Earn My Trust

Chapter 1 - New Beginning

**Seven years later**

"Shit, shit, shittity shit!"
Hannah rushed to pick up her phone, purse, and car keys from her desk and chucked them into her bag. She had twenty minutes to leave her office and make her train at Victoria Station, which will get her back in time for the school pick up.
"See ya later, Han. Hope you make it!" Her boss Greg chuckled fondly after her, standing up straight from Mel's desk and waving farewell.
"Me too! See you all tomorrow!" Hannah cried back over her shoulder, hopping along frantically so she could take off her heels.
"Should we remind her that tomorrow is Saturday?" Mel asked Greg as they watched Hannahs retreating back speed towards the open lift doors.
"I'm sure she'll realise when her alarms don't go off tomorrow. She's just on autopilot." Greg laughed, shaking his head and leaning against the desk again to continue reading through her work.
Hannah crashed against the back wall of the lift and pulled off her other shoe, dumping the pair in her bag.
She always removed her heels when she bolted through the office block now. That one incident where she had skidded directly into the water tank a few months ago had given her a life lesson she'd never forget.
Once the lift had made it to the ground floor, she burst through the doors before they even managed to fully open, making several other women gasp at how quickly she had moved.
"Go go go, Hannah! Twelve minutes left!" Steve, the security guard, cheered her on, holding the entrance door wide open to help shave off precious seconds.
He was well rehearsed in her daily rushes by now. It was the same every day, five days a week, and had been for the past six years.
"Thanks, Steve!" She called back, not bothering to put on her shoes as she weaved through the countless pedestrians blocking her path.
She wore two pairs of socks under the tights to accommodate for the lack of protective footwear. She used to take trainers to change into, but always left it too late to allow time to put them on.
She had since mastered her dodging skills as she now ran full speed towards Victoria Station. She skidded to a halt only to bleep her Oyster card on the reader and slipped through the barrier towards her platform, where her train was waiting.
She just about made it, clambering aboard mere seconds before the doors closed.
She closed her eyes in relief and allowed herself to relax and catch her breath now that she was safely on her way.
Things had changed a lot since that night Jake fucked up, and it certainly hadn't been easy for her!
Jake had been less than understanding when she confronted him after he had got home that night. He ignorantly dismissed the evidence that was presented right under his nose, telling her she was seeing things that weren't there and calling her a psycho and a liar.
She had left him that very night.
Lisa had come round to pick her and Bea up, and they bundled the rushly packed suitcases in the boot of the car. Lisa then took them both to her house a few miles away.
Hannah realised then that she actually barely knew the man she had grown to love.
He had shown no remorse for his actions, given no empathy, and didn't offer any apology. It was as if he became a disconnected ghost of himself to her. A distant, cruel bastard. Nothing like who she had fallen in love with!
He arrogantly blamed her for him having to seek comfort between another womans legs, even had the audacity to call her a slut and went as far as to claim Bea wasn't even his!
He refused to sell the house, too!
She had been relying on the sale of the house to give her a head start at single parenthood, hoping it could be split down the middle and shared between them, but, to her horror, she was told by his solicitors that her name hadn't been put on the mortgage. He truly had left her with nothing except her daughter and the clothes in the suitcases she'd taken.
Lisa pleaded with her and tried to convince her to take Jake to court, but by then, the fight had left her.
She couldn't bear to lose a court case against him. He would be able to afford the best lawyers while she would never be able to afford it, likely having to represent herself. There was no way she'd win the case. It would have been like rubbing salt in the wound.
By that point, she was already exhausted with living out of a suitcase and sofa surfing at a friend's house that really wasn't suitable for a child for the first month.
Lisa's house was spotless and flashy, perfect for a single working woman and her two cats. The felines wandered through the house they owned and kept creeping into Bea's bassinet, refusing to move for its rightful owner. She was also still in constant demand for feeding every hour or so. She still hadn't had a full night's sleep, which made her irritable and snappy. It was lucky Lisa understood fully what she was going through and tried to help out wherever she could.
She had shed so many tears over that selfish prick, but it was a painful reminder of what she had told her sister when she had been alive, time and time again.
"You can only ever trust yourself and your own instincts."
