Curtains Close; Take a bow. I think we fooled all of them now.

Rain's POV

"So what was your life like before you met Danny?" I asked him, handing him a glass of whiskey.

Oli had put Hanley to bed two hours ago, and had been in the nursery looking after Sienna ever since. The night outside was frozen over, the grass crispy and the sky foggy. Anthony was sat across from me on the table, sipping from his glass and starring at the floor. His voice sounded hollow and he often held back his tears.

"I grew up in Denmark. My father worked as a baker and my mother collected eggs and sold them from the chickens we had. I had four other brothers and a sister. A big family, you know?" He put the empty glass down on the table.

"That must have been nice." I said, promptly filling up his glass. "A nice big warming family."

He shook his head. "It's difficult to fit in. My brothers all rode their bikes around and caused mischief. My sister played with her dolls and put makeup on me. At the end of the day, I didn't really fit in. And then I fell in love at seventeen."

I nodded to him. "With a boy?"

"Of course. Girls never felt right to me. And so I fell in love with a boy. And he told the village that I was gay." He slammed his fist onto the table. "Nobody gave a damn piece of acceptance to me. My family tried to get me sent away to hospital. The people at church told me I was going to hell. My brothers tried to kill me. Finally, I told them enough was enough, and I got up and left. Packed my bags and headed for England. My english got better when I got here. I went to university here. Got a degree in art. And met Danny at some stupid party."

I felt sorry for him. He'd had a life of misery. Yet he seemed so calm and unaffected. All he wanted was for someone to love him. I placed my hand over his and reassured him. "I'm so sorry for everything. But you can stay with us. I promise, we'll provide you with a loving family. I need some help anyway. The new baby is going to be a struggle." I swallowed hard at the thought of her.

He accepted my offer, but told me that he would not stay for too long so that he didn't become a burden on us. I was fine with that, but really he wouldn't be a burden. Because I knew that Oli was angry at me for what I had done to his baby. And Hanley was so alone all the time, he barely knew what it was like to be a part of a family. And I was still and emotional wreck, delusional with self hatred. So having him around would give me hope. Because Oli wouldn't do anything to me if he was around. And Hanley would have someone to play with. And I would have someone to talk to. So simply, he seemed like a saviour.

Oli walked into the room and placed his hand on my shoulder. "She needs feeding, Rain."

I followed him into the nursery, placing my eyes on her for the first time since we had got home. She was squirming around, reaching out and crying.

"I don't want her Oli." I cried.

"You said she was beautiful Rain. You said she was so perfect. Look what you have done to her. You still don't want her? After all you have put her through?" He picked her up and patted her back, resting her head on his shoulder.

"No." I replied, simply.

He seemed angry. "Well, I want her. Lets hope she won't turn out to be such a heartless cow like her mother..." She wriggled under his grip and started to cry out more.

I raised my voice. "Don't you fucking dare call me that. I need help Oli. And locking me away and forcing me to do whatever you want isn't going to help me!" I slapped him in the face and turned away. "I don't want her. Get rid of her." I finally said, closing the door.

Notes