Page 149 of Begin Again, Part 1

"Eden?" Linda prodded.

"Yeah," she whipped up her head.

"Have you been sleeping well?"

"What's that?" She laughed. "I have a nineteen-month-old. Sleep is a luxury I don't have."

And she went on to tell her that the past few weeks were particularly hard because Aiden was teething. Linda smiled, explaining that as a mother of three energetic boys, she understood her struggles. Eden smiled back while she played with the charms on her bracelet and stared at the clock on the wall.

Forty-five minutes.

That's how long she had to keep the conversation going, and then she'd be home free until next week.

"Your bracelet," Linda said. "It's beautiful. May I see it?"

Eden didn't want to hand it over, but anything to make the forty-five minutes pass quickly.

"Sure," she said as she slipped it off and gave it to her.

"You're into astronomy?" Linda asked as she held it up, and the tiny star and moon glinted in the sunlight seeping through the window.

Eden looked at the clock again.

Forty-three minutes.

Don't fuck it up, she thought as she beamed at the therapist. "I guess. Aiden's obsessed with the moon."

"So this represents him?" Linda asked, tapping the moon charm dangling on the gold band. "And you are the star?"

Eden nodded, happy to keep this line of inquiry going.

"I don't see the sun, though?"

"That's his father," she blurted out without thinking.

"Is he not in the picture?"

Eden quickly shook her head. "No, he's not."

"Maybe someday you'll get to add his charm?" Linda returned the bracelet.

"Yeah, maybe." Eden snapped it back on. "I'd like that."

"How do you feel about the mark on your face?"

"Ashamed," she admitted, realising her mistake immediately. Linda had tricked her. All the pointless questions about her bracelet were just her way to get her to let down her guard.

"Why?"

Eden fell silent. She didn't want to talk about Lucy. She didn't even want to acknowledge that she was constantly on high alert, because she was so afraid the other woman would attack her again, and she couldn't bear to be alone in her office.

"Because no one's ever done that to me," she admitted, and quickly brushed her tears away. "And I'm terrified she might do it again. But I'll be okay."

Liam sat rigidly still beside her, his hands balled into fists.

She knew he hated tears and was probably irritated with her for breaking down.

"How are things at home?" Linda asked, and Eden was grateful to her for changing the subject.

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