richest men in England.
For Jade to have found him, got close enough to seduce him and conned him, all whilst keeping up her lies to Thomas, was a mark of her experience and skill.
I couldn’t help but be sad at the thought that though she hadn’t got away with either man’s money this time, she’d taken something far more valuable.
Their trust in women, their ability to have another relationship in the future without second-guessing their partner’s motives.
I hoped they would both be able to move past the hurt she’d caused and find happiness one day.
As I watched the car disappear into the darkness, I felt Aaron step closer. ‘You all right?’ he asked.
I nodded. ‘Surprisingly, yes. She’s going to be loved.
Safe. That’s all I care about,’ I said, but my voice cracked, and he nodded as if he could read my mind, see how painful it had been for me to let another baby go.
He pulled me into his arms, and I clung to him, burying my tear-streaked face in his shoulder.
It had been a very long time since anyone had held me like this, but it didn’t feel scary.
I felt safe. I breathed slowly, letting my tears fall, knowing in my heart that if I wanted to stay here all night, he would stand with me. Hold me until I was ready to let go.
Finally, I looked up at him. ‘Did someone go out to check on Ryan’s wife?’ I asked. I’d insisted on it. Even though he’d turned out to have no connection to Jade, it was the right thing to do. If he hadn’t hurt her yet, it was only a matter of time. A man like Ryan would never change.
‘Yes.’ He screwed up his face. ‘And it was serendipitous timing. She was sporting a black eye and a broken wrist, and she said it wasn’t the first time.
She’d been trying to leave for a few months, but he had locked her in.
Apparently, he started working from home just before their wedding, and it meant she never had an opportunity to escape. ’
‘That’s my fault. He wouldn’t want to make the same mistake twice.’
‘It most certainly isn’t your fault. It’s his.’
I nodded. ‘You’re right.’
‘Ryan’s been arrested. He isn’t here,’ he added quickly as I glanced back at the police station in horror. ‘He’s been taken to the next town for questioning, and his wife is being treated in hospital. But you should know she’s keen to press charges. She wants him behind bars.’
I met his eyes. ‘And you think that will be more likely to happen if I give a statement too?’
He pressed his lips together, his brown eyes warm as they met mine.
‘There are hospital records. You never mentioned his involvement in the loss of your child, but it’s not too late.
There’s a lot you have to say that will at the very least diminish his character in front of a jury. You don’t have to?— ’
‘I’ll do it. Anything. I’ll make a statement tonight.
I’ll stand up in court. Anything she wants, anything to get him convicted.
I should have done it the moment I heard he was married.
I could have helped her, warned her.’ I had known it back then, but the fear had been too great, the idea that he might drag me back into his web and the certainty that if he did, I’d never get free.
But it was different now. I was different.
‘We’ll get you in for an interview tomorrow, and you can tell us everything on record.’ He smiled. ‘I’m proud of you, Annie.’
I opened my mouth to tell him he shouldn’t be, but then remembered to be kind to myself. I had been a victim of abuse. I had been afraid. That wasn’t my fault, and I was going to do something to make amends now. ‘Me too,’ I whispered.
He rested his forearms on my shoulders and fixed me with a quizzical look.
‘What?’
‘It’s too late for tapas tonight. But would you like to come back to mine for a glass of wine?’
I met his eyes, my hands wrapping around his waist, and smiled. ‘I would love that.’
He stared at me, and I gave a nod, knowing exactly what he was asking. His lips met mine, and I realised I had found my way back to the woman I thought I had lost. And I would never let her go again.
* * *
Want to read more twisty and emotional fiction from Sam Vickery? Get The Child at My Door . Fifteen years ago Clarissa’s daughter died. This child standing on her front porch couldn’t be her daughter’s? Could it?
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