Chapter 30
THIRTY
HAVEN
‘What’s going on?’ Liane asks when she sees me sitting with her family, enjoying a breakfast of croissants and bagels. I was just about to ask Frederik to pass the butter, but I better wait until his wife gets over the shock of seeing me here.
‘Hey, you’re back early!’ Frederik says as he rises out of his seat and approaches his wife, although she quickly takes a step back from him. But she doesn’t take her eyes off me as she does.
‘Why is she here?’ Liane demands to know, and while it’s hardly the best way to say good morning, I choose not to call her out on that. Instead, I just take another bite out of my breakfast.
‘I can explain,’ Frederik says, sounding like he’s a naughty schoolkid who has just been caught doing something he shouldn’t and now needs to explain himself to the headmistress.
‘How can you explain this?’ Liane replies. ‘How can you explain letting her back in this house after what she said?’
‘Mum, just calm down,’ Joel tries, but my boyfriend has clearly underestimated his mother’s capability to be in the same room as me again.
Unbeknownst to her, we were actually in the same room last night, when I was hiding under the bed she was sleeping in, but again, I don’t think this is the time to mention that.
‘Haven came back here late last night,’ Frederik explains to his wife. ‘She showed up on the doorstep at 3 a.m. and said she had nowhere to go. What could I do? Turn her away?’
‘Yes, that’s exactly what you should have done!’ Liane cries.
I am glad that Frederik did not turn me away, although I’m sure the fact that Joel insisted he let me in played a big part in that decision.
Whatever the case, I was allowed into this house, and I was glad about that.
After the scare at Valerie’s house, I didn’t have the energy or mental capacity to take another risk elsewhere.
I just needed a warm bed. I needed my boyfriend.
And he needed to ask me something very important.
‘How could you think that my brother killed her?’ Joel asked me once I was in his bedroom and the door was firmly closed. ‘I just don’t understand it.’
‘Maybe I’m wrong, but it’s just a feeling I have,’ I’d replied.
‘I know you love your brother, but you have been away in Australia having the time of your life while he has been here, trying to keep a struggling business going. I know he pretends he is successful, but he’s not, and debt and desperation can drive anybody to do terrible things. ’
‘I just can’t see it,’ Joel had said, shaking his head from where he sat on the edge of the bed. ‘Not my brother. He’s not a killer.’
‘He’s threatened me,’ I went on. ‘I have the proof and it shows he is not the nice guy everyone thinks he is. But I admit I don’t have any evidence that he pushed your grandmother down the stairs, other than him arranging to be there on the day she died.
So I understand if you want me to stop this and leave. ’
‘No, I don’t want you to leave,’ Joel had said, reaching out for my hand and showing me that while he was incredibly conflicted about what I was accusing his brother of, he still wanted to be with me too.
I wanted the same, so we spent the night together, sleeping side by side, and I was feeling a little better about things when I woke up.
I was feeling a little better until Liane came home.
‘I can’t believe this,’ she says, looking at her husband as if he has made a very grave mistake. ‘I cannot believe you have allowed that spiteful little witch back into this house.’
‘Dad did the right thing,’ Joel says then. ‘He made sure Haven was safe and that we all got some sleep.’
‘Fine, you got some sleep. Now get out,’ Liane says, pointing at me and my croissant as I’m mid-bite.
‘Look, I’m sure this is all one big misunderstanding, and I think if the two of you could just talk, I’m sure we could sort this out,’ Frederik says.
‘I’d like to talk,’ I say then, speaking up for the first time since Liane entered this kitchen that was so calm and peaceful only a moment ago.
Frederik hadn’t exactly been warm to me, but was being polite, no doubt treading delicately because he doesn’t want to lose his youngest son over this.
But I can see it won’t be easy with Liane.
‘You’ve done enough talking,’ she says to me. ‘I don’t want to hear another lie that comes out of your mouth.’
‘I’m not here to lie,’ I say, holding up my hands.
‘Really? Let’s put that to the test then,’ Liane says, stepping forward before taking a seat opposite me at the breakfast bar. ‘Look my son right in the eyes now and tell him that you are not only here for his inheritance money.’
‘She doesn’t need to do that,’ Joel tries.
‘Yes, she does,’ Liane snaps back. ‘Do it.’
I can see that Liane thinks she has put me in a very uncomfortable position, but the reality is I have no problem turning to look at my boyfriend and saying what she told me to say. So I do just that.
‘I am not here for your inheritance money, I promise. I’m here because I love you.’
Joel smiles.
‘I know,’ he says before looking back at his mum. ‘Just like I know that it’s time for me and Haven to leave here.’
‘What? Where will you go?’ Liane cries.
‘We’re buying an apartment in the city,’ Joel tells her, discussing the topic that Joel and I spent time talking about while we were lying in bed last night after I had been allowed back into this house.
The two of us realised we couldn’t continue to see each other here, so we needed a plan. Now we have one.
‘We’re going to use the money Grandma has given me to get a place and then you won’t have to see us anymore,’ Joel says.
‘That’s not what we want. Tell him, Liane,’ Frederik implores his wife, but she stays silent, which tells us what she really thinks.
‘Whatever,’ Joel says before standing up. ‘Come on, Haven. Let’s get out of here.’
I follow my boyfriend out of the kitchen and upstairs to his bedroom, where he puts his things into a bag.
My bag is already packed, so it won’t take long for us both to be on our way.
Neither Liane nor Frederik come upstairs to try and convince us to stay, though I can hear them having a heated argument in the kitchen, so I guess they are preoccupied enough.
The atmosphere in this house is terrible, so I can’t wait to leave it behind, and once Joel is packed, there is nothing standing in our way.
But just before we walk out the door, I need to be absolutely certain that he is doing the right thing.
‘I don’t want you to choose between me and your family,’ I say to him, taking his hand. ‘So if you don’t want to do this, I understand.’
‘I just want you,’ he says, and with that, our next move is decided.
We both go downstairs, each carrying our bags, and we can both hear that the argument is continuing in the kitchen. With one look, we both agree that it’s best to not interrupt it, so we sneak out of the house and walk away before Joel calls a taxi.
As we anticipate its arrival, the plan is for us to go to a hotel, before possibly renting somewhere while we wait for the inheritance money from his grandmother’s savings to eventually reach his bank account.
As soon as it does, we can start looking for a proper place to live, a place we will own and a place that we don’t have to share with anybody else.
But despite these plans that I should be excited about, I am still worried.
I’m worried that Joel is giving up his family for me.
More than that, I’m worried that his family will do anything to get him back, which would mean getting rid of me.
How would they do that?
I’m sure Scott has an idea.
After all, he knows how to get rid of people…