"You nervous?"

"Terrified."

"You'll be fine."

"You're sure?"

"I'm positive."

"Wish I was."

"Don't let the judge see you're scared."

"I'm not scared."

"That's good."

"I'm terrified."

"Anyone who has two eyes can see that Matthew belongs with you."

"Yeah, but Ian…"

"Enough."

"I…"

"I said, enough."

Steph knew when she was beaten, and nodded. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Everything."

"It's what I'm here for."

"And thanks for that too."

Max smiled, and took her hand. "You'll be fine."

"God, I hope so."


Steph tried to avoid Ian's gaze as they filed into the family court. She reached out to her side, searching for Max's hand, but it wasn't there. Retracting it quickly before she hit something or touched someone she shouldn't, she clamped the hand onto her wrist, holding it in front of her body. She fumbled with the bracelet, taking comfort from it.

"I made it," Summer announced. "For you so you can have us with you at the funeral."

Steph held up the bracelet and smiled. "I don't think you actually made this, Sum."

"Well, no, but I picked out the charms myself. See, we've all got one. Dad's is the beer mug because, well, he runs a pub. I'm the boxing glove, Boyd is this… thing that's supposed to be a cricket ball. And this," she said, fingering the last one, "this is you."

Steph looked at the tiny silver heart and bit her lip.

"Because you're at the heart of our family and you always will be," Summer said. "You can put more on it so I got this," she said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a small box. Opening it, she took out a tiny rattle. "It's for my baby brother or sister. When you and Dad get around to it."

"Thanks, Sum," Steph said, gently placing the bracelet back into the box. "I love it."

"And we love you," Summer said. "I wish I could be with you… I really would have liked to say goodbye."

"I know, sweetheart, but it's… Mum wants something small, OK?"

She'd left the bracelet behind by accident. When Summer had sent it back to her, the tiny rattle was attached to the chain; right between the heart and beer mug.

Ian had paid for the best and gotten the best. His lawyer was making Toadie look like he was fresh out of Law School again. Sitting up on the stand, Steph was wishing the whole thing would just go away.

"What kind of support network do you have in place, Mrs Tait?" the lawyer asked.

"My mother, my brother Jack, Max, various friends…"

"Your mother is in her early fifties?"

"Yes."

"She has a toddler, your brother Oscar?"

"Yes."

"Your brother is often away on long trips, staying with his partner… Laura?"

"Lori," Steph corrected, "and yes."

"Friends and neighbours are all well and good for babysitting, Mrs Tait, but they can hardly be there full time."

"There's Max."

"Ah yes, the alleged love of your life, I believe."

Steph's heart sank. From the look on Ian's face, she knew what was coming up.

"How many times have you left him now? Once? Twice?"

"Three times," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry?"

"Three times," she repeated.

"Ah, yes. Hardly the actions you'd associate with someone who is the 'love of your life', is it?"

Steph wanted to scream out that there were reasons, but Toadie had warned her not to make any outbursts, just answer the questions.

"One of those occasions was to leave him to return to your husband, was it not?"

"Yes."

"You had an affair with Mr Hoyland, left your husband for him, then returned five months later? Do you have trouble deciding on which man you want in your bed?"

"Objection" Toadie yelled.

"Sustained," the judge said.

"My apologies. I'll rephrase. Do you not know which man you want to be with?"

"I want Max, I always have done."

"And yet you left him. Three times."

"I was sick…"

"Ah yes, the cancer. How many years have you been in remission?"

"Almost four."

"But it's not all been plain sailing?"

"No, I had a scare two years ago."

"And who was with you at that time?"

"Ian was. We'd… we'd just gotten married."

"You told him?"

"Yes."

"He went with you?"

"Yes." Steph knew what was coming next.

"Did Max do the same?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I didn't tell him."

"Why not?"

"I didn't want to hurt him."

"But you left him. I daresay that hurt him more. You left him a second time, this time you went to your father's funeral and didn't return?"

"That's right."

"You had your mother tell this man, the supposed love of your life, a man you were living with, that you weren't coming back?"

"That's not fair..."

"Fair, Mrs Tait? What would be fair? For you to stick at a relationship?"

"Objection!" Toadie yelled.

"I'm sorry," the lawyer said. "Your honour, Mrs Tait has a history of indecisiveness when it comes to a relationship. What will happen in a year's, eighteen months' time when she decides to move on again?"

"That'll do," the judge said.

"One final question, Mrs Tait," the lawyer said, "and forgive me for being blunt, but if the cancer returned and killed you, would you be confident that Mr Hoyland would want to look after the child you had with another man?"

She wanted to tell him yes, she was sure. Yes, she knew he would. Yes, Max would take on Matthew and love him like he was his own son.

"Mrs Tait?"

"I… You'd have to ask him that."

"But I'm asking you. Do you not know? This is the man you love more than anything, isn't it?"

"Yes…" Too late she realised the trap.

"More than anything? Including Matthew?"

"That's not what I meant…"

"It's what you said."

"Max would take care of Matthew, I know he would."

"But would he love him, raise him as his own, love him as a parent does?"

"I…"

"It would be hard, don't you think? Seeing as he isn't Matthew's father. My client is."

Crushed, Steph hung her head.

"No more questions," the lawyer said.

"I think a recess would do us all some good," the judge said. "We'll reconvene at one."

Steph tore out of the witness box and ignoring Max, ran out of the courtroom, sobbing her heart out.