Wednesday 31st January

I wake up to twenty-two missed calls from him. Bless him, you can’t say he's not bothered. He just needs to realise that this is for the best. That it’s going to hurt at first, but in the long run he’ll thank me. Not that it makes me feel much better. Who knew that my already broken heart could be shattered into mere smithereens?

When I get to work, I find Clara sat outside on the bench. Not this again! When is she going to realise that it's over? Well, unless he’s already changed his mind, cut his losses and agreed to marry her again. Wow, that idea hurts more than I thought it would.

She spots me as I walk over, her eyes protruding out of their sockets. ‘You bitch!’ she screams jumping to her feet.

I look behind me, wondering if she was shouting at someone else.

But it’s me she’s looking at, while she shakes with rage. ‘You little fucking whore! What kind of wedding planner steals the groom, huh?!’

The world starts spinning around me. She knows. How the hell can she know?

‘Err... what are you talking about?’ I ask, attempting to play dumb. It’s not hard. I have no idea how she could have known. Did someone see us kissing after the float crash? Grass us up?

‘I’m talking about you, home-wrecker.’ She stands right in front of me, jabbing a pointy, perfectly manicured finger into my chest. ‘Getting into my fiancé’s bed, and his mind, for that matter. Convincing him that he shouldn’t marry me.’

‘I didn’t! I swear!’ I back away, noting how she’s baring her teeth like a dog. I wouldn’t put it past her to physically attack me. Not that I don’t deserve it.

She leans on one leg, her hand resting on her hip. ‘So, you’re trying to tell me you never hooked-up?’ She lowers her head to study my reaction.

‘Err...’ I look from side to side, my eyes rapidly blinking of their own accord. ‘Look, whatever happened between us happened after he’d finished with you.’

Like that sounds any better. I hate myself.

‘What?’ she snarls, laughing cruelly, an edge to it that spreads goosepimples over my arms. ‘You mean Sunday? Mere hours after he’d decided to dump me? Pretty fucking coincidental isn’t it?’

She’s got me there.

‘I... I...’ my words stammer out, my throat choosing this moment to close in on itself. ‘I didn’t mean for this to happen.’

‘You bitch!’

Before I can register what’s happening, she’s launched herself at me like some kind of manic spider monkey. I fall to the floor as she attempts to pull my hair out from the roots.

‘Aaarrgh!’ I scream, the sting unbearable. ‘Leave me alone, you crazy bitch!’

She slaps me round the face manically. I hold my hands up over my face, attempting to shield myself. The worst thing is that I feel I should just take it, lower my hands and let her beat me. I know I deserve it.

‘Get off her,’ someone yells. I still daren't move my hands in case she takes the opportunity to gouge an eye out.

When she’s finally off me, I quickly scramble to my feet. Hugh is holding her back, his face tense from trying to restrain her.

‘What the hell is going on here?’ he demands, looking between the both of us.

‘She…’ Clara roars, pointing at me, her eyes ablaze. ‘stole my fucking fiancé!’

Hugh almost laughs as if the very idea is ridiculous. ‘I’m sure that’s not right.’ He looks to me, rolling his eyes. Then he stills, taking in what I’m guessing must be my guilty expression. ‘Right, Nadine?’

‘Um...’ I look down at the floor with a wince. Why do I find it so hard to lie to people’s faces? It’s really not a good quality for a groom stealing bitch. I’ll have to work on that.

‘What?’ He releases her, the shock consuming him. She attempts to lunge for me again. He thankfully catches her just in time. ‘Calm down, Clara, or I’ll have to call the police.’

She takes a deep breath as if to try to calm herself. ‘Fine. You know what? Fuck you. You’re not even worth it. Hartley will come back when he’s sick of your whorish pussy. You know what they say, sometimes they have steak at home, but they still fancy a quick burger.’

Did she just call me a burger? I’ve never been so offended on behalf of my vagina in my life.

‘You better persuade him to find his lost mind again,’ she continues, her face getting red and blotchy. ‘I will be marrying him. Unless you want the whole of London to hear about the groom stealing whore of a wedding planner, I suggest you start working on it!’

