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‘But how can you call it precarious?’ Alan had bellowed at him. ‘This is one of the most viable businesses in the area. We just need to update some of the machinery – otherwise, we’ll go under!’

They’d parried back and forth all day and, finally, Alan had seen red and walked out of the meeting. Now he’d have to approach the bank for a loan instead and, even if they were to agree, their conditions would be more than stringent. To hell with Dick Morgan!

The only advantage was that most of the previous loan had been repaid. Sylvia’s father had been rewarded handsomely for his earlier investment – in fact, if he hadn’t demanded such a high rate of interest, the factory might not now be needing to ask for another loan! Alan was livid. The only benefit – if he could call it that – was that it was now the ideal time to ask Sylvia for a divorce.

In a way, asking her now would be a way of punishing her father for his refusal to reinvest.

All day at work, Alan preoccupied himself with planning just how to bring up the subject of divorce with his wife. His stomach was churning and he was developing a stress headache. At lunchtime, instead of his usual visit to Ellie, he rang her, pleading a business meeting, and went out for a walk, hoping that the fresh air might clear his head. But he returned to the office feeling just as stressed. Every ten minutes he looked at his watch, wanting the work day to be over, yet perversely dreading it.

As he sat daydreaming, there was a knock on his door.

‘Mr Alan, production’s stopped on Number Three conveyor belt.’ Tony Coleman, the factory manager, stepped into his office. ‘We’ve already sent for Maintenance, but that order for Superbuys is going to be delayed by an hour or more …’

Alan sighed. Sometimes he was sick of his responsibilities. Everyone seemed to want a piece of him. Sylvia wanted him, Ellie wanted him, and he was charged with the responsibility of keeping hundreds of workers in their jobs. Sometimes he just wanted to run away – perhaps to a desert island, where no one could find him.

Alan got to his feet. ‘Okay, Tony – I’ll be with you shortly.’

He’d have to ask the workers to stay late, since Superbuys was an exacting client, and likely to impose a penalty for late deliveries.

As he left his office and headed downstairs to the factory floor, he wondered how it would feel when he was going home to Ellie after a day’s work. Would his life with Ellie become as boring and predictable as it currently was with Sylvia?

It would feel odd living with his eldest daughter. He’d grown very fond of her, although he didn’t see her as often as he’d like, since his visits to her mother always took place when she wasn’t around.

He was also considering, for the first time, the effect his divorce would have on Pete and Laura. How would they feel about seeing him living with their friend’s mother? Would they still call to play? Would his relationship with Ellie drive a wedge between him and his two other children?

Alan’s stomach was still churning, because he also knew that as soon as he and Ellie went public about their relationship, she’d insist on letting everyone know that Kerry was his child, and that would have a devastating effect on poor Sylvia. Divorcing her was bad enough, but having her know that his affair had produced another child three months before she’d given birth to their own daughter – well, that would be the ultimate humiliation. How could he do that to her? She loved him, and she’d never done him any harm, so how could he destroy her in that way?

Then he thought of his father-in-law, and his blood ran cold. Even though Sylvia would undoubtedly behave with dignity, Dick would probably punish him by demanding back the balance of the money he’d already ploughed into the factory. Even though there wasn’t a huge amount still owing, it was enough to tip the balance precariously, possibly leading to closure of the factory, with the loss of hundreds of jobs. He simply couldn’t do it – the price was too high for everyone concerned.

By the end of the day, Alan was physically and mentally exhausted. His headache was pounding and his skull felt as though it was about to split open. In truth, he was beginning to wonder if a divorce would be worth all the hassle; it would be at the expense of so many other people’s happiness and livelihoods, and that would ultimately ruin his own peace of mind.

By the time he got home, he still hadn’t made up his mind about what he was going to do. He was relieved to discover that no one was home. He decided to go upstairs to his bedroom en suite, and have a shower that would hopefully relax his aching muscles and soothe his thumping head.

