Gone

Sarah continued, ‘Rainey snatched the phone from me, smashed it, then she made a call. Ten minutes later, the gang leader showed up. I was dragged away, forced into one of their cars. And then you know the rest.’ Kieran’s eyes turned red. ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘Not your fault,’ Sarah reached for his hand. ‘In fact, I’m the one who should apologise. I shouldn’t have kept you in the dark all these years. I’m sorry.’ She removed her hand and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. ‘I wanted to call you. I really did. But I was too scared. Scared of Rainey, of the gang, and of how you’d react when you learned the truth.’ Her voice hitched. ‘I lost our baby. I didn’t have the courage to tell you that, so I let Ed take me away. I thought it was better if you believed I was dead. You’d be sad. You’d mourn. But with time, you’d move on. You could meet someone else.’ She glanced at me. ‘You have no idea how happy I am for you. I’m glad you’ve found someone you love.’ I smiled at her. ‘You don’t have to apolog