She flounces off towards her car while I sigh in relief, pleased for the release of the immediate danger.

Hugh looks at me, his mouth slack, his eyes wide. ‘Tell me this is bullshit. Tell me it’s not true?’

I look down at my sweaty palms. ‘It’s... well... it’s complicated.’

He wrinkles his nose up. ‘Complicated? What the fuck, Nads? You’ve stolen her bloke?’

‘No!’ I cry. ‘I didn’t steal anyone. It just...’ I put my hands over my eyes, attempting to block this nightmare out. ‘It just kind of happened and not before they’d broken up.’

He closes his eyes and drops his head forward. ‘But you were involved in the breakup?’

The look of disappointment on his face is too much to bear. I look away, my eyes misting up.

‘For fuck's sake, Nadine. What were you thinking?’ he asks, his voice low and disgruntled. ‘This could ruin the business we’ve just spent the last year building up. Did you even think of that?’ He pinches the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as if in pain.

‘Of course, I thought of that!’ He has no idea how long I’ve agonised over this.

His eyes open to reveal a new stony expression in them. ‘But you thought fuck it anyway?’ He sighs. ‘Jesus, Nadine, this is so unlike you.’

‘Exactly!’ I scream back. ‘Don’t you think this is a big deal to me too? Don’t you think I’ve agonised over this? Trust me when I say I haven’t taken this lightly.’

‘I don’t care, Nadine,’ he snaps. ‘Either break up with him or forget about your job.’

My mouth drops to the floor. He’s willing to fire me? I don’t care that I’ve already broken it off, barely before it's begun. Does he really value me so little he’d get rid of me that rashly? After me dedicating a whole year of my life to building this business up with him?

My phone rings again, Hartley's name flashing up. I turn away from Hugh and answer it, a new fury taking over my body. I’m about to tear him a new arsehole for not warning me.

‘Hartley! How could you have done this to me?’ I cry down the phone, my eyes clouded with unshed tears. Now I think of it, did he do it to deliberately hurt me? Some kind of payback for me breaking it off?

‘Oh God,’ he sighs down the phone. ‘She got to you, huh?’

‘Yes!’ I shout, my voice breaking into a small sob. ‘Why the fuck didn’t you warn me?’

‘That’s what I’ve been trying to do, if you would have just answered your fucking phone.’

Oh no. This is my own fault. What kind of sane woman ignores twenty-two missed calls? There I was thinking he was just trying to win me back, but he was trying to warn me that his psycho ex was on the way.

I walk out of the pub and sit down on the bench, tears pricking at my eyes. ‘Everything’s ruined. She’s going to badmouth me all around town. Hugh’s pissed with me.’ I turn to see he’s let himself into the pub. Probably already trying to do some damage control. ‘This was all a mistake. Just one big mistake.’

‘I’m so sorry, Nadine.’ I hear the anguish in his voice.

‘Yeah,’ I sniffle. ‘So am I.’

* * *

I came straight home after speaking to Hartley. Hugh had basically fired me, and I couldn’t face him. I went home, telling Mum I was just feeling overwhelmed, and that Hugh had given me the rest of the week off to de-stress. She was suspicious as hell, asking why I was feeling overwhelmed but backed down when I nearly bit her head off. I hate that I’ve taken it out on her of all people.

My mood is put on hold though when Anna calls asking if we fancy going round to speak to her parents. It’s obviously weighing heavily on her mind so me and Mum quickly get ready and head to her smart semi-detached house. Before we even get a chance to ring the doorbell, she’s answering the door.

‘Hi,’ she whispers, biting her lip. ‘Are you sure you guys want to do this?’

‘Of course,’ I smile, faking confidence. In reality I’m shitting it. They could go mental and punch me in the face. I’d like to see them go for my mum, I’d turn ninja on their arse. No one touches my mama! ‘Do they know we’re coming?’

She shakes her head, her face deathly pale. ‘No. I’ve been too nervous to tell them.’