She should have listened to her own advice.
A month after the break up, she moved back into her parents' home in South West London and began applying for jobs.
The constant applying for jobs, along with taking care of Bea, had been a welcome distraction from her situation, but also a dire reminder that her life was changing scarily quickly.
Her mum kindly took on babysitting duty while Hannah tried to find her feet but had to give up babysitting when her legs became stiff from arthritis, resorting to helping pay towards the nursery fees instead.
Her dad drove her to interview after interview, comforting her and keeping up her spirits after she was turned down for roles again and again within quick succession of each other.
She wouldn't have got to this point without their love and support. Their help proved invaluable, particularly when she finally got that yes for a job she yearned for eighteen months after becoming a single parent.
It was a small payroll administration firm, and the pay was decent considering it was a central London wage.
Greg had been the one to do her interview. He had pitied the then thinly spread Hannah. She was professional, but you could see the light dwindling in her eyes with her hope all but extinguished. He offered her exactly what she needed with regards to working hours, fitting it snugly around her demanding child care schedule.
She had fit into the workplace lifestyle well and swiftly made friends with her two colleagues.
They had both become quite protective of her, particularly when she had brought Bea into the office one day. The nursery Bea had been assigned to had to close suddenly due to flooding, leaving her no choice but to bring in the then two year old Bea.
Bea managed to capture the hearts of the Greg and Mel, let alone the other workers of the office block, including Steve, and she was showered with small gifts quite often by them.
Once she had a secure work placement, her mum approached her uncle, who had a few flats around the area available for rent, hoping that he could give Hannah and Bea a good place to live. He had shown her a ground floor flat with a garden that was perfectly situated close to the station and the primary school where Bea would one day attend.
The rent was considerably less than average for the area due to her renting through a family member but it still took a good chunk of her monthly income.
With the council tax and other monthly bills, she barely had enough to put food on the table, let alone keep replacing worn-out shoes and uniform Bea burned through every month.
She gazed out of the window and watched the city view slowly transition to the surrounding industrial area on the cities outskirts.
Bea had grown into a feisty, intelligent seven year old and Hannah couldn't be any prouder of her.
She was excelling at her school work, although her behaviour sometimes raised a few eyebrows, and she was surrounded by friends all the time. She was such a kind child, eager to please and help out wherever she could.
Sadly, Jake was no longer in contact. She hadn't forced him away, quite the opposite. He had distanced himself to such an extent that he was now a memory.
At first, she had hoped they could stay friends for the sake of Bea, wanting her to have both parents with her. She sent him the video of her saying dada for the first time, her first steps. Invited him along to her first birthday get together, also offered to meet for a meal together if he felt too awkward.
She had told him she had an open door policy for him to come and visit whenever he wanted, but he never did.
He never responded to her text messages or calls. Never sent any birthday cards or messages for his daughter.
The last Hannah had heard about Jake was that him and Millie had split up for similar reasons to her own.
Hannah's heart broke for her baby girl, knowing he would never get to see her blossom into the strong young woman she was destined to become.
Thankfully, there was plenty around them to distract Bea's attention away from her dad's lack of interest.
Along with her work colleagues, Bea had stolen the hearts of their neighbours. She was always around Mrs Hatchetts flat at the end of the corridor, helping to decorate the many cakes the spinster baked. Mr Hewitt across the hall had a beautiful garden and he always allowed Bea to choose a flower to pick so she could give it to Hannah.
Lisa fully embraced the honour of being known as auntie by her. She would pop in on the weekends, taking Bea out for a few hours so they could have 'girly time' together and Hannah had some time to herself. They went to the cinema, had a meal out and even did a little shopping.
Her parents were also round as often as they could. It was lucky they were so close to them as they always came round for dinner, which had been cooked in nanny's slow cooker and brought round to save Hannah cooking.
Hannah thanked her lucky stars every night for being blessed with such great support around them.
Even though they were surrounded by kind, loving people who helped them immensely, Hannah couldn't help but feel lonely.
It wasn't like she could invite herself into Ms Hachetts' house and offer to help bake a cake, nor could she ask Mr Hewitt if she could pick a flower.
She wasn't an adoring Seven year old girl.
