Page 34 of Seal of Approval

“I’ll have the solicitor contact you,” I said.

“Can I just say hello to them?”

Ethan released my hand and pointed to the stairs. I immediately missed his touch, and his gentle strength, but the hard edge to his voice when he next spoke gave all that back to me. “Not today.” When Max didn’t budge, he said, “Best you leave now.”

Tic. Tic. Tic. Max nodded and walked down the stairs.

“It was nice to meet you, Max,” Ethan said to his retreating back.

He got nothing in return.

Ethan turned to me. “Go talk to Bailey and Rose. I’ll wait out here.”

I forced my feet to move as I tried to reconcile what had just happened. Lingering, trying to figure it out, was less important than making sure the kids were OK. Thinking about how Ethan and I had stood together as one against Max would need to wait.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Ethan

What was I thinking, getting myself into the middle of a situation I should only want to avoid? I’d pretended they were my family. My family. But a person like me shouldn’t have a family.

Max was exactly like my father. I knew it the moment he opened his mouth. I probably wouldn’t have known it straight away if it hadn’t been for Bailey’s terror and his warning not to be tricked. But I would have recognised it soon enough.

He’d played a good game. He hadn’t played the victim straight up. First, he’d scoped me out, then dropped little hints to see if I would be sympathetic. He hadn’t mentioned Bailey and Rose as individuals, but rather how they pertained to him.

He had the classic traits of a narcissist. I should know. My father was one. And if I didn’t keep such control over myself, I’d likely be one too. This family did not need to swap one out for another. The difference between me, and Max and my father, was that I knew what I was. And because of that, I would need to keep my distance while I kept all of them safe. I could protect Jasmine, Bailey and Rose without losing myself to them.

But what would Jasmine think? I’d just inserted myself into this whole situation without discussing it with her first. Would she think I was trying to take away her power?

The front door opened, and Jasmine stepped out. “They’re OK. Scared but OK.”

Good. That’s all we could hope for under the circumstances. Not we. Jasmine. It’s all Jasmine could hope for.

We sat on the chairs, and she gave me a small smile. “Thank you for your support.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Sorry about inserting myself into the situation.”

Jasmine studied me. “I’m glad you did. It helped me be strong.”

“You don’t need my help with that. You’re a strong, independent person.”

She looked down at her feet. “Not always with Max. Five years ago, I decided to leave him. I saw what he was doing to the children, how he’d destroyed their confidence.” She twisted her toes into the deck before returning her gaze to me. “He sensed something was going on. I don’t know if someone let it slip while I was making plans. I’d been putting money away little by little for months. Then I started looking for a place to live. He started making promises that he was going to change. His changes would last for a week or so.”

She sighed, then shrugged. I knew how her story would end. I’d seen it more than once with my parents. The broken promises. The blame. More broken promises. It was never-ending.

“Then it was my fault when he failed and next he started blaming the kids. We all walked on eggshells. It strengthened my resolve.” She took a shaky breath. “I didn’t fight back, didn’t try to argue. I knew it would make it worse. But it got worse anyway. He told anyone who would listen that I was a bad wife and an even worse mother.”

She met my eyes and took a deep breath. Her hands were shaking. I reached out and took them. She latched on. “I left. He got worse. He’d turn up when I was shopping, watch me at the hairdresser, catch my train in the morning, follow me home from work. I was so scared. I didn’t know what he was capable of anymore, so I got a restraining order. He got worse.” Her voice swayed between fear and restrained anger. “He told me he was going to take the kids from me. I got a solicitor involved. He didn’t like that. His next play was to take Bailey and Rose.”

She took a wavering breath. “He nearly did. He turned up one night during a storm.”

As she told me what happened, my grip tightened. Rose’s fear of storms became clear. Bailey’s warning not to be tricked made sense. Jasmine’s bravery was her biggest strength.

I didn’t let go of her hands. “I wish my mom had been as brave as you.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Should I tell her more? Not for me but for her. To show her what her strength achieved. “We endured my father for sixteen years. The day she died, we all got freedom. She left this world and my brother and I left our father.”

Saying it out loud was hard. I forced myself to keep eye contact with her. I wasn’t embarrassed, but it was a part of my life I’d rather forget. The problem was the fear of being like my father never left me. It was the lasting legacy of a man I’d rather not remember.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

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