Read Online Conflicted Innocence by Netta Newbound - Free Book Online

the shape of a baby. You could see his face clearly—a button nose and cute kissy lips.
    The next photos showed a heavily pregnant woman and, for the first time, I discovered what Lydia actually looked like. She wasn’t a raging beauty, but she was pretty with long straight, brown hair, a kind face and large, hazel eyes. She seemed so proud of her baby bump. I could relate to that.
    Hospital photos of a scrawny little newborn lying on his exhausted mum’s naked chest. Lydia held her hand up to the camera as though protesting about being caught not looking her best. I remember a similar image of myself that I also hated.
    Pages and pages of family photos followed—the three of them together or Joseph with one or the other of his parents. The images were placed in date order and Joseph grew bigger and healthier with every image. But Lydia was the opposite. Her face became gaunt with dark circles under her eyes. I found it just as tragic to see a record of Lydia’s decline as it was to get closer to the death of the gorgeous little tot with each turn of a page.
    I had my back to James, and silent tears ran down my face. The photographs stopped suddenly and I gasped. In the final image of the beautiful little boy, he was laughing—his eyes twinkling and full of life.
    James, suddenly beside me, pulled the album from my hands and placed it into the box.
    “Oh, James, it’s so sad.”
    “I know, sweetheart. I must admit, I beat myself up over his death for years. I mean, I heard that little boy’s cries night after night and I did very little to help.”
    “Gosh, it’s hardly your fault. His own daddy didn’t see it coming. How could you?” I stroked his beautiful, stubbly face, and he kissed me lightly on the lips.
    “Come on. Let’s get this finished, and then I’ll pour us both a brandy—I think we deserve one, don’t you?”
    It didn’t take too much longer and, once we’d finished, the cot and changing station leaned up against the chest of drawers and were covered by a large sheet we found in the bedding box in Lee’s room. Several taped up boxes were stacked beside them.
    “You’re a star, you know?” James said, nuzzling into my neck. “Not many women would care about making Lydia’s homecoming any easier. They’d want her to suffer as much as possible.”
    “I don’t think that’s true. She’s obviously suffered, will be suffering till she takes her dying breath. Those photographs show how much she loved the little mite.”
    He nodded. “Still, there are people around here who think nothing short of hanging is good enough for her.”

Chapter 9
    Lee stretched as he opened his eyes to the sun-filled room. Memories of last night came flooding back in an instant, and he slowly turned to see Susie, still sound asleep, curled beside him on the uncomfortable mattress.
    He smiled at how sweet and childlike she looked lying there, as he eased himself out of bed, desperately needing to use the toilet.
    In the bathroom he came to his senses. What the hell had he done? There was no way he could give her a job now, after this. Their night together had been amazing, but it was just sex—nothing more. He was a married man. She needed to be let down gently. But how?
    He quietly let himself out the front door and called a few local hostels as he walked into the village. One of them had a vacancy and he paid for a week’s stay using his credit card.
    Then, he took £300 out of the ATM, and grabbed a few things from the shop before heading back.
    Susie was in the kitchen filling the kettle as he entered.
    “Oh, hello,” he said, feeling awkward.
    “Hi.” She smiled as she approached him, her arms outstretched.
    He backed off, shaking his head. “Susie, we need to talk.”
    Her arms dropped to her sides and the smile vanished.
    “Look, last night...” He paused, shaking his head. “It shouldn’t have happened. I’m married.”
    Tears filled her eyes. “But, I thought...I thought—”
    “I know.