Page 26 of My Husband's Wife
I tilt my head. ‘Well, your mum has gone to Kent to see your dad. They both love you and just want what’s best for you.’
He folds his arms. Freddie nudges his hand with his damp snout. Aaron strokes him. ‘My daddy doesn’t love me.’ A stony look spreads across Aaron’s face.
He’s doing everything in his power to hold back his tears. I don’t know what to do and it saddens me to see him upset. Tension starts to pulse through me. I’m livid at Aaron’s father for making him feel this way. ‘Aaron, your mum thinks the world of you. She tells me how proud she is of you all the time. In fact, she tells everyone that, not just me. I heard her telling the other parents in the playground. I haven’t known you for long but Caiden and I love you too. I know Caiden sees you like a brother; he told me. I just want you to know that whatever happens in life, you are surrounded by people who care and people who love you, okay?’
He nods and wipes a stray tear away.
I get up, walk around the bed and give him and Freddie a hug. ‘We’ll talk to Mummy in the morning, okay?’
He nods and lies down in the bed. ‘Okay.’
I pull the quilt up to his chin to keep him warm. ‘If you need anything, just let me know.’
As I leave, Mum is standing in the corridor looking slightly emotional. She reaches over and strokes my hair. ‘That poor boy.’
‘I didn’t know what to say, Mum.’ The lump in my throat grows bigger.
‘You did, and you said the right thing.’ We both take a deep breath, and Mum continues, ‘Were you outside a few minutes ago?’
I ponder whether to tell my mum about the intruder. There were footprints but I know they won’t be there anymore, just like the car that left. If I tell her what I saw, it’ll be another nail in the coffin that is my freedom. She won’t go home when Zach gets back. She’ll march me down to the doctor’s and insist on being with me, and she’ll check on me all day long because Mum is a worrier. My heart whirls away at speed as everything fills my head, threatening to overwhelm me.
‘It was a fox. Damn thing was mooching through the bin. It’s gone now.’ There is an itch at my nape, a little scab that is begging me to itch it and pull at it, but I hold my hands tightly in front of my body. I will not give into it with Mum watching. I’ll do it later when I’m alone.
‘So, nothing to worry about. I’ll get some sleep then. See you in the morning.’
Mum goes back to Caiden’s room and closes the door. I take a huge breath and scratch the back of my head before opening the door to the only room that we haven’t done anything with. Old floral wallpaper peels from the walls and the carpet smells like mildew. This is one of the rooms that Zach didn’t decorate because this is mine. I’m going to strip it back, fill the cracks with my own hands and make bespoke storage at my leisure. I’ve always wanted a hobby room to paint and sew in, but right now, I want to look out onto the drive to check that the intruder hasn’t come back. I can’t see anything out of place, no unexpected shadows or movement. It’s bedtime. I have work tomorrow and the boys have school. Friday is a busy day for me so I need to at least try to sleep, though I suspect I’ll have nightmares.
I leave my hobby-room-to-be and head to the family bathroom, where I stop and listen to Caiden speaking quietly as he turns the tap off. He’s been in there for ages now. I wonder if he’s all right. Maybe he’s not feeling well. Ear to the door, I try to make out some of the words he’s saying to himself.
‘I promised I wouldn’t say anything and I didn’t. What do you think, Emily?’
My blood runs cold at hearing that name. I knock and walk in. Caiden throws something into the bath. I hurry past him and pull the raven toy out of the tub.
‘Who were you talking to?’ I gently ask.
‘No one.’
I bend down to his level and hold both of his hands. ‘Who’s Emily?’
He pulls away and storms past, almost knocking me over. ‘The bird,’ he shouts as he runs out of the bathroom, leaving the toy behind.
I lean over the bath and hold it close to my heart while I cry.
The very mention of Emily sends my knees weak. I lock myself in the bathroom and I collapse to the floor, weeping into my hands as I think of her.
How did Caiden know about Emily? This is the one name from my past which I’d never expect him to know about, and I know Mum wouldn’t have said anything to him. Zach doesn’t even know about Emily because I can’t bear to go there. A shiver runs through me. My son is talking to his dead dad and now he’s talking to Emily.
I feel haunted but I don’t believe in ghosts. Do the ghosts care if I believe them or not? I doubt it. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I don’t feel alone even though there is no one with me in the room. I feel as though someone is toying with me. Am I paranoid? Did I hear Caiden say Emily or was that my brain playing me up? After all, I was standing at the other side of the door. I swallow, knowing that my brain could be deceiving me like it has done in the past. Was there even an intruder? This confusion that has come back into my life, the same confusion I call the parasite living in my head. Seeing Hugo was the trigger. If I can solve the mystery of Hugo, I know I will get rid of the parasite. I don’t need a doctor; I need the truth.
None of this is going away until I work out if Theo is Hugo.
Nineteen
Saturday comes by quickly and it’s wedding day for one of my lovely couples. As expected, Deepak and Millie are nervous. He’s flapping around checking that the catering team have all their dietary requirements, and she’s nervous because her beauty team is running slightly late, and she has a bridal party of six. I want to tell them to slow down and enjoy their day. You only get this moment once, you pay a lot for it, let me take your stress away. But no, Deepak and Millie are insistent on dealing with certain elements of their wedding directly even though they’ve paid for my services.
I press the espresso button on my coffee machine twice. Today I need a lot of coffee as I’ll be on my feet until eleven this evening.
Hallie pops her head round the door. ‘Is everything running to plan?’
