Earn My Trust

Prologue

Hannah breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down on the sofa, allowing herself a moment to enjoy the freedom.
Her four month old daughter had been a little pickle this bedtime. She had grabbed hold of Hannahs auburn hair like a vice, refusing to let go while she was being put her down in the crib. Hannah had had no choice but to stand there, awkwardly leaning over the edge of the cot for a good ten minutes, while gently trying to pry open her tiny fist and release herself.
Now, she had some free time.
Her fiancé, Jake, was out celebrating his work's success with his colleagues and wasn't expected back until very late.
She considered ordering herself a takeaway. Perhaps a good lamb tikka masala with peshwari naan and mushroom fried rice? It would be a nice reward for surviving the day being an on demand feeding machine for her daughter. She hummed thoughtfully as she heaved herself up off the huge sofa, deciding to seek out the menu hidden somewhere in the kitchen.
*Ping*
Her phone pinged with a message that she quickly opened. It was from Jake.

Jake - Man, the view from this place is incredible! 🤩

Hannah smiled proudly at the text. She knew how much work Jake and his team had put in to convince and secure a popular venue to use their security systems and personnel. He had been working so many hours overtime for just over a year now and had even gone back before his paternity leave was over just to make sure they got the job.

Hannah - It's about time they let you all have a night out. You've all worked so hard to achieve that gig.

Jake - Haha, right?! But I can't believe the place they've gone for. We can basically see the whole of London, 360⁰ around! Windows everywhere.

She giggled at the telltale excitement in his text. While Jake's job paid for everything comfortably, meaning she would never have to return to work, they weren't exactly rich.
They had been able to enjoy the many holidays abroad and buy their own house by the age of twenty-five. Now, he could easily take on the mortgage, bills, and extra expenses a child brings, with a small excess for little luxuries here and there.
When she found out she was pregnant, he hadn't hesitated to get in all the furniture and bits ready for Bea's arrival. They weren't the state of the line nursery equipment that most new mums dreamt of. Instead, they were basic budget ones, but the fact he went ahead and got it all straight away without saving up was comforting, to say the least.
Either way, Hannah still tried to be careful with money, especially as she wasn't going to be earning anymore. Right now, Jake was glimpsing luxury they would never know.

Hannah - Sounds expensive. The bars on tab, right? 🤣

Jake - yeah, it is. I'll try and find out how much the bottles of beer are here. Bet they're over a fiver! 🙈

She pulled out the kitchen dump drawer and fished out the menu while she replied.

Hannah - I will. I'm gonna order Indian. Want me to leave you any leftovers?

Jake - nah. I'm good. They've got a buffet here. They have your favourite battered prawns you love so much.

That made her groan in jealousy. She loved battered prawns, especially with sweet chilli sauce, and always had a side of them at any restaurant they went to. Her stomach rumbled, urging her to get the food ordered quickly.

Hannah - steal some for me! Oh, and send me a picture of that view when you can! Now go have fun! Love you xx

