Tangled Lives

by Stephanie Harte

  I somehow thought if I steered frantically, the Mondeo would be able to defy the laws of physics like cars did in the movies. The events that followed took place in slow motion. One minute we were hurtling along the narrow country lane, approaching a corner, and the next the car was flipping upside down. That was the last thing I remembered.

  99

  Gemma

  I’d hoped Nathan and I could put everything behind us and start over, but he’d taken the results of the DNA test worse than I’d expected. So I wasn’t convinced my husband thought our marriage was worth saving. He’d stormed out of the house before we’d had a chance to discuss anything. Everything was still hanging in the balance.

  ‘Before you try and absolve me of my parental responsibility, I think you should know I have no intention of allowing another man to raise my son.’

  The sound of Alfie’s voice brought me back to reality, and as I glanced over at him, I saw him looking at me with calculating eyes. He gave me an insight into how he was feeling. He was Luca’s biological father, and even though I didn’t want him in my son’s life, I couldn’t stop them from having a relationship.

  Why had I let Nathan interfere? The reason I’d been reluctant to have a DNA test done was I knew it would prove without a doubt that Alfie was Luca’s father and now that meant he had rights. The DNA test would stand up in court, so there was no point being uncooperative.

  ‘By the way, I don’t like the name you chose for our son. If I’d have been consulted, I’d have chosen something completely different. Obviously, we will need to take Nathan’s name off the birth certificate, and while we’re at it, we can change Luca’s name to Alfie Watson Junior.’

  Over my dead body, I thought, but I decided to keep that to myself just in case Alfie got any ideas. It wouldn’t be the first time he disposed of somebody if they didn’t toe the line. I didn’t want Alfie to be involved in the upbringing of my child, yet thanks to the result of the legal DNA test, I couldn’t stop him from amending the father’s details on Luca’s birth certificate, but I wasn’t going to give my consent to changing his name.

  ‘We belong together. You’re the mother of my child. Nobody in their right mind would try to come between us,’ Alfie said, and the corners of his mouth lifted. ‘I want us to be a family, Gemma, but if you won’t agree to that, you can kiss your son goodbye.’

  I faked a laugh to hide my fear, but I knew this was no idle threat. Alfie’s words echoed around in my head. I should have seen that coming, but sometimes signposts are clearer in the rear-view mirror, aren’t they?

  ‘You might be the head of a criminal empire, but I’m Luca’s mother, and if you try to take him away from me, you’re going to wish you hadn’t bothered.’ Nobody could protect their offspring better than a mother could. I’d never been a pushover, so if Alfie wanted a fight that was exactly what he was going to have. He was not going to take custody of my son.

  Alfie threw his head back and laughed. ‘Are you threatening me, Gemma?’

  For a moment I had to replay in my head what I’d said out loud. ‘No, but you’re deliberately manipulating the situation. Stop trying to take advantage of me.’

  ‘I’m not taking advantage of you, Gemma. You won’t let me.’ Alfie winked before I broke eye contact with him.

  Alfie had another thing coming if he thought I was going to give up Luca that easily. I’d waited years to fulfil my dream of becoming a mother, and even Alfie Watson wasn’t going to be powerful enough to take my child away from me. If he tried to, he was going to see a different side of me. Alfie might be used to playing the role of the alpha male, but he was underestimating the lengths I’d go to, to keep my baby safe. I loved my son with a ferocity that only a mother could understand and I would go to the ends of the earth to protect him.

  Alfie lived in a world ruled by violence, and his behaviour was so unpredictable, there was no telling what he might do. My imagination began running riot. I couldn’t think straight. Luca was the centre of my universe and nobody, not even Alfie, was going to come between us. The feeling of anxiety began to ebb away like the turning of the high tide when I reminded myself that no court would take a child away from its mother without a very good reason.

