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Chapter 26: Bittersweet Goodbyes

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Rachel felt her brow furrowing slightly in somewhat misplaced amusement as Eddie posed the question. Rarely did they find themselves in a position where he was asking such a thing - it tended to be the opposite.

She sighed as finally Eddie's words sank in, placing down her purse she'd been zipping up and turning to be met with his caring gaze.

"I'm far from sure," she saw a flicker of something cross his expression, saw him fight the urge to respond, "yet still I… I can't not go and visit her."

Eddie was careful to keep his tone soft, simply worrying for Rachel's feelings more than anything. She was at the top of his priorities, always, "why not?"

"I have to go, Eddie. It was hard enough persuading Philip to go - as Mel wishes - and I can't exactly let him go on his own."

He immediately sagged, realising he was being entirely unreasonable and placing his concern for her above all else. Eddie made the short distance towards Rachel, encasing her upper arms in his hands, "I understand. I just worry, that's all."

She allowed her forehead to drop against his, "I know you do, and I love you for it."

Despite the situation, warmth flooded through him, a smile twitching his lips, "it'll be alright."

There Eddie was again, sensing her apprehension. Though, Rachel gathered the reassurance was for his own benefit just as much as hers. She wrapped her arms around Eddie's waist, head buried in his chest as the urge rose to stay in his arms forever. If only that was a possibility.

….

Rachel felt as though she was enduring an out of body experience as herself and Philip sat waiting for Melissa to emerge. It was more than a little odd, in the past the thought that she'd be visiting her sister in prison hadn't once crossed Rachel's mind. Sighing as she continued to tap her foot anxiously, she turned her attention to Philip, hoping to place all efforts into her nephew, into his feelings rather than her own.

"Are you alright?" She found herself whispering, not for one second taking her eyes off him, even as his gaze remained fixed firmly ahead.

"Erm, yeah. Fine." It was hardly convincing, was it?

Philip sensed this through his aunt's facial expression as he finally turned, knowing that she had somehow learnt to read him like a book.

There was no point fighting it, he realised, hardly any positives to shutting off Rachel's care and concern. Doing that would only make her worry more, and make him less likely to move on from this entire debacle. Rachel would help him no matter what.

This was why Philip found himself on the verge of laying his heart out bare, words almost tumbling out of his mouth as it opened and closed, rotation like. But then he heard it, the footsteps of prisoners incoming, an unmistakable reminder that Melissa would be sitting opposite them within seconds.

He was sure he could hear his heartbeat thudding in his chest, a look towards Rachel the only thing persuading him that he hadn't made the wrong choice with coming to see his mum.

Rachel didn't know what else to do but smile as her sister lowered herself into the chair, "you came," she muttered.

The comment was directed at Philip, the boy himself evidently panicking at the undeviating address, "only really cos erm… Rach persuaded me to."

Melissa kissed her teeth, expression darkening an inch or two, and for a moment, Rachel was sure she was going to lash out. But she let out a breath, glancing between the pair of them before landing her gaze on Rachel, "of course she did."

She resisted the urge to scoff, disbelieving that Melissa still had the audacity to blame her for the estranged relationship with Philip after everything.

"How about you just be grateful that your son is here, willing to visit you."

"Well," she smiled somewhat smirk like, "I am glad. But it's not like I'm short of visitors, I've had to turn someone away today to see you two."

That piqued Rachel's curiosity, one glance at Melissa telling her that she regretted the way the words had fallen out. Who was this mysterious visitor?

"Didn't know you were... so popular," Philip mumbled, eyes wandering down to the table.

Rachel picked up on his thought process, leaning forwards to look her sister in the eyes, so there was no hiding, "who… who did you turn away today?"

There was no going back now, Melissa realised. Rachel would get this out of her one way or the other, it was just a case of biting the bullet, "Tess Doyle."

Rachel's stomach plummeted, bile rising in her throat as she struggled to comprehend what this must mean. Stuart was in prison too, yet maybe this was a clear indicator that her sister had remained very much in contact with the man who'd tried to ruin Rachel. But why, when he was ultimately the reason she was here in the first place? The reason the police had found out about the bigamy?

"And yes," Melissa rolled her eyes, "I know what you're thinking."

She quirked an eyebrow, "do you?"

