I load up the photos and zoom in over and over. This whole thing is getting stranger and stranger.
After a few minutes of staring at my phone, I find myself dialling a number I haven’t called in about eight months.
“Faye,” Scott says. “It’s good to hear your voice.”
He’s charming. Of course he is. That’s why I married him. That’s why I moved to London with him. A place where I never felt at home but lived for over ten years. And I must admit, it’s good to hear his voice too. Familiar. Easy.
“Have I always been…” I trail off.
“What?”
“Stubborn.”
“Stubborn? You? Somewhere between a mule and a donkey, I’d say.” His mocking voice softens when I don’t respond. “Faye. Are you all right?”
“Yes,” I whisper. It’s not convincing.
He pauses, and then says, “Well, you’re certainly determined.”
“That’s one way of putting it, I guess.” A small smile plays on my lips.
“It’s admirable, Faye. Do you remember when Penny was a newborn and you were spending all your spare energy on writing book two, or book three, I think it was.”
I remember those years well. The exhaustion. The belief I’d never have the creative energy to write another book again.
“Nothing was going to stop you. Although, sometimes you don’t know when to let things go, it’s true.” I wince at the perfectly aimed jibe.
“Right.”
“I saw the photo,” he says. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” As I say the words, I wish they were true.
“Honestly, if you need anything…”
“I know,” I say.
My body fills with warmth before I remember every shitty thing he ever did, including his assistant, and the baby they made in the process. I close my eyes and sigh.
“I should go. But thanks for that.”
“Okay.”
Impulsively, I add. “I found my birth mother’s name and address.”
“Seriously? That’s great. I hope you see it through, Faye.”
I let out a snorting laugh. “What makes you think I wouldn’t?”
“Oh, just an inkling.”
“You think I’m flaky?”
“No,” he says. “But I know how much you avoid anything to do with your adoption and your birth mother. Maybe now is the time to face it full on.”
I sigh. “I think you’re right.”
“You know, I was right more often than you think.”