She was a mum. A mum who was only given a break so she could tidy the flat, do the laundry, do any grocery shopping she needed to do... hell, just have a shower in peace!
Lisa and her found it difficult to organise a girls' night out anymore. She was so exhausted from her early morning starts and the daily marathon to the station every day, along with the ironing and sorting she did for the next day after entertaining her parents and washing up after dinner every evening, she always fell asleep on the sofa as soon as she sat down!
They had attempted some girl nights in, but they had the same issue. Hannah had fallen asleep on the sofa and had woken the next morning with a blanket over her and left over pizza in the box beside her.
She hadn't had sex or any intimate attention since long before Bea had been born, and it was now starting to get to her. She couldn't even find the time to take care of it herself, being so extremely tired all the time.
It wasn't like she would find love at work. In the office she worked, there was only Greg, Mel, and her that manned it. The other offices were given to solicitors, recruitment agencies, and councillors. She hadn't seen many men, and those she did see were above the preferred age bracket.
She barely had any time to scout a possible suitor out on her commute to and from work either. The train only took twenty minutes, and she was always just about making it on board before it left the station.
She sighed heavily as she pulled her bag into a more secure position on her shoulder and rose to her feet, ready to leave the train and rush to the school gates.
She quickly remembered her shoes and fumbled them out of her bag, dropped them on the floor, and slid her sore feet inside them before the door slid open.
She quickly marched the few minutes' walk to the school gates and reached her place just as the doors to the classroom opened and the teacher led the children out.
Of course, Bea was first in line to leave as usual.
Hannah forced down the tiredness she felt and plastered on her 'mum face' as Lisa called it.
"Mummy!" Bea cried as she bolted towards her.
Hannahs grin widened, and she bent slightly, her arms flung open to welcome her daughters loving embrace.
"Hello baby girl! Did you have a good day today?" She asked after planting a kiss on the top of Beas head.
"Yep." Bea beamed up at her, her bottom big girl teeth finally starting to peek through.
"What did you get up to then?" She took her daughters bag and swung it over her shoulder while Bea took the lead towards home.
"I dunno." The young girl shrugged, prancing back and forth across the path on her tip toes.
"Whatcha mean you don't know?" Hannah laughed. "Did you learn anything new?"
Bea either didn't hear her or completely ignored her, intently focusing on her dancing.
After a minute she suddenly spun round to face her mum, her eyes blinking innocently.
"I'm hungry."
Hannah laughed and rolled her eyes, taking her girls hand and turning her back in the direction they were walking.
"You're always hungry!" She snarled lovingly, pinching Bea's sides and making her giggle. "You're like a gnat!"
"Can we go to the shops?"
At that, the fun stopped for Hannah.
She still had a couple weeks until payday and already her finances for the month were almost out.
"I'm sorry, angel. Not today." She explained with a heavy heart, she hated saying no to her. "Mummy doesn't have much money right now."
Bea pouted but didn't push the matter. Instead she returned to her prancing across the pavement and left Hannah to her thoughts.
They got home just before the heavens opened, and the both of them piled into their small home, dumping their bags beside the door.
Bea made her way straight to her bedroom to play while Hannah made her way to the living room to start her daily routine.
She had been doing things this way for so long now, she did her chores without even thinking about them.
She pulled the washing basket of unfolded laundry closer to the ironing board and picked up a blouse for her and Bea's school uniform.
She busied herself ironing the clothing, humming tunelessly as she did so, until she hung the items on hangers and put them up on the curtain sale ready for tomorrow.
"Mum," Bea's sweet little voice came from the doorway.
Hannah turned towards her, a small smile on her face.
"Yes, darling?"
"Today's Friday."
She blanched at her child.
Shit! She was right!
"Oh... well..." she glanced over her shoulder at the freshly ironed clothes. "At least I don't need to worry about them Sunday evening, I suppose."
She giggled at her silliness and turned back to Bea.
"What are you playing?"
"Nothing." She responded blandly. "Is nanna and grandad coming today?"
Hannah hadn't even checked. Her smile widened at how observant Bea was and made her way to the entrance hallway to get her phone from her bag.
She had a missed call and text from Lisa and a text message from her dad.
She opened up the text message from her dad first before she dealt with Lisa.