Chapter 10

The Land Rover was on the drive when they arrived back at David’s. He parked next to it and ran to the door. Charlotte struggled to keep up. David flung the front door open and yelled, “Susie? Susie, where are you, bitch? Finished fucking that moron yet?”

He raced up the stairs and burst into the bedroom. Susie screamed and pulled the covers over her and Mike, who was humping away on top. “David? What are you doing back?”

“I came back to tell you to get the hell out of my house and out of my life. The game’s up, Susie. Finito. Over. Finished. And you lose.”

“What d’you mean, she loses? You some sort of half-wit? She’s entitled to half of everything.” Mike grinned like the moron he was.

“That’s what she thinks,” replied David. “What’s up, Susie? Didn’t you read your contract properly? Don’t you know about the adultery clause? Put some damn clothes on and come downstairs and I’ll explain, shall I?”

“It’s all there. Page six.” David threw the prenuptial contract on the kitchen table. Susie picked it up and found the page. “About halfway down. Would you like me to recite it for you? I’ve got it memorised.”

“I can read,” said Susie.

“I’ll do it anyway. It goes, following one year of marriage, should one party to the agreement be found to be guilty of having committed an adulterous act or acts, and then said party shall forfeit any and all claim on the assets of the marriage. In other words, darling, you get nothing. Not the house, not the car, not the money in the bank. Nothing.”

Susie stood, open-mouthed.

“And as if catching you in the act, in person and on tape, wasn’t enough, I’ve pictures and an eyewitness.”

“Eyewitness?”

“I followed you,” said Charlotte. “That day we went for lunch.”

“Followed me? Lottie? How could you? You’re my sister, for Christ’s sake.”

“Like you’ve ever been a sister to me. Always jealous of me, although I never knew why. You deserve this, Susie. You stole my man. Lied to him and to me, cheated on him, and all for what? For money. You ruined my future for a few quid. Well, I’m glad to have had a hand in putting a stop to your little plan.”

Susie looked close to tears.

“And that’s not all, Susie. It’s going to get a whole lot worse for you.”

“How could it possibly get worse?”

“Ben,” said David. “I’m taking Ben.”

“You can’t.”

“That’s right, you can’t,” said Mike.

“Why not? The courts don’t always side with the mother. Especially if she’s dead broke while Daddy is flush. You don’t care about him, Susie. I do. And I’m taking him.”

“David, you can take what you want, but you can’t take my Benny. You can’t take my little boy because he’s not yours to take.”

“What?”

“He’s not yours, David. You’re not his father. He’s not your son!”

David smiled. “Wrong again, Susie.”

“I’m not wrong, David. He can’t be yours. We never even fucked, for God’s sake. You were too pissed.”

“That’s not what I mean.” He stepped closer to her. “I’m not stupid, Susie. Ben looks nothing like me. Do you really think it didn’t cross my mind that I might not be his biological father? But I am his father. I’m the one who held him in my arms moments after he was born. I’m the one who promised him I’d look after him forever, and never let anyone hurt him. I’m the one who’s wiped his bottom, changed him, and fed him. I’m the one who’s comforted him in the middle of the night. Me! He might not have my blood, but he is my son!”

Susie stepped away from her husband. She leaned against Mike. “Nice speech, David. But face facts. Mike is Ben’s father. Not you. There’re tests they can do to prove it. And when they do, there’s no way you’ll be able to take him off me.”

“Then I’ll make you a deal.”

“What?” asked Charlotte.

“I’m listening.” Susie stepped forward.

“You can have your half.”

“What?”

David ignored Charlotte’s interruption. “You can have half the house, the car, and half the money. But you give up Ben. Give up all claims to him.”

“David, what are you saying?” Charlotte was becoming hysterical. “You can’t do that. It’s not even legal, is it? Why would you give her anything?”

“What do you say, Susie?”

She paused. She looked at Mike. He was grinning. David shook his head and wondered how this oaf could have made a boy as lovely as Ben.

“I’m sorry,” Susie said to Mike. She turned back to David and continued, “What do you take me for, David? What kind of heartless bitch do you think I am? Do you really think I’d sell my own child for a fistful of readies? What do you think all this was about? All I wanted was to give my son a secure future. You can keep your money, car and house. I’ll keep my baby. Mike?” She turned to her lover. “Go and fetch your son. He and I are coming home.”

The door slammed behind Susie, Mike and Ben. Charlotte turned to David. “What was all that about? What were you doing?”

“Doing? I was fighting for my son.”

“You offered to buy him! Why don’t you just go on the Internet and buy a baby from China or somewhere?”

“It’s not the same, Charlie and you know it. Besides, I was doing it for us.”

“For us? Care to explain?”

“We had a dream, remember? A family. That’s all I ever wanted. A family.”

“Yes, but our family. Not someone else’s. You didn’t have to do something so desperate. We could still have a family of our own. There’s still time. What’s happened to you, David? What happened to the man I loved?”

“I’m right here, Charlie. Where I’ve always been.”

She left the kitchen and took her coat from the stair-rail where she’d thrown it earlier.