Page 43 of The Little Cottage by the Cornish Sea

I whirled in surprise to see Will’s silhouette in the dark window, and my entire body froze.

He was outside, in my front garden, with only a pane of glass separating us.

He couldn’t come in. He couldn’t touch me.

And yet, I couldn’t move out of sheer fear.

I couldn’t even find the courage to scream as my legs buckled under me.

Even in the dark, I saw his eyes glistening like a snake’s. ‘Have you missed me?’ he called through the pane.

I don’t know how but I managed to shake my head.

I tried to summon the strength to get up and crawl to my mobile to call the police.

Instead, my eyes filled with silent tears of horror as I prayed that he would not be so stupid as to break in.

I prayed that Trixie would stay asleep in my bedroom, well-hidden under the covers.

‘Thanks for your directions to Starry Cove. You couldn’t have been clearer.’ He laughed. ‘I figured I’d let you get settled and comfortable before I came. That way it’s much better revenge, don’t you think? Aw, look at you, so disappointed! You thought you were out of the woods, didn’t you?’

‘What do you want?’ I called out, summoning courage from the deepest part of me, where my indignation and my anger had been suppressed by fear.

‘Isn’t it obvious? I want you and our baby. Now go upstairs and pack. It has to look like you planned to leave.’

I opened and closed my mouth in horror as silent tears slid down my cheeks. No. I would not let fear dominate me. Not when I needed answers that would set me free. I had to protect my baby.

‘Why did you blame me for the blackmail?’ I called, surprising him.

He shrugged. ‘It was the easiest way to get rid of you. You were always so clingy.’

Of course, now that he had Sophie, he had someone else to order around. ‘But then why did you hack my account? Why did you leak Piers’s information? Why do all this to get me to come back?’

Will frowned, pushing his face closer to the glass. ‘Who?’

‘Piers…’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, but if you mean the rockstar, then I did it becauseI knew he’d fire you in a heartbeat if he thought it was your fault. Then you’d have no choice but to come back,’ he explained lucidly as my mind raced for a plan.

If only I’d asked Jago to deliver the furniture tonight, I might have stood a chance until he came. But I was on my own and I had literally no weapons to defend myself with.

‘Did you think I’d never find you? Come on, let’s go.’

‘No. I know it was you who blackmailed those people. I saw their personal files hidden under your bed,’ I said. ‘I also saw that your new girlfriend has moved in.’

Will frowned, realising that I wasn’t bluffing. I had really been to his house, really seen its new contents.

‘I saw them the same morning that Mr Wise discovered they were gone,’ I assured him.

‘Whatever,’ he said, rallying. ‘Yes, I stole the files and blackmailed my clients. I needed the money. But I’ll just tell the police you hid them there for revenge after I dumped you.

Who are they going to believe: a junior partner at a prestigious law firm, or some crazy woman who disappeared off the face of the Earth to Cornwall to stalk some has-been rockstar?

By the way, you can keep the copies.’ He grinned, immensely pleased with himself.

‘You got all that, Jago?’ came Piers’s voice from behind Will, and we both jumped.

‘Yep,’ came a familiar voice as Jago stepped out from the shadows, his mobile still pointed at Will. ‘Brought your chair, by the way,’ he said with a grin, but I could tell that he was livid at the scene before him. He must have seen Will when he arrived and called Piers.

‘The police are on their way,’ Piers said, moving in on Will. ‘Which is lucky for you. So I suggest you wait for them, seeing as we’ve got your car is surrounded.

‘Piers!’ I cried as I unlocked the front door for him. ‘What are you doing here! They told me you’d gone away!’

‘Not too far, though,’ he whispered. ‘I’m here, now, and so is the cavalry.’

I wanted to throw myself into his arms, to cover him with kisses. He’d come back for me!

Relieved, I stepped out into the wind and spotted the silhouettes of Jack, Henry, Mitchell and Shane as well. They had all rallied to help me! Real chivalry wasn’t dead.

Will eyed the men, sizing them up. Too many to take all in one go, even if he fancied himself a warrior. ‘I want a paternity test. Now,’ he demanded.

Piers shrugged. ‘I’d be more worried about seeing the sun through bars.’

A moment later, two police cars arrived, sirens blazing; the high-pitched wailing was almost unbearable as it filled my tiny living room. In one move, police agents spilled out and readily handcuffed Will.

‘I’ll be back!’ he spat over his shoulder as they carted him off. ‘I’ll be back with my army of lawyers! You’ll never see that kid again if I have anything to do with it!’

Panic took over my mind and body. I could hardly breathe at the thought of my baby being taken from me.

‘No, no, no,’ I pleaded as Piers finally took me into his arms.

‘Kate, calm down, please.’ He gently took hold of my chin and looked into my eyes.

