‘I pretended to be homeless. I was before. But now I have my own company. I’ve got my life back.’
‘What?’ I whispered, stunned.
Alice turned down a quiet street.
Alice drove down a quiet street lined with large, elegant houses. She stopped in front of a beautiful house with tall windows.
I stared at it in confusion. ‘Alice… whose house is this?’
She switched off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt.
‘Mine,’ she answered simply.
I looked at her in shock. ‘Why did you do all that? Why go through such an elaborate test instead of just helping me?’
‘Because I saw my grandson’s future,’ Alice said. ‘I knew you were pregnant as soon as I saw you. And I had to be sure: if you were truly kind, you’d help a homeless woman. And if my son was still a monster, he would have shown his true colours.’
‘So now what?’ whispered I.
‘It doesn’t matter now,’ she said softly. ‘I’ll help you.’
Tears filled my eyes. For the first time, I was free. I was safe.
A few weeks passed, and I was still getting used to my new life – waking up in a bed that didn’t feel like a prison, drinking coffee without the constant weight of disapproval.
One afternoon the doorbell rang. Alice and I exchanged glances. We already knew who it was before I even picked up the knob.
Carter. He looked terrible.
‘I was wrong,’ he said, shifting awkwardly. ‘I… I realise that now. I want to make it right.’
‘Fix it?’ repeated Alice, unimpressed.
Carter lowered his head bashfully.
‘I know I messed up. I know I hurt you both. But I don’t want to be that person anymore.’
I studied him closely. I was no longer the man I used to be.
‘You want to make things right? Start with therapy. And maybe…actually help the homeless instead of throwing them out on the streets.’
‘I’ll do that. For our child’s sake.’
Maybe he’ll change. Or maybe he won’t. But either way, my future was finally mine.
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