Page 105 of Endgame

‘Caleb! Did you quit?’ Jess shouts in the direction of the door.

‘Eeeeeyyyy!’ everyone choruses as I walk towards them.

‘This is where you’ve all been, on a work day? We really need a proper HR department,’ I joke.

When my eyes meet Ariella’s, she turns away. Oh, don’t worry, love, I’m still pissed off too.

I stay in the living room and join in as we share fun memories and challenges we have had together. Ariella spends most of the evening trying to persuade everyone to go back to work the next day. She falls asleep in the armchair just as the sun begins to set and, after she has encouraged everyone to stay, takes herself up for a nap. We stay chatting and laughing until well past ten. Once the team leave, I take myself off to sleep in the guest bedroom.

TWENTY-SEVEN

ARIELLA

‘That bastard.’ Lara barges into the house around lunchtime the next day, waving her phone around.

‘That could be any number of people, Lara, help me out.’ I’m full of nothing but the sorrow that has accumulated over the last few days as I make myself some toast. I can’t wait to get away from Singapore and, after the other night, Caleb.

‘Dominic Miller. DMVI withdrew the job offer and cancelled my work visa application. I’m back to square one.’

‘Did they give a reason?’

‘Simply that the role no longer exists and I’ll get six months’ pay and they’ll cover any associated expenses. I didn’t even get to start.’

I retrieve my personal phone and send a text message to Dominic.

Please don’t punish Lara because of what I did.

You didn’t do anything and I’m not punishing her.

I’m really sorry Dominic. For everything.

Me too. I heard you turned down your severance package. I’ve asked them to send it to you anyway.

‘What did he say?’

‘A lot has happened in the last seventy-two hours, Lara.’

‘Oh no. He let me go because of you, didn’t he?’

‘Have you eaten? I’ll make some more toast.’

‘I will help, Miss Ariella.’ MsPat descends from upstairs. ‘Sit.’

I fill Lara in and she sits quietly, listening.

‘Caleb is a total wretch for even thinking about dragging Elsie into this, but you behaved terribly too.’

‘I genuinely just wanted to stay friends.’

‘I know, but you knew that man was into you and, every time he called, you went running. That’s enough to drive Caleb round the bend. And that’s before you add the fact that you admitted you were attracted to him.’

‘I know I messed up, Lara. And now I can’t do anything about it. I don’t even recognise myself. Who have I become?’

‘Ariella, calm?—’

‘No! Everything is too much at the moment. I can’t cope, Lara! I’m pregnant, I haven’t told anyone, Caleb and I are fighting, Dominic is going to make things hard for him and I’m not sure I want to raise this child with Caleb anyway because I don’t think he can control his temper. I’ve got two weeks to get out of Singapore, there is no way I am moving back in with my parents and I’m not living with Jack at Caleb’s. I really need Jasper’s help but Sophia will be rightfully furious if I reach out. I can’t tell Zachary because he’ll spill before I get home, and I’m leaving everyone at Ivory Bow in the hands of someone I don’t trust. MsPat won’t have a job in two weeks. Even you…I convinced you to come back to Singapore and look at what hashappened. What have I done? What am I doing?’ I feel my breathing start to go shallow as I cry, and I know what’s coming.

‘Okay. I’m going to help you slow your breathing,’ Lara says. She slowly takes my hand and helps lead my counts. When we’ve managed to slow it down, she hugs me and holds me there. It’s exactly what I need. I release all the fear, anxiety and uncertainty through my tears.

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