"Yes," it was her shrug that had Rachel's blood boiling. How could she be thinking so casually about this situation? "That, because I'm seeing Tess, Stuart is in the picture."

She was sure her heart had stopped, concerns not quashed by Philip's somewhat furious expression, "and is he? Even though he had been blackmailing you, even though proof of your bigamy was found in his house?"

"Well," it was Melissa's turn to sit forward now, features smug and unyielding, "he's not so much now, with us both being in prison. But before I… I did go to visit him regularly."

Rachel couldn't quite catch the splutter before it fell from her mouth, "what?"

"Mum, you can't be serious," Philip was shaking his head so much he wondered if it was going to fall off.

"Oh, come on. It's not that bad," she paused, "look, I didn't tell either of you that… Stuart and me, we were in a relationship, before all this bigamy and fire palava."

"You mean, that fire palava where your sister nearly died?" Philip butted in, rendering both Melissa and Rachel speechless.

"You know I'm sorry about that, you know I am."

On the surface, her remorse was believable. Yet Rachel knew better, and found herself wondering how Melissa could be wholeheartedly sorry if she'd continued contact with Stuart Hordley.

"Look," the younger sister placed her hands out on the table, sending Rachel and Philip's uncertainty, "when you love someone, like I love Stuart…"

Rachel was sure she was going to be sick, mind spinning and heart jumping wildly as she realised this for what it was.

"It's hard to just let go. So yes, before I ended up here, we'd been staying in contact, I'd been going to visit him. Tess comes to see me every so often, to tell me how he's doing."

The worst part was, Philip considered, that his mum saw this scenario as entirely normal. As though it was entirely normal to be besotted with someone who'd blackmailed you and almost killed your sister. Yet, then again, she never did consider anyone but herself - so what had he been expecting?

One look at his aunt and he was sure she was going to keel over, her breathing was painfully controlled, eyes closed as she evidently attempted to digest her emotions.

"Melissa I… I don't quite know what to say."

Philip winced as his mum looked genuinely shocked, "how do you mean?"

"Well I… you apologised for everything with the fire, yes? You were furious at Stuart for the way he'd blackmailed you into keeping quiet. And yet… you continued a relationship with him? After everything he'd done."

Realisation seemed to hit Melissa smack bang in the face, expression crumpling as she began to recognise the mistake she'd made in revealing her continued involvement with Stuart. Her potential sisterly relationship was at stake.

"Oh, Rach, it's not like that, really. You have to believe me."

But Rachel was already standing, and Philip could tell from the way his aunt was blinking rapidly that tears were pricking at her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mel. I love you, and I was willing to at least try and form some kind of relationship with you. But I… I really think this was the last straw, don't you?"

She remained silent and Philip was quick to follow Rachel's actions, standing as the woman herself walked away. But he wasn't done just yet.

"Bye mum. You've really done it this time."

The worst part was, he wasn't sure she cared. At least not for his opinion anyway.

….

Five days later and Eddie was well accustomed with just how much Melissa's actions had affected both Philip and Rachel. He was still trying to wrap his own head around it all, not quite being able to comprehend how the younger sister could even think about retaining contact with Stuart after all he'd put her own flesh and blood through.

Eddie himself had spent recent days comforting Rachel in every which way possible, and he was content to see he'd made an impact. That beautiful smile he loved so much was just about back, and her general demeanour seemed free of something, perhaps free of the way Melissa had made her feel.

As for Philip, the way he'd opened up to Rachel was nothing but a positive, and Eddie knew that they'd been able to help one another too. He couldn't deny the pride and sheer stab of adoration he felt at how admiringly well Rachel had handled the entire ordeal. Not to mention how amazing it was to see the relationship with her nephew continue to blossom.

During a free period at his desk was where Eddie found his mind trailing back to several conversations he had with Rachel, about the possibility of going away either during the October or Christmas holidays. They had revisited the idea on more than one occasion following on from his initial mention, from potential locations to bringing Philip along.

If the past few days had confirmed anything for Eddie, it was that Philip and Rachel both deserved, and needed, some time away from Rochdale, whether that be soon or a couple of months down the line. So, abandoning his year nine marking for now, Eddie set to work on his laptop, bringing up several locations and accommodation to share and discuss with Rachel later. Frankly, he couldn't wait to do so.