Page 24 (1/2)

What? She’s leaving! I stand unsteadily ‘Victoria?’

She turns around and directs a withering look at‘Please, Victoria I will go away I’ll walk away and stay away this ti you want’

‘What would be the point of that?’ she sneers ‘You have already proven yourself to be a brilliant liar You simply cannot be trusted As soon as you have that brat back in your hands you will break all your pathetic little promises So no, don’t bother’ She turns back to the door to wait for the nurse with her back to me

‘I’m sorry,’ I sob ‘I know I didn’t keep my word, but I was… I was blinded byto say Her passive aggressive façade s cobra ‘And what about my love for Blake?’ she de, did it?’

‘You said it was an arrange with hatred ‘It was not an arrangement And you knew that,’ she spits veno with rage and hate It is obviously pointless to try to reason with her And yet, I can’t stop Not now Not after I’ve come this far ‘You told Blake you understood That he should cleanse me out of his system’

‘You’re a pathetic hypocrite Trying to justify stealing another woman’s htens ‘I didn’t steal him He was not yours He never loved you I saved you frohs A horrible sound: a vulture’s cry as its talons grip into deadI thank you?’

‘Of course not’

She wants to claweyes, her heaving chest, but she controls herself with a Herculean effort, and gri You’re not in any way helping your son’s cause’

A cold hand inside my chest I shouldn’t have coht ‘I’ you, Victoria Please, givebecause someone took your toy away from you’ Her voice is brutally contemptuous

‘He’s ive nores my pleas until the nurse comes to take her away The nurse’s eyes flick over my tear-stained face curiously, as she holds the door open for o out with theether with Victoria and go through a locked door Victoria never turns to look at me

Filled with a sense of disbelief at how spectacularly wrong it has all gone, I turn around and walk out of the hospital I use the back of my hand to wipe away the tears fro to say I said all the wrong things Why did I ever think there was even the slightest chance that I could appeal to her sense of pity? I stand at the top of the stone stairs and I see Brian standing next to the car staring at me For a moment my head swi to steady ainst, but it seems very far away so I sink down on the steps Just in ti up to ht?’

‘This can’t be real,’ I whisper

I see a flash of pity in his eyes If only hers had flashed so I watch hiht words to say

‘Let ton?’

I shake et my husband on the phone for me?’