Maddie waited.
Eventually, Jade said, ‘He’s lying to you.’
‘Is he though? He says he hasn’t seen Ben in over six months. But I’ve hardly seen Ben around much lately because you’ve been telling me he’s been with his dad a lot. Someone isn’t telling the truth, but I can’t quite figure out who yet.’
‘Come on, Maddie, you know me. What would I have to gain from lying about all of this?’
‘Money, I guess, to pay for your make-believe legal fees? I almost walked straight into that one. Greg was right, wasn’t he? This was all about fleecing me for money. You never actually wanted me in Ben’s life.’ Maddie’s voice cracked.
‘That hurts, Maddie, that you would think I was only after money from you. This wasn’t about money.’
‘Then I don’t get it. Explain to me what Mark would have gained by lying to me tonight. And he’s a very good actor if he did, because he was incredibly convincing. He showed me the last photo he had taken with Ben. It looked like it was taken months ago.’ Maddie could feel tears building like a wave and she swallowed hard to keep them at bay. ‘After what you did to Greg, what could you possibly have to gain from sending me to hurt Mark? What is so awful about that lovely man, who genuinely seems to care for his son, that you would want to wish harm on him? Was it that he didn’t want you? That he thought it was just a drunken fling, but you wanted more? So you got yourself pregnant to trap him? But it didn’t work out, did it? And to think I spent all those years desperately wanting to have a child, all those miscarriages and heartbreaks, while there are despicable women like you in the world who use pregnancy and children like weapons. You repulse me.’
The words fell like stones between them.
Jade stared at her, eyes like flints, then she took a step towards her so that Maddie could smell the vodka on her breath. ‘You think you know all about me, don’t you? You don’t know anything. You never took the time to get to know me. You made your mind up about me the first time you saw me in the park with that needy little brat. You labelled me right then, someone that needed you to save me, a charity case, which is a bit rich coming from you. A woman who couldn’t even make a clean break from her rich ex, who needed his charity to survive. You’re the pathetic one here, not me.’
‘How can you speak about Ben like that? He’s your son!’
Jade started to laugh, the sound hollow and caustic in the diminished space between them.
‘You still don’t get it, do you?’ she smirked.
Maddie went cold. ‘Where is Ben anyway? Have you left him on his own? What if he wakes up and gets scared?’ She went to step around Jade, but Jade grabbed her arm and shoved her back. Maddie’s heels hovered in the open air over the lip of the roof and she tilted backwards a fraction, enough to make her heart leap at the realisation that she was teetering on the edge with Jade blocking her way.
‘He’s with his mother.’
Maddie mustn’t have heard right. ‘Sorry?’
‘Ben is with his mother, no doubt tucked up safe and sound in his own bed after a fun night trick or treating. In fact, he’ll probably have a belly ache from eating too many sweets, the greedy little shit that he is.’
Maddie grappled at the words. ‘But…?’
‘He’s not my son, Maddie,’ Jade enunciated clearly, as though Maddie was hard of hearing. She had a villainous smile on her lips.
‘I don’t understand.’ Maddie tried to shuffle around her, but Jade spread her feet so that she was planted firmly in place, blocking Maddie’s path to the door.
‘Let me explain it to you then. I was never pregnant. Ben was never mine. I only told Mark I was pregnant because I needed the money. He has been sending me child support for years for a child that doesn’t exist.’ She laughed, loud and hollow. ‘I know, it’s brilliant, isn’t it?’
Maddie was beyond horrified. She remembered the look on Mark’s face as he spoke about Ben, how much genuine love and affection he had for a small boy he had only had snatches of a relationship with.
‘But there are photos of them together. There are photos of you pregnant. I’ve seen photos.’ The images in her head were like a broken teacup, shards of porcelain that she couldn’t quite fit together and each one threatening to cut her.
‘It’s simple. I’m his childminder.’
And then it did all tumble into place.
Jade continued, ‘My friend Shona was pregnant and I was there when she gave birth to Ben. I wasn’t lying about being in the hospital, but he didn’t come out of me. I took photos of Shona’s belly and passed them off as me, just to reel him in, then I offered to babysit Ben when he was a baby. Shona went back to work quite soon after he was born and I offered to be his childminder. After that, it was easy to take pictures or arrange for Mark to come and visit when I was watching him. It was quite sweet how besotted he was with him. But when Ben got a bit older, Mark started asking to have him overnight and that’s when I realised that this would all get a bit complicated the older Ben got. Then I met you.’
She jabbed at Maddie with a long, painted and pointy fingernail. ‘You were besotted with Ben. You would’ve believed anything I told you. And that’s when I saw my way out. When you suggested we kill each other’s partners, it was like a lightbulb moment. Of course, then you got all nervous on me and tried to back out, pretended you had been joking. If you’d stuck to the plan, we