  I wasn’t an expert on family law by any means, but I was Luca’s biological mother, and I was almost certain that meant I automatically had parental responsibility for him. But Alfie wouldn’t care if I was Luca’s legal guardian. He didn’t need a reason to challenge me over it, he had judges on the payroll, and I knew how determined he could be. I couldn’t afford to get into that position. If I did, I would be powerless to stop him.

  I didn’t want to leave Nathan, and despite what Alfie had said, I wasn’t going to let him take my baby. I wanted to find a peaceful resolution to the situation we were in. I didn’t want us to be at war. That wouldn’t be a healthy environment for Luca to grow up in. The feud between the Watsons and the Stones needed to end. I didn’t want the poison to seep into the next generation. It was time to put things behind us and not look back. I didn’t want my son to be exposed to the age-old hatred that was dominating our lives. It was destructive and had the ability to spiral out of control if it wasn’t curbed.

  We all needed to learn to manage our emotions better. Some of us were guilty of being quick-tempered, but as long as we vented our frustration, I was confident we could stop issues building up. The Stone and Watson families lives were tangled together now whether we liked it or not. But instead of that being a problem, we should see Luca’s birth as a building block for the future. Everything happened for a reason. Hopefully, my son’s presence in this world would put an end to the trouble that had raged for years. I didn’t want the spirit of vengeance to contaminate another generation.

  Luca began to cry, so I walked over to his cot and lifted him out.

  ‘If you think I’m going to step aside and let another man bring up my son, you’re mistaken. Luca will follow in my footsteps whether you like it or not. As soon as he’s old enough I’ll groom him and then one day I can hand over the baton. I’ll teach him the tricks of the trade so that he can take the reins of the family business.’

  In the event of Alfie’s retirement or untimely death, Luca would be the natural successor. But I wouldn’t allow him to be the one to step up and take over his father’s position as head of the family firm. Alfie’s legacy would not live on through Luca even though he was heir to Alfie’s criminal empire.

  ‘There’s no way I’m going to let you take my son away from me and cut me out of his life. Like I said, I want us to be a family, Gemma, but if you’re not prepared to leave Nathan, things will get ugly. Don’t try to fight me on this.’

  I would stop at nothing to protect Luca. I didn’t want my son to have a father he was scared of. It was every mother’s worst nightmare that somebody might take their baby away or harm them in some way. But this wasn’t a bad dream; it was a reality. Alfie meant everything he’d said. His words hung over me like a dark shadow. I was terrified of what he would do, and knowing how Alfie had behaved in the past, it was probably a valid fear.

  Alfie flashed me a bright smile. ‘Now give Luca to me – I want to hold him.’

  Alfie reached his hands out towards Luca, and I instinctively tightened my grip on my baby. I wasn’t about to hand him over.

  100

  Gemma

  I sat in the living room looking up at the ceiling, mulling over Alfie’s ultimatum. I didn’t want my son to become part of the Watson family firm and inherit the criminal empire, not now, or ever. I couldn’t allow Alfie to be involved in raising my son, so I knew I had to get away before Luca’s birth certificate was changed.

  I loved my son with all my heart and soul, and it was my job to keep him safe. The Watson family had a reputation for being violent and dangerous. Nobody in their right mind messed with them, so I’d have to watch my back, but I had to get Luca away from here. I didn’t want him to be exposed to their way of life.

&
nbsp; I’d have to find the strength necessary to take control of the situation. Luca was my son, and I would decide who could be part of his life. I couldn’t change the fact that Alfie was his father, but we were never going to be a family. Nathan was great with Luca. Any man could be a biological father, but it took a special person to be a dad. But after everything that had happened, I wasn’t sure Nathan and I would be able to save our marriage. My heart was in his hands. I hoped he’d be gentle with it.

  If we ended up going our separate ways, I knew I could survive the fallout a divorce would bring. I wouldn’t let myself go to pieces. I owed it to my son to dust myself off and start again.

  The future of my relationship with Nathan was out of my hands, so there was no point spending my time thinking about it. No good ever came from dwelling on the past. I should channel my energy into something more constructive. I needed to find a way out of this situation. There had to be one. Even though it didn’t seem possible at the moment, Luca and I would get away from Alfie’s clutches. I was certain of that.

