Page 90 of The Half Sister

She clears her throat and puts her knife and fork down. ‘There’s something I need to tell you.’

He sits up and mirrors her actions, dabbing his mouth with a napkin.

‘Idohave children,’ she says, looking past him and out the window onto Tower Bridge.

‘But I thought—’

‘I don’t know why I said I didn’t,’ she goes on, still unable to look at him for fear of seeing what’s behind his eyes. ‘When I saw you...I just...I just panicked, and everything came out wrong...’

‘But why didn’t you just tell me?’ he says, sounding as confused by her actions as she is.

‘I just...’ she murmurs. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know why I didn’t tell you the truth.’ She forces herself to look at him, expecting to see loathing, but is surprised to see a softness there. Buoyed by the glimmer of hope, she presses on. ‘I have three children: Noah, Emmy and Jude.’

Justin sits back in his chair. If he feels anything like Lauren, he’ll have lost his appetite.

‘And may I...’ he chokes. ‘May I ask how old they are?’

She reaches across the table to take hold of his hand, knowing what he must be thinking.

‘Noah’s five, Emmy is eighteen months and Jude is five months.’

Justin lets out a long breath and pinches the bridge of his nose.

‘So you have a partner?’

Lauren nods.

Justin gets up from the table and walks over to the window, looking out onto the River Thames.

‘I didn’t think I’d ever be able to forgive you for what you did,’ he says, with his hands on his hips. ‘I hated you so much.’

Lauren silently pushes her chair away from the table and goes to join him, putting a hand on his back.

‘Yet here I am, seemingly still in love with you,’ he goes on.

‘Why did you hate me so much?’

‘You know why.’ His voice is strained, as if he’s struggling to sound normal.

She moves around to face him, putting herself in the firing line, inviting him to take a shot.

‘What did you expect me to do?’ she says, taking hold of his hands.

‘It was supposed to be a joint decision,’ he chokes.

Her hands fall away from his and she’s unable to keep her brow from scowling. ‘It would have been if you’d have stayed around for long enough.’

He laughs unkindly. ‘Are you kidding me?’

‘You abandoned me when I needed you,’ she says, conscious of the change in atmosphere. ‘I pleaded with you to talk to me, but you cut me off, as if I was dead to you.’

‘You were,’ he says, his face close to hers.

A tear unexpectedly falls onto her cheek and she quickly wipes it away.

‘I’m going to go now,’ she says, shaking herself down. ‘But know one thing; Ineverstopped loving you, and I honestly believe that if you’d stayed with me, our baby would be here today.’

He grabs hold of her arm as she moves past him, spinning her around. ‘You’d already got rid of it before I even had a chance to talk to you. What difference wouldIhave made?’

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