Page 6 of Forever Mr Black

He stares down at our hands and brushes his thumbs across my knuckles. “How does he know where we live?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t want you getting involved.”

“I’m already involved, Sophie.”

He’s not listening.

“Promise me you’ll leave it.”

“You’re asking me to do the impossible.”

“Promise me,” I press.

Several long moments later, he lifts his eyes to mine. “I meant it when I said, no one’s ever going to hurt you again. If I ever clap eyes on him, I will kill him, Sophie. But if you’re asking me not to …”

“How would you get away with that? If something happened to Theo, they’d probably suspect me, wouldn’t they? And then you. Do you want to go back to prison? Do you want me to have to deal with that?”

He slowly shakes his head, like he can’t believe what he’s about to say. “Even though it’s going against every fucking instinct, I’ll leave it. For you, I’ll leave it.”

He seals his promise with a lingering kiss, and I drink him up. So much has happened in the last few hours. I’ve missed every single inch of him.

He pulls away and rests his forehead to mine. We both stare down at our fingers, still linked in my lap.

“Thank you for telling me. I know that must have been really hard for you. Are you okay?”

I nod. “I feel better than okay. It’s like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders.” I look at him. I feel bad about not telling him about Theo calling Mum and Martin, but now’s not the time. “You’ve got all of me, you know? Every last part.”

“I know I do.” He brushes the tip of his nose against mine. “What a fucking day.”

I heave a weary sigh and relax against his chest, closing my eyes. “I’m exhausted.”

He kisses the top of my head. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you smell a bit weird.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Thanks for that. It’s your jumper I’m wearing.”

He laughs softly. “No, not bad, just odd. A bit like disinfectant or something.”

The distinct, pungent medical smell hangs in my nostrils and clings to my clothes. I open my eyes. “I went to the hospital this afternoon.”

“What do you mean, you went to the hospital this afternoon?”

There’s no denying the panic in his voice.

I sit up and look at him. “It’s okay. It wasn’t for me. After I got home and realised you were gone, Mum called. She thought Martin was having a heart attack and asked me to meet her at the hospital.”

“Shit. A heart attack? Is he okay?”

“He didn’t have one. It was angina, apparently. He’s on the mend. They told him he was lucky.”

Art glances around the garden, digesting what he’s just learnt. “Do you want to go back to the hospital? Is your mum okay?”

“It’s fine. He’s getting some rest and doing well. Mum was obviously a bit upset at first, but she’s okay now that she knows he’s going to be all right.”

Art briefly closes his eyes and frowns. “I’m sorry, Sophie. I should have been there for you. Instead, I turned my fucking phone off.”

“You weren’t to know. It’s not your fault.” I slide my hand in his. “You’re here now.”

“That’s not good enough. I should have been there when you needed me. Instead, I drove off in a rage like an arsehole.”

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