The Half Sister(89)

Kate shakes her head as she reads the texts on Lauren’s phone.

Lauren: Happy I could help out last night

Sheila: Help out? I’m not sure that’s what I’d call it! I can’t stop thinking about you. Hope everything was okay at home?

Lauren: I need to see you again

Sheila: You have no idea how happy that makes me. When?

‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand,’ says Kate, reading the messages over again. ‘Who’s Sheila? And what’s she got to do with Simon and the kids?’

Lauren’s head falls into her hands. ‘Sheila’s Justin,’ she says.

Kate’s mind feels frazzled. ‘Your Justin?’

Lauren nods.

‘You’ve been seeing him?’ Kate asks incredulously, as the pieces begin to fall into place.

‘Just twice,’ says Lauren quietly.

‘So that’s where you were last night? And now Simon’s seen your messages?’

‘They’re not my messages. He was on to me this morning, when he got back from work, and whilst I was in the shower, he must have started this chat, checking that my story stacked up. I told him that Sheila was a midwife and I’d helped out on the ward last night.’

‘Shit!’

‘And by the time I’d come out of the bathroom, he’d gone, and taken the children with him.’

‘I assume you’ve tried ringing him,’ says Matt.

Lauren nods and wipes her nose with a tissue. ‘I don’t know what he’ll do. I don’t know what he’s capable of.’

‘What do you mean?’ asks Kate, taken aback.

‘You don’t know him.’ Lauren sounds broken. ‘He has a temper – that he struggles to control.’

‘Are you saying you’re frightened of him?’

Lauren nods.

Kate is lost for words. How did she not know that her sister had been enduring this?

‘If he’s so much as laid a hand on you . . .’ says Matt, his nostrils flaring.

Lauren looks at the floor, almost as if she’s ashamed. It makes Kate hate Simon all the more.

‘Lauren, why haven’t you spoken to me about this before?’ asks Kate. ‘I thought you were happy. I thought you had the perfect family.’

‘It’s funny what we both thought the other one had,’ says Lauren.

It’s a flippant remark, but as the two women look at one another, as if seeing each other properly for the first time, the truth of Lauren’s words burrows deep into Kate’s psyche.

‘So what are we going to do?’ asks Matt, breaking the spell. ‘I can’t see that the police are going to do much at the moment. For all they know he’s a dad who’s just taken his kids out for an hour.’

There’s a screech of brakes from outside and they all freeze, looking at each other. Matt is the first to move towards the front door, throwing it open and leaving it swinging on its hinges.

‘Be careful,’ says Kate, going after him.

‘Where’s my wife?’ Simon shouts, as he gets out of the car and strides up to Matt, their noses just inches apart.

Kate puts a hand on Matt’s arm for reassurance, but her insides have turned to jelly.

‘How about we all calm down and sort this out?’ says Matt.

‘Calm down?’ shouts Simon. ‘My wife’s been sleeping around and you want me to calm down?’

Kate can see the children in the car and inches her way towards them, closely followed by Lauren, whose breath she can feel on her neck. She admires her sister’s restraint. If it were her kids, she’d be like a screaming banshee, but Lauren obviously knows the best way to handle her husband. It pains Kate that she’s clearly had years of practice.

‘Come inside,’ says Matt, taking hold of Simon’s arm. ‘Let’s talk about this.’

Simon shakes him off and moves towards Lauren, his eyes blazing. Kate pulls herself up and stands tall between them, blocking his way.

‘How long’s it been going on?’ he shouts. ‘Did you honestly think you were going to get away with it? That I wouldn’t find out?’

He takes a step closer and Kate instinctively puts a hand across her stomach.

‘Who is he?’ Simon yells. ‘Tell me who he is, because I’ll fucking kill him.’

He raises his right arm and Kate can feel, in slow motion, the rush of air as he swings it down. She ducks, pushing Lauren away, and flinches as she waits for contact to be made. With her eyes squeezed shut, the split second feels like an eternity, not knowing who he’s going to strike or where. Another whoosh and a slap of skin, but it’s not hers, it’s Matt’s, as he takes hold of Simon’s forearm just before it crashes down on top of her.

‘I’m gonna kill him, then you,’ shouts Simon, as Matt pulls his arm behind his back and frogmarches him into the house.

‘Mummy,’ cries Noah from inside the car.

Lauren pulls open the door and holds the little boy to her. ‘It’s okay,’ she says with tears rolling down her face. ‘Everything’s going to be okay.’

Kate looks across the back seat to see Jude and Emmy sleeping, blissfully unaware that their parents’ marriage has just ended. Though if the truth be told, it sounds like it was over long ago.