Page 97 of The Devil's Torment

I sit up straight, frowning. “What do you mean?”

Mum grimaces, firing Dad a “What did you say that for?” glare. “Nicholas came to see us a couple of days ago. He was a little… agitated.”

Dad snorts. “Understating it a tad, Laura.”

Mum shoots him another menacing look. “He was upset that we came to see you with Beth, and he told us we weren’t welcome until after you’d made your decision. That he wouldn’t let us pressure you.”

Happiness wells up inside me, filling my chest with light and hope. My defender, my protector, my husband. I feel cossetted, important, and a priority in his life. It’s one more incredible gift in a long line of gifts he’s given me.

“He loves you very much, Vicky. That much is clear.”

I open my mouth to disagree with her, then close it again. Could she be right? The saying “actions speak louder than words,” might be a cliché, but there’s a lot of truth in clichés. That’s why they became clichés in the first place.

Is it possible Nicholas is showing me he loves me in all the ways that matter? Anyone can say the words, but to embody the sentiment in deeds speaks volumes.

Perhaps once all this is over, I’ll pluck up the courage to tell him how I feel and pray I’ve read the situation right and he feels the same way about me.

I don’t get a chance to answer Mum before Beth arrives. She introduces me to Joel with hearts in her eyes, and he looks at her like she’s the sun, the moon, and all the stars in the galaxy rolled into one.

“I’d give my husband a swerve for a while,” I say to Joel. “He doesn’t take kindly to being lied to.”

“That was my fault,” Beth says, plastering herself to his side. “I panicked when I saw Nicholas standing outside our house. I wasn’t ready to?—”

“Return from the dead?”

She flinches, creases developing around her eyes. “Something like that,” she whispers.

“Why don’t we all sit,” Mum says, making room on the couch by moving a few scatter cushions.

I let Beth and Joel have the couch while I take the chair by the window. Four pairs of eyes fixate on me, and I squirm under the attention. There’s no point in prolonging their pain, nor mine.

“I’ve decided I will donate a kidney.”

Beth immediately bursts into tears, clinging to Joel like he’s the only solid thing in a world that’s spinning out of control. Mum’s hand flies to her mouth, and Dad closes his eyes, lips moving, although I can’t hear what he’s saying.

“Thank you, Vicky,” Joel says. “We’re forever grateful.”

Beth gets up and flings herself at me, still sobbing. Automatically, I put my arms around her, and the second I do, the love I’ve always had for her floods back. Then I’m crying too. There’s a long way to go before I can forgive her for what she’s put me through these last few months, but I’m not a vengeful person. Nicholas, on the other hand, is a different prospect all together. I’m not sure he’ll ever be able to look at Beth with anything other than hostility.

“I’ve also asked Nicholas to make sure none of this blows back on you, Joel, and his brother. He agreed.” I shrug at Beth’s wide-eyed stare. “I can’t exactly donate you a kidney then let you rot in jail, now, can I?”

“I love you, Vic.” She hugs me again, and Joel murmurs something about being grateful. I say nothing. I’m not ready yet.

Mum makes tea for us all, and there’s a concerted effort to talk about anything except the upcoming surgery Beth and I are about to face. I’ve no idea how long it’ll take to schedule, but if I’m to manage the stress of this, and Nicholas’s anxiety and anger over the whole situation, it’s best if I go with the flow and try not to micromanage every detail.

I stay for an hour before I make my excuses and leave. There are more tears and hugs, but eventually, I extricate myself and promise Beth we’ll talk soon.

The immense relief I feel when the car door closes and we set off back to Oakleigh doesn’t last long when Eloise sends aMerry Christmas, bishesto our group app.

Ah, hell.

With everything going on these last few days, I still haven’t told them about Beth, nor the life-changing decision I’ve made. I can’t put it off any longer, though.

I start up a video call, and as the faces of my two best friends appear in the little window on my phone, I take a deep breath and plunge into the abyss.

ChapterThirty-Three

NICHOLAS

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