  101

  Gemma

  I had just finished feeding Luca and had put him down for a nap when my mobile began ringing. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it was Gareth’s number. He told me that he and Nathan had been involved in an accident. Any thoughts of Luca and I vanishing into thin air disappeared from my mind. Even before I knew the details of the crash, I had a gut feeling that Alfie was behind the accident. He had always maintained that things would be so much easier with my husband out of the picture. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

  Police, paramedics and firefighters attended the scene because Nathan was trapped in the car, but firefighters had managed to cut him free, and he’d been flown by air ambulance to the Royal London Hospital. Gareth stayed incredibly calm as he relayed the information. He didn’t know the extent of Nathan’s injuries; all he could tell me was that he was in a bad way. Gareth had also been injured and was being taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital by road ambulance.

  When I put down the phone from Gareth, I rushed into the bathroom and vomited into the toilet. The news had come as such a shock. I had trouble taking it all in. For the paramedics to transport my husband by air ambulance, he must be seriously injured. What if he didn’t survive? I had to push that thought from my mind; it wasn’t going to help the situation if I went into meltdown.

  Gareth didn’t go into details about what caused the crash, but the circumstances surrounding it seemed mysterious to me. There was no way I could prove anything, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to confront Alfie about it. Gangsters had a habit of disposing of people they didn’t want around any more. Alfie was on the running machine in the indoor gym when I burst into the room.

  ‘I need to go to the hospital. Nathan and Gareth have been involved in an accident, but you already know that, don’t you?’ The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Alfie stopped the machine. He walked over to a chair in the corner of the room, picked up a fluffy, white towel and mopped the sweat off his forehead with it.

  ‘It seems like a bit of a coincidence that two of your family’s enemies have been badly hurt in an accident, doesn’t it?’

  ‘What are you implying, Gemma?’

  Alfie looked furious. I was beginning to wish I’d kept my mouth shut now. He wasn’t a man to cross. Even though I thought it, I couldn’t accuse Alfie of tampering with their car. I wasn’t prepared to go that far.

  ‘You didn’t answer my question.’ A huge smile spread across Alfie’s face.

  102

  Alfie

  I had to admit I felt ecstatic when Gemma broke the news of Nathan’s accident to me, but that didn’t mean I was guilty of causing it. I genuinely had nothing to do with it, but that didn’t stop her throwing accusations around. Gemma thought I was behind the crash that put her husband teetering on the brink of death, but if I had been, he wouldn’t be breathing now. She was furious with me. She’d burst through the door of the gym with her green eyes blazing like an avenging angel.

  Don’t get me wrong, I’d wanted to take Nathan out of the equation on many occasions, but I’d always managed to resist the urge. Much as Gemma wanted to pin the blame on me, I was completely innocent for once. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t delighted to hear that Nathan was wired up to machines and fighting for his life, but I wasn’t responsible for putting him in a hospital bed. For once, my conscience was clear. I couldn’t take the credit for landing Nathan in intensive care; it was his dangerous driving that had done that. Not for the first time, his reckless behaviour had come back to haunt him.

  I can’t say I wasn’t tempted to pay Nathan a visit and switch off the machines that were keeping him alive, but I was prepared to let nature take its course. The doctors had given him such a slim chance of survival; waiting a few more days would make no difference. It was a shame Gareth hadn’t endured life-threatening injuries too. That would have put an end to our vendetta once and for all. Then Gemma and I could get down the serious business of raising our son.

  Dad would be elated when he found out. I couldn’t wait to give him the good news, although his happiness might be tinged with sadness. Years ago, my grandad and his brother were killed in a car crash, so this could stir up bad memories for him. Police never discovered what caused their car to crash through the central reservation, and veer out of control, in good driving conditions on a straight stretch of road. A head-on collision with a car on the other carriageway followed, killing all four of the occupants at the scene.