Jake - love you too x

She locked her phone and glanced at the menus set meals out of habit. She didn't know why she bothered to look at it every time they placed an order. She knew what she was getting, and it had always been the same things.
Picking up her phone again, she unlocked her phone and accessed the app to order her food. Once that was done, she opened the fridge and took out a can of coke to sip on while she waited.
Heading back to the sofa, she picked up the remote and searched for a good movie to watch.
Love Actually? No, too seasonal. Legally Blonde? No, too girly for her mood.
She settled on watching Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, mostly because it was her favourite.
Grumbling to herself because it wasn't the directors cut version, she cracked open the can and settled down to watch.
An hour later, she was gorging on her Indian takeaway, her eyes glued to the screen as she watched Eowyn ride into battle with Merry on the back of her horse. She jumped when Bea let out a whine from her bedroom, swiftly followed by a text on her phone.
She groaned as she placed her half eaten plate of food on the sofa beside her, paused the movie with the remote, and made her way to her crying daughter.
"Oh, my baby girl. What's the matter?" She cooed softly as she approached her crib. "Is my little angel hungry again?"
Bea's cries quietened slightly now she heard her mummy close by and opened her eyes to gaze up at her, blinking innocently.
Hannah gently gathered her baby girl in her arms and took her back to the sofa, releasing the clasp on her bra at the same time to free her breast. Bea hungrily latched on as soon as she was put in position, and she couldn't help but smile down at her in adoration.
She remembered the text she had received and awkwardly leaned over to pick up her phone, her smile widening when she saw it was a photo from Jake.
"Let's take a look at where daddy is tonight, huh?" She breathed to Bea, opening the message.
It was certainly incredible. London cities skyline at night was spectacular, the streetlights and lit up windows illuminating the night picture. The room he was standing in must be quite bright as she could clearly see his reflection in the window.
She chuckled as she took a glance and went to lock her phone again, when her stomach did an uncomfortable somersault and her heart skipped a beat.
Praying she hadn't seen what she thought she'd seen, she jerkily took another look at the picture.
No, she was seeing it perfectly clearly. There was no mistaking it.
There wasn't just Jake's reflection in the glass... behind him, visible just over his shoulder, was a shorter blonde woman leaning against his back.
Her heart painfully skipped another beat when she noticed the woman's arm reaching around Jake's waist... her hand digging into the waistline of his trousers.
She zoomed in, trying to get a closer look at her face. She knew all of Jakes colleagues and knew there was only one woman in their team.
Millie. It was Millie!
Tears of betrayal pooled in her eyes as she moved the picture to check Jakes face, praying there was a mistake and millie was fucking with them. She wanted to see Jakes face shocked, angry, even annoyed at the bitches unwanted advances. She saw no such thing.
Half his face may be covered, but there was no mistaking that lustful smirk on his face, the way his eyes weren't focusing on the picture he was taking, more sideways gazing at Millie with desire.
She suddenly found it hard to breathe, her chest constricted in on itself, like an elastic band was being wrapped around her torso, suffocating her. She held back her anguished cries so she wouldn't disturb her daughters feeding.
Was he doing this on purpose?!
Was this his way of telling her she meant nothing to him? That this was over?
She threw her phone away and rubbed her forehead, trying to calm herself down before she descended into a full blown panic attack.
She had so many questions, yet her mind was trying to make sense of it all before she could get the answers from him. She was already subconsciously piecing the puzzle together.
The constant working overtime. The way he was always on his phone texting, but would lock his phone whenever she approached him. Going back before his paternity leave was over.
It must have started when she was pregnant, but then again, he had a habit of working late even before she confirmed anything.
Immediately, self sabotage took hold of her.
She had led him to do this! She had suffered with hyperemesis gravidarum, and it had been so severe she hadn't been in the mood for any advances he had attempted. She had unintentionally pushed him away, favouring her firm clutch on the toilet cistern to his warm embrace.
At the same time, a sinister voice spoke in her mind.
"Yet he never stayed to comfort or support you..."
This was very true. 
He had never been to any of the OBGYN appointments after the first scan. She had been in and out of the hospital so often, he had chosen his work over her well being.
The voice spoke again.
"Where was he when you went into labour?"
Oh fuck! She hadn't thought of that!
He hadn't made it to the hospital in time for Bea's birth, even though the office was fifteen minutes drive from the hospital.
She felt sick! She couldn't stop the tears nor the broken screaming sob that erupted out of her mouth.
She sniffed and blurrily gazed down at her guzzling daughter.
The small girl seemed blissfully unaware of the inner turmoil that was raging through her at that point, solely focusing on getting her fill of breast milk before falling back to sleep.
What was she going to do?!
She couldn't stay with him!
She had always been against second chances after what her sister had gone through.
Her poor older sister, who Bea had been named after, had let her man use and abuse her. She had taken him back after every 'mistake' he had made. He had been a prolific cheater and physically abused her until that fateful day he went too far. He was now spending twenty years in jail, nowhere near what he truly deserved after murdering her sister.
She desperately looked around the living room, as if she was looking for an escape or a possible silver lining.
If she left, she would have nothing! No money to her name, no roof over her head, no sense of security behind her to give her baby girl to guarantee raising her properly.
The sobs increased, her heart now shattered into a billion pieces as the fear of the unknown set in.
She slowly stretched over to pick up her phone again and called the only person that had whole-heartedly supported her throughout her whole life.
Her best friend, Lisa.