When he entered the bedroom, he was surprised to see Sylvia sitting at her dressing table. She was just putting down the phone extension, and she looked up happily when he entered the room. He felt a rush of remorse. How could he bring such devastation to this genuinely lovely woman? He cared for her very much, and if he hadn’t met Ellie, with her sparkling eyes, luscious lips and voluptuous, accommodating body, he’d have been content to spend the rest of his life with her. Sylvia didn’t deserve what he was contemplating.

His wife’s eyes were twinkling, and he was momentarily worried. Had he forgotten some event they were going to that evening? Was it their anniversary? That would be ironic.

Conspiratorially, she turned to face him. ‘I’m not supposed to tell you, darling, but Daddy’s just been on the phone, and he’s had second thoughts about investing in the factory.’ She looked at him shyly. ‘You know, he thinks you’re a wonderful businessman. He says you have a natural flair for business, and he doesn’t want to see that flair limited by lack of capital. He told me confidentially that he’s reconsidered his earlier decision, and has decided to be your backer for as long as you need him. Isn’t that great news, darling?’

Alan nodded, relieved that the factory’s future was assured, but knowing that now he couldn’t possibly ask his wife for a divorce. In a way he was relieved, since he genuinely cared about Sylvia. She was the mother of two of his children, and he didn’t want to hurt her.

‘You’ll pretend you don’t know, won’t you, darling?’ Sylvia asked anxiously. ‘You know how Daddy loves to play his little power games. Let him have his fun first, then look surprised and grateful when he tells you.’

Surprising even himself, Alan suddenly leaned forward and placed a kiss on the top of his wife’s head. She, too, looked surprised at this spontaneous gesture of affection – he could see that her cheeks had blushed crimson. She looked so pleased that he felt guilty at ever having considered hurting her so badly. She’d done absolutely nothing wrong – he was the one who was guilty of cruelly deceiving her. And Laura and Pete – how on earth would he have been able to tell them he was leaving?

As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, Alan saw a stranger looking back. What had he been thinking of? How could he leave his wife and children? He sighed. Ellie would just have to accept that there could be no marriage – now or ever. But he’d ensure that she and their daughter wanted for nothing.

Alan stood in Ellie’s kitchen. He hadn’t dared initiate any sexual contact, as he usually did on arrival.

‘I really did intend to do it,’ he whispered. ‘But I can’t leave now, love – I’m sorry, it’s out of the question. I need her father’s investment in the factory – but I love you, too. Can you please accept the situation as it is, since I’d rather die than lose you?’

Ellie bit her lip. For years, he’d dangled the carrot of marriage in front of her, although she’d known in her heart for a long time now that it was never going to happen. And marriage to Alan might create far more problems than any joy it would bring – he wouldn’t be the successful businessman without his father-in-law’s money, and his father-in-law wouldn’t invest unless Sylvia was happy. And without the factory, Alan couldn’t financially support his children. So they were all trapped in a spiral of need. A penniless husband would be no picnic and, slowly but surely, she and Alan would gradually annihilate each other. So, she was willing to sacrifice the legal niceties in order to keep Alan’s love, since that was all she’d really ever wanted.

Ellie looked down at her beautiful diamond and gold ring. She knew how much Alan cared. He’d taught Kerry to ride a bike, and made a point of including her in his family’s events whenever he could. They’d both come to accept that the two girls had become firm friends, and they’d managed to structure their own lives to accommodate it. In fact, it was astonishing and wonderful that they’d managed to maintain their secret lives together for all these years, without ever hurting anyone else.

Instinctively, Ellie rushed into Alan’s arms. ‘I love you,’ she whispered, reaching up to kiss him.

Gratefully, Alan kissed her back. ‘We’ll grow old together,’ he promised. ‘I know the situation isn’t ideal, but we’ll make it work for us. I’ll never stop loving you’

C
HAPTER
55

T
he duty concierge beamed at Laura as she returned home from the university. ‘I hope you’re settling in okay?’ he asked.

Laura smiled. ‘Yes, thanks, Jim – I can’t believe that I’ve been here two weeks already! I really love the apartment. But there are still a few things I need to get, like a rug and some lamps …’

The concierge nodded. ‘Yes, it takes a while to turn a place into a home, doesn’t it?’ He smiled cheerfully. ‘At least you’ve got your TV working now. So you’ll be able to –’

Laura turned sharply. ‘Hold on – I don’t have a TV. What do you mean?’