‘Okay. Here goes nothing then.’

We follow her into the back where we find her parents in an open plan kitchen that must have cost a fortune, all granite worktops and sleek glossed cabinets. It definitely pisses all over our small kitchen at home with its broken cupboard doors that have needed fixing for a long time.

Anna clears her throat. ‘Mum, Dad, this is Nadine, and her mum, Debra.’

Her mum’s the first to react, pushing her jet-black hair behind her ears, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. ‘Oh. Hello.’

‘They’re here to talk about the baby,’ Anna says, so pale I’m expecting her to pass out at any minute. I hope she’s drinking enough water.

Her dad lowers his head to stare at us. Her mum on the other hand seems to realise quickly what we’re here for, but she looks happy. What’s going on?

‘Oh, I see what’s happening here,’ she says, a wide grin on her face. ‘Anna, you’ve found someone to adopt the baby!’ She jumps up from the stool and comes over to shake our hands, nearly pulling my arm from the socket.

‘Oh, um... that’s not actually what we’re here for,’ I try to explain.

‘Oh.’ She frowns. ‘Okay, but then...’ she looks back at her husband, ‘I don’t really understand why you’re here.’

Mum stands forward. ‘We’re here to discuss your options for Anna.’

Her Mum scoffs. ‘She doesn’t have any options. She’s knocked up at sixteen.’

Mum smiles sadly. ‘Would you honestly happily just hand over your grandchild without a second thought?’ I can tell from her tone that she’s disgusted.

‘Oh, I’ve thought about it intensely,’ her mum retorts. ‘How my sixteen-year-old daughter has no idea how to raise a baby. How a happy couple, desperate for a baby would raise it with all the love, money and attention it deserves.’

I have to talk up here. ‘But how do you think your grandchild will react when it grows up and tracks you both down? Hears you forced Anna to give them up. How do you think that child is going to feel?’

‘Grateful that I gave it a chance in life!’ she snaps.

‘It’s Anna’s body,’ I insist. ‘And if she wants to keep the baby, I really think you should consider supporting her. There’s nothing you can’t get through.’

She scoffs, looking at me like I’m an idiot. ‘Save me the rubbish. This is not in her plans. The decision has been made.’

‘Only because you’ve given her no other option,’ I argue. She wasn’t lying when she said she’s really up against it with parents this stubborn.

Mum stands closer to her, offering a calming hand on her shoulder. ‘I myself have lost a grandchild.’ My stomach drops. Anna doesn’t know about this and I wish she didn’t have to. ‘And let me tell you it’s the worst feeling in the world.’

She smiles back at her with an eye roll. ‘I’m so sorry that happened to you, but it doesn’t change my mind.’

Mum sighs, clearly admitting defeat. We’re not going to change their minds.

‘Well then, Anna has been given another option by us. She can move in with us and we’ll support her.’

Her dad’s face goes bright red, a vein in his forehead throbbing. ‘I don’t bloody think so. She’s our daughter and our problem.’

‘I’m not a problem, Dad!’ Anna shouts, suddenly finding her voice. ‘I want to keep this baby and if you won’t let me, then I’ll go with this family. This family I hardly know who seem to care more about me than you do.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he growls. ‘We only want what’s best for you. What kind of job are you going to get with no qualifications?’

She sighs. ‘I’ve got the rest of my life to get qualifications. I’m keeping my baby.’

There goes Papa Don’t Preach lyrics in my head again.

‘I’m packing a bag and I’m going.’ She hesitates a second, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. ‘This is your last chance to have me in your life.’

Her dad remains strong, barely flinching. I can tell her mum is slightly more anxious behind him, but she doesn’t speak up. Instead they watch as Anna collects her things and we take her back to ours.

I really can’t believe they’d just let her leave like that. Some people don’t deserve to be parents.

When we’re in the car, I lean back to Anna. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah,’ she nods, a single tear escaping down her cheek. ‘I just...’ she sighs. ‘I kind of was holding onto a small hope that they’d fight for me.’

‘I know, hun. I know.’