Before We Met(120)

‘What?’

‘Mum made me promise I never would, but now I think you should know.’

‘What, Tom?’

‘Their break-up, the divorce – you’ve always blamed it on her, her paranoia, but she was right. Dad was having an affair.’

Hannah stopped walking. ‘No, that can’t be . . .’

‘He met Maggie before he and Mum split up.’

‘Then why the hell didn’t she say something? Jesus – all those years. And I was so furious with her . . .’

‘She knew how much you loved him and she didn’t want to damage that. She let you go on believing she was the bad guy so that you wouldn’t be angry with him and let it damage your relationship.’

Hannah looked at her mother and felt a lump come into her throat. She’d got everything wrong – everything. Suddenly, though, on top of the beacon under the cold blue bowl of the sky, the realisation felt liberating. From now on, surely, she could only do better.