Retribution

Chapter 29 - Hope and Pray

I was fuming. Guilt was eating away at me like a caterpillar through an apple. I knew it was Adam. The stables and barns had rat traps and packets of poison in various places, but Tyson had never shown an interest in them before; the chances of him randomly eating some now were slim.

The vet was processing his bloods which would help give us a better idea of what exactly we were dealing with, and if human interference was a possibility. Marco dropped me off at the vets, and then left to take Harvey to school for breakfast club. Charlie was a mess when I walked through the door. Her usual rosy cheeks were pale and tear stained, her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked exhausted. A pained glaze stole her pretty features as she focused on the magnolia wall in front of her.

Jonny was sat in the chair next to her, his hands clasped together between his spread legs, and one of his feet twitching up and down in a nervous dance. He was leaning forwards, staring at the floor.

"Charlie," I said, closing the door behind me. "I'm so sorry."

She snapped out of her daydream and leapt from her chair. Flinging herself at me, she burst into tears, sobbing her thanks to me for coming. Jonny looked up, a ghost of a smile passing over his pursed lips. The normal blank façade I'd become accustomed to with him and Marco was gone, replaced by genuine concern and care. Shadows of worry underlined his dark eyes, anguish held the edge of his features, and a saddened ache crossed his face when he saw Charlie hugging me.

Ushering Charlie back over to the seating area, I sat opposite Jonny as she continued to cry into my shoulder. Catching his eye, I mouthed to him 'Are you ok?'. He replied by flickering his eyes to Charlie and nodding.

Was he becoming attached to her in more than a client kind of way? Hope tugged at my insides. I knew his past and knew he would be fighting an internal war. But this was my best friend, a woman I'd shared many a laugh and many a tear with over the course of our friendship. Here she was in the midst of her own meltdown, desperately needing someone who cared, and her husband was nowhere to be seen. Despite their current difficulties, he should be here supporting his wife and making sure their dog was going to survive.

"Have you spoken to John?" I asked her, not wanting to make unkind assumptions.

She moved so suddenly, I jumped, not expecting it. "Don't you ever speak his name again," she said. Big brown eyes full of agony suddenly became ablaze with pure hatred and distaste. "As soon as Tyson is better, I'm starting divorce proceedings."

"Whoa," I said, inching backwards from her. The sheer aggression oozing from her was something I'd never seen in her before. It was slightly unnerving. "Are you sure you're not just overreacting given the circumstances?"

"No." The definition in that single word as final as a judge's hammer banging on a gavel. "I called him straight after I called the vet. Do you know where he was? In a bar." She shook her head and slammed a clenched hand down on her knee. "Do you know what he said when I told him? 'One less thing to fight over'."

Taking one look at her tense body vibrating with animosity told me this wasn't emotion overload. She was being serious. I was dumbfounded. John had always seemed like an honourable man, a good old-fashioned gent who liked things from a traditional world.

"And then some silly little slapper was drooling all over him, asking for another drink. I hung up. Haven't heard a word since."

"Maybe he just didn't know what to say," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "Maybe he's hurting as much as you are over all of this. Maybe—"

"Maybe I should have just listened to everyone when they told me the age gap would get in the way. Maybe when his ex-wife told me he was a selfish, pig-headed bastard, I should have listened. Maybe I should just press reset on my whole life." She stopped and took a breath. "Maybe I should be grateful we didn't have kids after all."