The afternoon sun cast a warm glow over Catherine's living room, its light failing to soften the tension that hung heavy in the air. Catherine sat on the edge of the worn-out armchair, her fingers drumming lightly against the armrest, her thoughts far away. Charlotte stood nearby, leaning against the window, her arms folded tightly across her chest, watching her mother with concern. The door creaked open, and Richard stepped inside, his expression wary as he took in the scene before him. He gave a brief nod to Charlotte, who returned it with a small, tense smile."Got your message," Richard said, his voice calm but carrying a hint of unease. "What's this about?"Catherine took a deep breath, steadying herself, then looked up at Richard. "It's about Tommy Lee Royce," she said, her voice firm but tinged with an undercurrent of pain. "He's getting released. And we need to talk about how we're going to handle it."Richard's face fell, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I was afraid you'd say that," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "What's the plan then, Catherine? How do we keep him away from Ryan?"Charlotte stepped forward, her expression serious. "We've got a few options in place," she said. "Extra patrols around the house, alerting the team at the station, making sure we're one step ahead if he tries anything. But we all need to be on the same page."Richard nodded, but his eyes never left Catherine's face. "How are you holding up with all this?" he asked softly. "I know it's bringing back a lot of old wounds."Catherine's expression hardened for a moment, her gaze fixed on a spot on the floor. "It's not about me," she said, her voice clipped. "It's about Ryan. Keeping him safe. Keeping him from knowing who that monster really is."Richard took a step closer, his voice gentler now. "It's not just about Ryan, Catherine, and you know it. This is about Becky, too. About what happened to her."Catherine flinched at the mention of Becky's name, the pain flashing across her face like a shadow. She looked up at Richard, her eyes filled with a mix of anger and grief. "I don't need to be reminded, Richard," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "I think about her every single day. I think about what he did to her, how he took her from us."Charlotte reached out, placing a hand on her mother's shoulder. "Mum, we're not trying to reopen old wounds," she said gently. "But we have to face it. If we don't deal with this now, it's only going to come back to haunt us all."Catherine took a shaky breath, her eyes softening as she looked at her daughter and then back at Richard. "I just—" she began, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I just don't want him to ruin Ryan's life like he ruined Becky's. I don't want him to take anything else from this family."Richard nodded slowly, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. "We won't let that happen," he said firmly. "We'll do whatever it takes to protect Ryan. To protect all of us."Catherine looked between the two of them—her daughter and her ex-husband. The two people who knew her best, who understood her pain, her fears, and her unrelenting need to protect her family at all costs."Alright," she said, her voice steadier now, though still laced with emotion. "We'll stick together on this. No matter what. We keep an eye on him, we watch for any sign that he's trying to worm his way back into Ryan's life, and we shut it down before he even gets close."Charlotte gave her mother a small, supportive smile. "You're not alone in this, Mum. We're in it together."Richard reached out and took Catherine's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You've got us, Catherine," he said softly. "We'll get through this. For Becky. And for Ryan."For a moment, the three of them stood there in silence, the unspoken bond between them stronger than ever. The pain of the past and the uncertainty of the future hung in the air, but so did a shared determination. A promise that no matter what Tommy Lee Royce might do, they would face it together—as a family.
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