‘About nine hours,’ Smith replied.
A flight attendant made her way up the aisle, checking that the overhead lockers were securely closed.
‘I hope I’ll be able to sleep.’
Smith leaned over and kissed the space right under her ear. ‘We could always try the mile-high thing. That might tire you out.’
She grinned and playfully whacked his arm. ‘Shush. People can hear you.’
‘So?’ He shrugged. ‘Once we’re up in the air, we’re free.’
Effie looked out of the window again at the bright lights of Heathrow’s terminal building. They were free, and she felt it too. Now she could see how much Oliver had manipulated her, trying to turn her into something she wasn’t, from the clothes he’d bought her to his suggestions about how she should wear her hair. She’d been trying to run away from herself for so long, ashamed at being abandoned by her mum and hurt by what had happened with Smith, that she had been an easy target. It had taken being beaten and almost killed to make her see what Smith, Lou and her mum had said all along. She was fine as she was. Better than fine, in fact.
She choked back the tears in her throat. Her heart had wrenched in her chest when they’d hugged Lou and Mickey goodbye by the security gate. After Oliver’s arrest, Lou hadn’t wanted to let Effie out of her sight, feeling guilty for having arranged to meet her instead of coming straight home from work. It was only because of Smith that she’d reluctantly let someone take over babysitting duty, not that Effie needed it. The minute her soon-to-be ex-husband had been led away in handcuffs, she’d felt freer than she had for a long time.
‘You’re worried about Lou, aren’t you?’ Smith asked, and she looked back at him with her chin wobbling and nodded. She always had been bad at goodbyes. She must have inherited that from Penny.
‘She’ll be fine. Besides, she’s got Mickey.’
Lou and Mickey getting back together was the one thing that had made leaving so much easier. When Smith had called to tell them what had happened, they’d both raced back to Lou’s and had been almost inseparable since.
‘I know. I’m just being silly.’
He tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘No, you’re just being you. And I love you for it.’
Effie smiled. No matter how many times he said it, the sheen never wore off. He loved her, just as she was. What they had now was completely different than it had been before. He’d been her rock for the last few months, holding her shaking hand when she’d been called in to give her statement to the Crown Prosecution Service against Oliver. His being a top barrister had meant nothing – not when there was photographic evidence of his violence. And since he’d confessed to running her over, his car had been forensically examined, uncovering proof of repairs made to the bodywork. He’d been formally charged and given conditional bail, and from what Effie had heard, things had gone south for him. The air of respectability he had carried around was shattered, and his clients were falling over themselves to take their business elsewhere. Izzy had left her voicemail after voicemail, telling her how horrified she was, how she’d never be able to forgive Oliver for hurting her. Effie hadn’t returned her calls. She wanted nothing more to do with Oliver, and if that meant breaking ties with his sister, then so be it. Not even the tiniest part of her felt sorry for him.
The captain announced the closure of the aircraft doors, and Effie buckled her seatbelt. Smith switched his phone to ‘Flight Mode’, and she took hers from her pocket to do the same. She smiled as she saw the text message on her screen.
Have a safe flight, Sweetpea. Can’t wait to see you both and will be waiting at Arrivals. And remember, when you get here, take a deep breath. Your first breath in India is something to be remembered. Love, Mum.
‘Should I be worried?’ She laughed, showing the message to Smith.
‘I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been to some places with a funky smell.’ He grinned as she grimaced, and then went back to flicking through the guidebook he’d bought after checking in.
If anyone had told her she’d ever go to India, she’d have thought they were crazy. She’d seen it on the television and in films, looking at the pictures of extreme poverty, slum children and dirt, but Penny had always painted a very different view. After everything that had happened, Effie had wanted to get as far away from London as possible, and when Penny had invited them over, she’d accepted without hesitation. And if she didn’t like it, it didn’t matter. India was just a pit stop on the way to their final destination of Sydney – the place where Smith was supposed to have finished his year-long trip.
She leaned over and looked at the photograph of the Taj Mahal in his book. ‘Will we be able to see it, do you think?’
‘We can do whatever you want.’ He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose as the air bridge connecting the plane to the airport slowly retracted. ‘We’ve got nothing but time.’
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Domestic violence is a subject that’s close to my heart, so I have to first of all thank the many, many survivors – both men and women – who’ve shared their stories with me personally and online on anonymous forums. A huge thanks goes to Caroline Batten, the best writing buddy a girl could wish for, and Adele Walklett for support over the last few weeks of writing. A big thanks goes to Janny Peacock, Sam Curniffe and Thandi Davis. Thank you also to Natasha Fonseka for providing Celeste Barton-Cole’s name.
The process of writing Love You Better was enormously helped along by my lovely Wattpad followers, and I have to say a huge thank you to them for pestering me for new chapters and for their feedback – especially to Maia, an absolute star.
I would also like to thank my editor, Sophie, for sharing the same vision for the book. All the probing and feedback has only made Love You Better even stronger, so thank you!
Finally, thanks go to you, the readers, and everyone who’s supported me since the release of Together Apart. It’s been a whirlwind, roller-coaster ride, and I’ve loved every minute.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2014 Natalie K Martin
In January 2014, Sheffield-born Natalie Martin decided to leave her corporate job in London and experience the world — heading off on travels that would take her as far as Cambodia, North India, Goa and Thailand, and would change her outlook on life for good. Whilst travelling in India, her debut novel, Together Apart, became a #1 bestseller on Amazon charts. Love You Better is her second full-length novel and is due for release on 1st October 2015.
Natalie’s base is now London, but she is very much a modern-day nomad, never quite knowing where she’ll end up next. A trained yoga instructor and lover of all things French, Natalie is still travelling and indulging in her three loves: writing, yoga and surfing.
You can follow Natalie on Twitter: @natkmartin
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