Page 3 of Forever Mr Black

“Art found out that I hadn’t been totally honest with him about something. We had a massive argument about it just before you called.”

“Oh, love.” Mum pats my hand reassuringly. “What about?”

I stare at the dirty carpet tiles and avoid her gaze. “Theo.”

“You mean, how he … was with you?”

And the rest. No one knows what Theo did to me. Not Mum, not Lucy. They both hate his guts enough. All I want to do is forget about him. If they knew, they’d be bound to drag it up. Not in an unkind way, in an out of the goodness of their hearts, thinking they were doing the right thing way. But I don’t want to talk about him or what he did. Then. Now. Never.

I carry on looking at the floor and feel incredibly awkward. “Yes,” I lie. Because ironically, that’s the bit I did tell Art about.

“I’m sure he’ll understand. He’s a good man, not like that cruel bastard.”

Art is a good man. I stare down at the ring on my finger. I love him, and I know he loves me. But is it enough? Is love enough for us to survive all the shit being thrown at us?

“I wasn’t going to tell you this, but now that you’ve mentioned him”—Mum gives me a sideways glance— “he called. Theo.”

I freeze. “What do you mean?”

“Last night. He called us up, right out of the blue. We’d just sat down for tea.”

He sent me a letter, and now, he phoned up my parents.

I do my best to keep the panic out of my voice. “What did he say?”

Mums sighs and angrily shakes her head. “Oh, he’s just the same. Acted as though nothing had ever happened. He said he’d called to see how we were … can you believe it? He couldn’t stand Martin and me when you two were together. He was too worried we’d talk some bloody sense into you, so you’d realise what a wrong 'un he really was. You’ll never guess what he had the nerve to say.”

I don’t think I want to know.

“He came out with more of his lies again, but this time, he was talking about Art, telling me he was bad news and that we should be worried about you seeing him. He said he’d been to prison and all sorts.”

I’m sure my heart stops beating. “Prison?”

“Can you believe it?!” Mum cries incredulously. “I mean, the cheek of the man.”

No, I really can’t believe it. I can’t believe any of this is happening at all. A few days ago, I was in a blissful, loved-up state, and now, my world’s falling apart at the seams. “What did you say?”

“What do you think? I told him to sling his bloody hook,” Mum scoffs. “I told him it was about time that he stopped with his lies and grew up. Then, I told him to never call us again and slammed the phone down.”

I breathe a sigh of relief that Mum didn’t believe him. He’s done enough damage for her to never believe a word that comes out of his mouth ever again. The last thing I need is her finding out about Art’s past. I know she and Martin are positively enamoured with him, but that might be a bit of a stretch, even for them. At some point, I know I’ll have to tell them. I couldn’t bear them finding out by accident. But now’s not the time.

My mind’s spinning. “You probably won’t hear from him again,” I say dismissively, hoping to God I’m right.

“Goodness knows what he thought he was playing at. He’s never been quite right if you ask me,” Mum says darkly. “I never understood what you saw in him.”

For a moment, I think about telling her about the letter but decide against it. She worries at the best of times, but the letter and the telephone call might tip her over the edge. Especially after the stress of today.

“I mean, fancy saying something like that about Art. He’s a successful businessman. A true gentleman,” she carries on.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s probably his idea of a sick joke.” I try my best to sound calm when, inside, I’m anything but.

All that crap he wrote in the letter about wanting me to be happy, and then he tries to stir up trouble. He’s not changed a bit. He’s still the same manipulative liar he always was.

She pats my hand. “You go home. Sort out what you need to with Art.”

I frown. “I can’t leave you here on your own, Mum.”

“I’ll be fine, love. Martin’s okay. I’ll be leaving soon anyway because he’ll need to get some rest. Thank you for being here for me.”

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