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Iseult's eyes were full of tears as she stood at the kitchen window, unable to sleep. Liam had been in a foul mood ever since the meeting in the cafe that had gone south so quickly, and Iseult cursed herself for a fool time and time again. In wanting to do the right thing by her son she'd inadvertently handed Kate and Nora all the ammunition they needed to launch a legal challenge to be given the right to see Liam. But Liam had made it clear during the ride home that he wanted nothing to do with his birth mother or grandmother, no matter what they did or said to try and get him to see their side of the story. He'd seen enough, he said, to make him realise his real parents had done the right thing in keeping Kate away from him, and he'd almost fallen over his feet apologising for being such a fool as to think they didn't love him. 82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkD2UqJErtx
Iseult, however, couldn't stop the shame from gnawing at her, even though she'd done nothing wrong. Kate and Nora hadn't even had the good sense to keep their vitriol hidden, but had they put on a veneer of goodwill, Liam would've been won over enough to listen to their version of the events that had put him first in Heather's care, and then Iseult's. There was no telling what would've happened after that, but Iseult knew she would've likely lost her son for good. Kate and Nora were slick talkers, and had they managed to win Liam over, they would've spun a story of forced separation, painting Iseult as a controlling, smothering mother, and Iseult shivered, shutting off that train of thought. The important thing she had to remember was that Kate and Nora had shown their true selves rather spectacularly, and Liam was now firmly in the camp of never wanting to see them on this side of the hereafter. 82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPrjQbhzsV
But Kate and Nora wouldn't let Liam go so easily. Iseult shivered again as she stared down the prospect of a legal brangle that could very easily tear her family apart as nothing else had done. None of the legal battles she and her family had faced over the years had presented as bleak a prospect as this one, and as she put her empty cup in the dishwasher, she wondered just what her two most bitter enemies would try first. She prayed, as she left the kitchen, that Nora and Kate would forgo their wly ways and go straight for the jugular. It would make dealing with them in court an open and shut case. 82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAlQgaNlU2
She stopped when she saw Liam's door was open, but when she tapped on the door and got no answer, she flicked the light on, only to see her son's bed was empty. He'd disappeared after dinner without telling anyone, and it was clear he wasn't ready to come home for a while yet. Iseult smiled sadly as she turned the light off and made her way to her own room. Liam would be seeking refuge in the one place where no one could hurt him, and Iseult knew he'd be doing a lot of that in the days to come.
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