‘I wonder why? Because she needed to get away from home, perhaps?’ Jack comments with a mixture of contempt and sarcasm. He’s acting differently, so unlike himself I’m growing wary.
Lina eyes him narrowly. ‘I expect his first wife was?—’
‘That’senough, Lina,’ he growls.
I look between them, stunned. I had no idea he’d been married before. Why would he not have mentioned something as important as that?
‘You need to leave,’ he tells her.
‘Not until I’ve spoken with my granddaughter. I want to know she’s all right.’ The woman looks away, then bends and begins massaging her swollen feet.
‘How long have you been seeing her?’ Jack demands.
‘For a while,’ she answers vaguely, ‘despite your best efforts to keep your whereabouts from me.’ She looks up at him, her eyes holding a challenge.
‘I did nothing of the sort,’ he refutes angrily. ‘Evie chose not to see youbecause she remembers how upset Natalia was whenevershesaw you.’
‘I ran into her in the village,’ Lina continues, ignoring him. ‘I have to say, she was very pleased to see me. She wanted to talk about her mother, naturally. Possibly because her father has made it a taboo subject.’
Jack’s expression grows dark. ‘You need to go home, Lina,’ he repeats.
‘I have a heart disease, as you’ve gathered,’ Lina says, still talking to me. ‘It’s quite advanced, so I’m told, which is why it’s imperative I get to the bottom of what happened to my daughter.’
I’m utterly confused. I’m sure this woman is physically unwell and that she’s struggling with early dementia, but why this vendetta against Jack?Washe unfaithful to Natalia? Is that why Lina intimated her daughter was pushed? Did she mean psychologically? Or had she made herself actually believe it?
‘Evie and I have been meeting up for a while now.’ She looks back at him. ‘Naturally, she wanted to know all about her mother. You see, the fact is, she knows Natalia loved her, thatshe would never have left her at such a vulnerable age. Shelivedfor her.’
‘And what aboutyourdaughter’s vulnerability, Lina?’ Jack asks, his face taut with anger. ‘If you want answers as to why she took her own life, ask yourself why she tried it before. How old was she whenyouturned your back on her?’
‘I didnotturn my back on her,’ Lina denies tearfully. ‘She was hormonal, prone to exaggerate. Derek might not have been her biological father, but he was nothing but loving towards her. How was I supposed to believe?—’
‘Get out!’ Jack yells.
She straightens up in her chair. ‘Why don’t you tell Kara the truth? Thatyouwere the abusive man in Natalia’s life. That she wanted to divorce you. That you were claiming she was mentally ill in order to gain sole custody of Evie. It might have damaged your chances, mightn’t it, if your numerous affairs came to light?’
‘There were no fuckingaffairs!’ Jack seethes.
‘I suppose you thought you would be home free, didn’t you, once they found her body. That you would gain access to the money her biological father left her, some of which I gather provided a substantial deposit on your house,’ Lina goes on. ‘What about the bruises she often had? What about the broken arm that was a result of one of her many mysterious “falls”? Have you told your new girlfriend about?—’
‘Jack, no!’ I shoot towards him as he strides across the kitchen. ‘Don’t,’ I warn him. ‘She’s not well.’
He breathes in hard, his jaw visibly clenching.
‘I’ll call her a taxi.’ I hold eye contact with him, willing him to calm down.
He takes another deep breath, the tension in his body diminishing a little. ‘It’s not true, Kara. Any of it,’ he says. ‘Therewere no affairs. I was never,everviolent towards Natalia. Please believe me.’
I study him, my head a whirl of confusion. I’m about to tell him to go upstairs, away from Lina, when a movement in my peripheral vision stops me. I snap my gaze to the doorway and my heart sinks as I realise Evie is standing there.
‘What’s going on?’ she asks, her shocked gaze travelling between us.
FOURTEEN
JACK
How much had she heard?Jack’s throat ran dry as he locked eyes with his daughter. Once so small and vulnerable he swore he would kill to protect her, she’d grown into a beautiful young woman. He loved her with every fibre of his being. Her love for him had always been unquestioning. Now, she was looking at him as if appalled by him.
‘Evie…’ With no clue what to say to her, he moved quickly towards her, but she shrank away from him, her gaze swivelling past him to her grandmother.
