Page 99 of Midnight Enemy

My eyebrows rise in surprise. “Um… yes.” I love the sci-fi movie. Neo, the main character, suspects that mankind is trapped inside a computer simulation. He’s offered the choice of a blue pill, which means he’ll stay blissfully ignorant of the truth, or a red pill, in which case he’ll confront the harshness of reality with the hope of seeking knowledge and understanding.

“Do you want the red pill?” she asks.

I hesitate, just for a couple of seconds. Then I nod. “Always.”

“You might not like what you hear,” she says softly.

I steel myself. “Do you know why they were enemies?”

She gives a reluctant nod.

“Then tell me,” I urge, my heart banging. “I have a right to know.”

She picks up her champagne glass and has a large swallow. “The day Spencer came to the commune, Ana was out, but I was upstairs with Mum. She was asleep, but I heard everything through the open bedroom window. When he knocked on our door, Dad answered, but he refused to let him in. They stood in the garden, arguing.”

“What about?” I ask, baffled. As far as I was aware, they hadn’t spoken in years.

“About my mother. Spencer wanted to see her.”

My eyebrows rise. “To see your mum? Not your dad?”

“Yes.”

I stare at her. “Why?”

“He said he’d heard that Mum had cancer and was very ill. I don’t know how, because I thought hospital information was confidential, but he’d found out that Mum hadn’t had Enhertu, and he asked why. Dad was furious and said it was none of his business, but Spencer kept asking. Eventually Dad admitted he couldn’t afford it. So Spencer said he wanted to pay for it.”

My jaw drops. I’m not totally shocked at the news, because at heart he is a good man, and he’s given a fortune to charities and helped many people. But Blake was the one person he hated more than any other. Why would he offer to help his wife?

“Dad refused,” Scarlett says.

“Jesus, why?”

“He said he didn’t want Spencer to have anything to do with Mum’s treatment.” She has another big mouthful of champagne.

“How do you feel about that?” I ask softly.

“I was angry then, and I’m angry now. Spencer said it wasn’t his choice to make, and he was being selfish, and afterward I told Dad that I agreed with Spencer. But he refused to listen.”

I can’t believe that Dad was willing to offer to pay for the treatment, but that Blake refused out of spite. Christ, no wonder Scarlett is angry. “So what happened after that?”

“Spencer said he wanted to talk to Mum. But Dad said no, that she’d chosen him a long time ago, and he didn’t want Spencer to have anything to do with her.”

I stare at her as the words slowly sink in. “She’d chosen Blake?” No… it can’t be true. “You’re telling me that their thirty-year feud was over your mother?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing the answer is yes.” She tips her head to the side. “You’re shocked that love could evoke such passionate feelings?”

“No. I’m just stunned to think my father is capable of such an emotion.”

She frowns. “But he was married to your mother. They had two children.”

“Yeah, but I don’t remember them ever being affectionate in front of me. They didn’t even hold hands. It was like a business partnership.” The thought of him being in love and out of control makes my head spin.

“Well,” Scarlett says, “I think they both fell in love with Mum. She chose my dad, and your father never forgave him for it.”

“Holy fuck.” I’m completely blown away. “What happened?”

“Spencer tried to force his way past Dad. They had an ugly fight; it was horrible to watch. Dad made Spencer’s nose bleed, and Spencer gave him a black eye. I didn’t want to leave Mum, so I rang the office to tell them what was going on, and George and Richard came running over to separate them. Spencer told Dad he was a selfish bastard and drove off. That’s simplifying it—the argument went on for longer than that, but that’s the gist of it.”

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