‘The truth about what?’ Danny asked.
‘Nothing,’ Brooke said. ‘She’s just talking rubbish.’
‘The thing is, Danny,’ Kirsty said determinedly, ‘the thing is?—’
‘The thing is, today’s our tenth wedding anniversary, and we’re hoping you won’t mind that we’ve been invited to the party tonight where you’re performing. We’d really love to hear you both sing, but if it’s too much for you, given the occasion, we’ll understand.’
They all stared in shock at Rory, who was standing in the doorway, white-faced and slightly breathless.
‘I’m sorry, Danny, I really am. You’re my brother. You mean the world to me, and I can’t bear the thought that I’ve hurt you. Can you forgive me? Can you forgiveus?’ he asked.
Danny frowned. What was going on here? Because clearly something was.
Faintly he heard Brooke hiss at Kirsty, ‘Are you insane? What do you think you’re doing?’ She stood up and gave her cousin a forced smile. ‘Shall we go into the kitchen while these two have a little chat?’
Rory sat down as the two women headed into the kitchen.
‘What was all that about?’ Danny asked suspiciously.
‘Nothing. Nothing at all. We just want to make amends somehow,’ Rory said.
Danny’s eyes narrowed. Something felt very off here. And what did Brooke want to talk to Kirsty about anyway?
He got up and headed into the hallway.
‘Danny, don’t!’ Rory begged, but Danny wasn’t going to be put off.
‘I’m sorry, he knew something was up and I couldn’t stop him,’ Rory said miserably, as both women turned to look at him. ‘He’s here with me,’ he added to Kirsty.
‘It’s nothing,’ Brooke pleaded. ‘Just women’s talk. Go back in the living room, Danny.’
‘I know something’s going on,’ he said. ‘What aren’t you telling me?’ He looked round at the three of them, all looking as guilty as each other. ‘What are you all keeping from me?’ When no one replied he snapped, ‘For God’s sake! I’m not a child. Just tell me.’
‘He wants to know the truth,’ Rory said quietly. He shrugged. ‘It’s your call, Kirsty.’
‘You’re not seriously going to do this?’ Brooke cried.
‘It’s the only way to forgive myself,’ Kirsty said miserably. ‘The only way I can move on. He deserves to know.’
‘This isn’t about what Danny deserves,’ Brooke said furiously. ‘This is about you! Selfish as always! You want to be able to tick the box and say you’ve made amends, but you haven’t given any thought to how he’ll feel once he knows the truth, have you?’
‘There have been enough lies,’ Kirsty said. ‘When Danny knows the truth about us, he’ll be able to let go. He’ll stop clinging to me and to the past. He’ll see it for what it really was. Don’t you see?’ she begged. ‘If he lets go of me, he might finally see you! He might actually be able to build a future with you. You both deserve that. I want to give you that future. Let me do this.’
‘At his expense?’ Brooke shook her head, her eyes bright with tears. ‘You can’t do that to him. Anything but that. It would destroy him. Please, Kirsty. Don’t hurt him any more than he already is.’
‘What are they talking about?’ Danny asked, bewildered. He looked from Rory to Brooke and back again. ‘Will someone please just tell me what’s going on here? What is it I don’t know?’
‘Please,’ Brooke whispered. ‘Don’t.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Kirsty told her. ‘Danny’s right. He’s not a child. He’s a grown man and he deserves to be treated like one. Danny, I want you to know how very sorry I am. I really, really am. But the truth is, that night of the party, the night of the accident, I wasn’t ill at all. I was at home with – with another man.’
Danny reeled in shock. ‘What?’
Brooke hung her head, evidently unable to face him. She’d known about this?
‘I was seeing a man from work for a couple of months. It meant nothing. Well, it was an escape, I suppose. You see, Danny, I never wanted to move to Cherry Tree Cottage, and I didn’t want to have children either. And I didn’t know how to tell you or make you understand. I was pretty unhappy, to be honest, and I suppose Bobby was a way out. A stupid mistake. As it turns out, a terrible mistake, because that night, Bobby took a photo of us in bed, unbeknownst to me, and he sent it to your phone.’
Danny could barely take it all in. ‘But I never saw any photo,’ he said, dazed. ‘What are you talking about?’