‘Oh.’ The concierge looked puzzled. ‘I thought – I mean, the guy said he was here to fix your TV. He said you couldn’t get any reception, and he was going to sort it out for you. He knew your name and apartment number, so I assumed –’

‘What did he look like?’ Laura asked, her heart pounding.

The little man looked contrite. ‘Well, he was a tall, blond guy, wearing a dark grey uniform with a red and yellow logo.’ Momentarily he looked confused. ‘Are you saying –?’

‘Yes!’ said Laura angrily. ‘You let my ex into my apartment!’

The concierge blanched. ‘Oh my God, I’m sorry! Since the guy knew all about you, I guessed you’d probably booked an appointment with his company and forgotten to let us guys at the desk know …’

‘Would you mind ringing the police?’ Laura asked frostily.

‘Well, ma’am, if you’re sure nothing is missing …’

‘No, officer, everything seems to be there,’ Laura said dully. ‘And you’re certain that no listening devices or cameras have been installed in the apartment?’

The police officer looked mildly amused. ‘At your request, our people have checked thoroughly, madam, and we’ve found nothing.’ He looked at his notebook. ‘But we’ll certainly be contacting Mr Jones, to see if he can throw any light on the matter. I believe one of our officers has visited him before?’

Laura nodded, her voice shaky. ‘Yes, I’ve already reported my ex-husband for stalking me – he’s been making my life a misery ever since we broke up. And it looks like he’s determined to continue his campaign against me.’

The officer gave her a sympathetic nod.

She appreciated the police presence, and she was grateful for their attention to detail. But she was well aware that Jeff would probably have a sound alibi for the time her apartment was broken into.

The policemen looked at her closely. ‘Are you absolutely certain this couldn’t be a mix up?’ he asked. ‘Isn’t it possible that the TV man asked for your flat by mistake, but went to another apartment instead?’

Laura shook her head. ‘No, the concierge opened the door of my apartment for him. And, before you arrived, the concierge checked with all the owners of the other apartments. No one else had booked, or was visited by, a TV repair man today.’

The police officer looked puzzled. ‘It seems a little odd that someone would break into your apartment, yet steal nothing,’ he remarked. But seeing Laura’s thunderous expression, he decided it was safer to say nothing more.

After the police had gone, Laura sat in her kitchen staring at the walls. She felt sick at the thought that Jeff had been snooping around in her apartment. She still wasn’t convinced that he hadn’t hidden a listening device or camera somewhere, although the police had assured her there was nothing present.

Laura shivered. Despite the police’s assurances, she no longer felt safe and secure in her own apartment. Looking around fearfully, she wondered if Jeff could have inserted a tiny camera into the light overhead. Or inside a picture frame? Was he watching her, at this very minute?

Mentally shaking herself, Laura decided that she wasn’t going to let Jeff dictate how she lived her life. This was precisely what he wanted – to drive her mad. He might have done nothing to the apartment, but he’d have known that the mere fact of him being there would be enough to set her nerves on edge.

Feeling very emotional, Laura went downstairs to her bedroom and sat on her bed. Then she opened the drawer of her bedside cupboard. This was where she kept the precious photos of her parents and brother. Like a comfort blanket, she always reached for them in times of stress; connecting with her lost loved ones helped to calm her – looking at their smiling faces always helped her to dispel the loneliness that often threatened to overwhelm her. It confirmed that she’d once been part of a loving family.

Reaching into the drawer, Laura expected to feel the familiar plastic folder beneath her fingers. But it wasn’t there. Frantically pulling out the drawer, she gaped inside. The precious photos of her parents and brother were gone!

Staring into the empty interior, Laura was unable, for several seconds, to fully comprehend what could have happened. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. Jeff had taken the photos! He knew how much they meant to her, and he’d have known exactly where to find them – she’d always kept them in the
drawer of her bedside table, even when she and Jeff had lived together.