Page 8 of A Stolen Christmas

“You're both in on this. I will have you both arrested,” she said as she tried to shove the chair towards the man.

My stomach churned at the thought of the stranger becoming entangled in this mess. I quickly unlocked the door before matters escalated. I’d never told Irene what I thought of her contemptible behaviour over the last few years, but she brought this on herself by coming to my house unannounced.

“You have really lost the plot this time, old woman. You need help,” I snapped at her. The man dropped the chair, and I watched as Irene fell back.

“What is she having us arrested for?” the man asked me with a smile while Irene was moaning about assault with a deadly weapon.

I ignored him and snapped a picture of her because I wanted to remember this moment. For two years, the woman had been the bane of my life. While she struggled to push the chair off herself, I turned towards the stranger.

“Thanks, but I'm used to dealing with this particular beast,” I said, looking at him, but I swallowed when I soaked him in.

He was a hulk of a man, taller than Ryan. His beard was trimmed short, and his chestnut hair had a darker shade running through it. His eyes were just as dark, and when they dropped down at my lips, I realised I was licking my dry lips. I shivered as a cold gust of wind blew in the air.

Irene’s moan of pain broke the moment, and she was holding her hip. From the look on her face, the pain might be genuine. I sighed and sat the chair upright.

“Sit down, and I will call an ambulance,” I said when she tried to hobble and began to wail.

I glanced back at the man, but he had a frown on his face as he glowered at Irene.

“Can I get your phone number, please? She will no doubt make an erroneous police report, and we might need to give a statement,” I said before I dialled the emergency services.

He nodded. “I can stay with you until the ambulance arrives. I was here to view the house for sale next door.”

I couldn't reply because I got through to the emergency services, but I didn't know there was a house for sale on the street, let alone next door to me. I glanced at Irene, who was whining and holding onto her hip.

Why couldn't she have one of her fake conditions? There was always something wrong with the blasted woman.

The man pulled out a business card and pen before writing a number on its back. I was still talking to the operator when I took his card.

Winthorpe Industries, the company, sounded familiar. I looked at him when I saw his name, Saul Winthorpe. I shoved it into my pocket as the operator began to ask me more questions. When I tried to ask Irene, she refused to talk to me. It was worse than dealing with a child. Three years of dating and Ryan had hidden his psychotic mother well, but as soon as we were engaged, her shit was never-ending.

By the time I was done with the call, Saul was bent over with his hands on his knees and saying something to Irene. I didn't know what he said; she was silent, but her bitter hatred was now directed at him. Her eyes switched over to me, and I cleared my throat.

“Uh, thanks, Mr Winthorpe. I can stay with her until the ambulance arrives,” I said to him with a tight smile.

With any luck, I might be able to push her down the stairs on her way out.

“Please, call me Saul. After all, we might be neighbours soon,” he said, flashing his pearly white teeth.

No. Nope. This wasn't happening again; I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, and I’m still trying to return it.

I forced the butterflies in my stomach to stop fluttering around and my piqued ardour to stand down. I gave him a sharp nod before I went inside to get Irene a blanket. It wouldn’t look good if I were the new resident on the street who was accused of murdering her almost ex-mother-in-law.

I did not need another man in my life when I was still trying to recover from the damage Ryan did to me. It was tempting to hook up with someone on a rebound because I couldn’t deny the blow to my heart and self-esteem to find Ryan cheating with multiple women. I took a few deep breaths and became aware of my thought process. The therapist’s techniques helped me manage my maelstrom of mixed emotions.

Perhaps I was a sick bitch for showing Irene the video of Ryan banging away, but she should go take it out on the stars of the video and leave me the fuck alone. I could only imagine that one of the women sent me the photos and videos once she realised that Ryan was cheating on her, too. Thankfully, he hadn't diseased me.

As for Saul Winthorpe, he could shove his pearly white smile up his ass. I was grateful for his intervention but didn’t approve of his flirtatious ways. He didn’t hide his interest, but I wasn't on the market for another man.

I was done with men, and the sooner I got a divorce, the better.

Chapter 6

Saul

I watched Sirah as she came out with a blanket for the woman responsible for giving birth to the abomination she married. Irene Taylor reacted just as I needed her to when she received an anonymous message stirring the pot. It was a little payback for mistreating my girl. After comparing how my mum was with Katya, it was horrifying to read half of what she had done and said to Sirah.

Tears were now streaming down Irene’s face, and she rummaged around in her bag until she pulled her phone out. She had the gall to phone the police while Sirah placed the blanket around her. Had she released the chair, none of this would have happened. My veiled threat against her son had little impact on the tenacious woman. When I glanced at Sirah, she was rolling her eyes at the woman’s dramatics.

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