  Dad was the only male heir, so he took over the family business. Since my grandad and his brother started the firm, none of the men in the Watson family had made it to old age. I couldn’t help wondering if that was a coincidence or not. Running a business of this nature was fraught with danger. The moment you chose this path, you had to be aware that your life could end suddenly. Your enemies might snuff you out, or worse still, you could end up in the clink. But just for the record, I had no intention of either of those things happening to me.

  103

  Gemma

  Today was a dark day. Nobody went through life unscathed by trouble, but I’d had more than my fair share of it. I hoped there would soon be an end to the downward spiral of grief I’d found myself in. Being cooped up in the hospital was pure misery.

  I sat by my husband’s bed, clutching his hand, listening to the beat of the heart monitor. I couldn’t allow myself to lose hope, so I willed him to regain consciousness. It was agonising watching him fight for his life, but I couldn’t give up on Nathan. It was hard to stay positive seeing him hooked up to the wires of a life support machine, with an oxygen mask covering his face, and a drip standing guard by his side. I had to fight back the tears as Nathan hovered close to death, the doctor offered me a sympathetic smile.

  ‘Why don’t you go home and get some rest. I’ll stay with him,’ Rosa said in a low pitch when she walked into the intensive care unit. She could see the effect this was having on me.

  ‘Thanks for the offer but I want to be here when he wakes up.’

  My mother-in-law came over to where I was sitting and put her arm around my shoulder. ‘We must be strong for him,’ she said as she held back a river of unshed tears.

  After a few moments, Rosa went to sit in the chair on the other side of the bed. I didn’t make eye contact with her; I was being eaten up by guilty thoughts. This was all my fault. As Rosa’s eyes scanned her son’s battered body, she clasped her hands in front of her lips and began muttering something under her breath before she made the sign of the cross. But Nathan needed more than her prayers; he needed a miracle.

  While Nathan was in the hospital, I’d had to leave Luca in his father’s care. I hoped he didn’t use the opportunity to spirit Luca away somewhere. But it was a chance I’d have to take. It wasn’t an ideal situation by any means, but I didn’t have another choice. Although I was reluctant to le
t Alfie have access to his son, I didn’t have the energy to fight him at the moment. The custody struggle between us would have to be put on hold for the time being. I hoped my decision wouldn’t come back to haunt me.

  On the third day of my bedside vigil, Gareth came to visit. He’d been released from hospital after being kept in for observation and was desperate to see Nathan. I had been by my husband’s side since the accident. My father-in-law told me about his terrifying brush with death. Nathan had been driving too fast on the narrow country lane, and he lost control of the car on a bend. The Mondeo skidded off the road and flipped upside down. Although he was dazed, Gareth managed to climb out of the broken window and raise the alarm. Nathan was stuck inside, unconscious and bleeding heavily from a wound on his head.

  Amazingly, Gareth had walked away relatively unscathed. He had broken his shoulder, collarbone, and two ribs as well as puncturing his lung. The numerous cuts and bruises over his face and arms would remind him of the near-miss every time he looked in the mirror.

  ‘I got off lightly in comparison,’ Gareth said as he looked at his son’s body wired up to machines. ‘The police said we were lucky to get out of the smash alive. The car’s a crumpled wreck.’

  Gareth’s words made me more certain than ever that Alfie was behind the crash, which had left my husband in a coma, fighting for his life. It seemed like too much of a coincidence. Alfie had made no secret of the fact that he wanted Nathan out of the picture.

  To help myself cope with the grief as the days dragged by, I thought about how life always managed to find a way to move us past terrible events. Even though at this moment in time, I was finding it hard to believe that I would get through this, I knew I would. I had to stay positive for Nathan’s sake. But dark thoughts kept filling my mind. Nathan might not come out of the coma. If he did, would he be able to forgive me for keeping my secret, or would he hold it against me for the rest of my life? The questions were on my lips, but I might never get a chance to ask them.