“Why can’t you just leave?” Alfie interjected. My cousin was still hyperventilating. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and whispered for him to take slow, deep breaths. Then I narrowed my gaze on Raymond. “Why did you even come here? You could’ve collected the case from Stu earlier without the need to drag us into it.”

“Ah, but I’ve had my men following young Stuart all morning, you see. And I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when they told me he made a stop here of all places instead of coming directly to meet me. Something was amiss.”

“Is that why you ransacked our flat? Nothing was amiss. Alfie wanted to see the painting since he’s been working day and night to replicate it. It was the least he deserved for all his hard work.”

Raymond dismissed me with a glance, his attention going to his son. “Still so sentimental.”

Alfie wheezed a shaky breath. Raymond rolled his eyes heavenward and I wanted to punch him in that moment. It was his fault Alfie’s mum was a neurotic wreck all through his childhood, and it was his fault they were left with nothing and my cousin had to paint counterfeits in order to save their house. He wasn’t a father. He was nothing.

“For crying out loud, Alfred, calm down. You’d swear I was holding a knife to your throat. If it’s the money you’re worried about you can relax. I’m a man of my word. I’ll pay you everything you’re owed once the sale of the painting is finalised.”

“You can stuff your money. We don’t want it,” I barked, letting go of my cousin to face his dad head-on.

“Oh darling, of everyone in this room you’re the last person who should be refusing a payout.”

I gaped at him. “Look at you, still so obsessed. This has nothing to do with money. This has to do with you leaving your wife and child penniless and desperate. He never wanted to see you again, and he never should have to. Now you’re exploiting him for your own gain. You’re a worthless excuse for a father.”

Raymond huffed a careless laugh. “It’s not my fault he’s always been soft.”

“It’s exactly your fault. You were too busy working so hard to defraud people out of their money when you should’ve been raising your son. As far as I’m concerned they never should’ve let you out of prison.”

“Well, luckily that’s not your decision to make,” said Raymond, his attention falling to Alfie again. “Aren’t you even going to say anything, son?”

Alfie glanced up coldly and shook his head.

“Good Lord, still as soft as ever.”

“If not being soft means being like you then you can keep it,” Alfie finally muttered.

“Ah, he speaks.”

“You’ve got your painting. You can go now. I have nothing to say to you.”

“Well, now you’re just being rude. I was hoping we could talk about old times,” Raymond replied sarcastically. With a short huff of dissatisfaction, he closed over the case and locked it shut. He cast both of us one final dismissive glance before he stood and brushed down his slacks.

“Stuart, I’d like a word in private if you don’t mind.”

Stu’s eyes met mine briefly. I could see the apology in them but I didn’t want to hear it. A second later he followed Raymond outside. My heart felt like it was breaking apart piece by piece.

Everything between us had been a lie.

I’d told him all about Alfie’s childhood, and he hadn’t said a word. He’d known it was his dad behind all this, and he’d known exactly what a careless bastard the man was and he hadn’t said a word.

As soon as they were gone Alfie deflated, tears streaming down his face as he silently cried. I pulled him into my arms, holding him close and whispering that everything was going to be all right, even though I knew it wouldn’t. Stu’s betrayal aside, seeing his dad again after all these years was going to set him back. He’d been doing so well since leaving his mother’s house and his troubled childhood behind, but now he was back there, lonely and helpless.

Vulnerable.

My cousin was a man made of glass, naturally sensitive, and always so close to shattering. It sounded like a bad thing but it was why I loved him. It was what made him so unique. Unwillingly, my thoughts travelled backwards, as something Stu once said to me rose forth.

You made me realise that softness is necessary. That we need both. People who are kind and who help others are needed, but so are people who are hard, toughened by experience.

Why was it his words I was remembering right then? His words that were helping me make sense of everything. Raymond was wrong to think Alfie’s softness was a weakness. It was what allowed him to create things no one else could, art that made people feel.

His weakness created his strength. I just wished mine could be considered one, too. Unfortunately, my open-heart hadn’t achieved anything beautiful this time. It had brought me hurt. Alfie, too.

A few minutes passed and then I heard car doors slamming and engines starting up outside. I relaxed a little to know Raymond was finally leaving, even if he had left our flat turned upside down. Slowly, I helped Alfie to his room where he quietly climbed into bed and pulled the covers over himself. I rubbed soothingly at his back for a little while until I heard his breathing even out and knew he’d fallen asleep.

I’d unintentionally brought betrayal into his life and it made me feel truly awful.

As quietly as I could manage, I closed his door and went about putting the flat back to rights. If I could just focus on that task, maybe I could ignore how I was falling apart inside.

The last few weeks meant nothing.

Stu had just been using me. Again.

I stopped short when I walked into the living room and he was sitting on the couch.

My hand went to my heart as though to shield it. “Why are you still here?”

Stu got up and came towards me. I backed up all the way to the other side of the room. His gaze was pleading, but I didn’t let it get to me. “Just let me help you clean the flat. It’s my fault the Duke’s men wrecked the place. I never should’ve brought the painting here. That’s why he turned everything over. He thought we were trying to hide something.”

“Yes well, you never should’ve done a lot of things, but there’s no changing that now. And will you please stop calling him the Duke? It sounds ridiculous. It always sounded ridiculous. He’s a horrible little man and you should’ve been straight with us from the beginning about who was actually behind all this.”