‘There is nothing he can do to you or to your baby. They’re going to put him away and even when he comes out, no court in the world would allow him joint custody, let alone full custody. It’s over. You and the baby are safe.’

‘But you don’t understand!’ I cried. ‘He’s powerful! He gets everything he wants!’

He pulled me into his chest. ‘Not this time. I will protect you from him. The whole of Starry Cove will protect you. You’re one of us now.’

The DS came up to me, her kind eyes searching. ‘Are you okay for me to ask you a few questions?’ she said.

‘I’d already spoken to the police, but I’ll tell you everything I know,’ I replied.

And I did. I told her everything about me right from the beginning.

That I was from London and that I’d been wrongly accused by my ex for stealing documents and blackmailing his famous clients at Wise & Templemann.

About finding the documents under his bed while looking for a bag to run away.

I told her how afraid I was that Will could get custody of my baby.

And I told her about the girls who had vouched for me and signed a document to that effect.

And that he’d made a false appeal online making me look like a dangerous psychopath.

‘Had the police contacted you directly? Telephoned you?’ she asked me.

I shook my head. ‘No, but my boss sent me a text telling me to confess and return documents I never had. Will had them the entire time. I think you’re colleagues made a call to the police in London?’

‘I’ll look into that, but if they haven’t been in touch, then they’re not looking for you.’

‘So they’re not going to arrest me?’

‘No.’

‘I’m free to go?’

‘Well, we know where you live in case something rears its ugly head, but I think that’s unlikely. If the Met police had said anything about looking for you, then my guys would have been in touch already. Like I said, I’ll follow up and see where the case is at. You just try to relax.’

And then she did the strangest thing. She patted my hand. ‘You’ll be okay. You have plenty of good people on your side. Starting with this one,’ she said, grinning at Piers before she left us.

‘So you believe I’m innocent? That I didn’t sell you out?’ I finally asked Piers.

He hung his head. ‘Forgive me, Kate. I’m so used to people only wanting one thing from me that it blinded me to the truth.

You’re infinitely kind, Kate. The girls kept telling me what I already knew, how you would never do such a thing.

I mean, if you had posted the video, surely you would have mentioned my real name?

Even though I knew, deep down, that you hadn’t done it, I had already shut my feelings down completely.

And I was so embarrassed of how I’d treated you.

’ He swallowed and wiped his eyes, trying to regain control.

He cleared his throat. ‘But when Jago called me to tell me that there was a man lurking in your front garden, I knew I had to come. I’m so sorry.

I should have known you couldn’t do anything like that to me. Can you forgive me?’

‘Oh, Piers, of course I forgive you! Who told him about Tulip Cottage? It was Patsy, wasn’t it?’

He nodded. ‘She saw his appeal on the Internet and contacted him.’

‘She wanted to get rid of me so she could get back with you.’

‘Honey, Patsy was never more than an employee. I swear to you. But yes, she was convinced she had a chance in with me. I only love you.’

I hugged him as I began to bawl uncontrollably. ‘I love you so much, Piers! Please promise me, whatever happens to me, that you will not let him take my baby! Please don’t leave her with him!’

‘You and your baby will have nothing to worry about, Kate. I promise you. Okay?’

I wiped my tears but new ones kept coming.

He held me to his chest. ‘Now go pack your bags. You’re staying with me at Rosestones. I have new and improved security and a cartload of ways to make you forgive me. Unless you want me to start here?’ he whispered, now nuzzling my neck.

‘Hey, hey, not in front of the lads!’ Jago called and they all came to clap Piers on the back and gently kiss me on the cheek.

‘Thanks, my friends,’ Piers said. ‘I can take it from here.’

‘Well, I should bloody well hope so!’ Mitchell laughed. ‘Rosie is not going to believe any of this.’

And one by one, they stepped out the door to give us some privacy. Piers promised the police we’d go to the station in the morning to give a deposition, which was just as well. I could hardly think straight.

‘Honey, it’s okay,’ he whispered to me, his hands holding my face. ‘I’m here now, and I’m never leaving you again. I’m so sorry for what I put you through.’

I hugged him with all my strength, which, in my case, wasn’t much.

The stress of all that had happened that night was making me physically weak, as if I’d been swimming for hours.

Come to think of it, I’d been feeling like this for days.

Could it be a bug? Tomorrow, I’d call Robert and let him know.

After all, I was incredibly close to my due date.

And that’s when a wave of pain rippled through my stomach. Oh!

‘Piers, get your car…’

‘What? Don’t you want to pack before we go back to Rosestones?’

I gripped my lower belly as another wave began to swell. ‘Hurry!’

His face whitened as it finally dawned on him. ‘Oh my God, is it time?’

A splash at our feet was my answer.

‘Holy shit!’ was all he could say in response.