Many years ago before Carla had married Paul she had been in a relationship with a guy named Shane. He had been bought up on the same estate as them all but he wasn't a very nice man. Carla had managed to get involved with him after a very regrettable under-age drunken night in the local pub, in which she had confided in him about her home life. She had told him how she despised her mother and father and how for this her little brother had started to resent her. Divulging to him the information that she hated living there and wanted to leave he had offered her the perfect solution. Shane had suggested that she move in with him and he had taken a shine to her as well as picking up on her vulnerability. Shane had then managed to put so much distance between her and her home and as a result Paul, Liam and Michelle had gradually seen less and less of her until they just assumed she had fallen of the edge of the earth.
The truth was Carla had found herself in a possessive and highly abusive relationship. After only a week of having her stay Shane had taken advantage after plying her with alcohol. From there it developed into a habit and eventually Carla had become so smitten that she was at his mercy. Together they had been a recipe for disaster and the atmosphere between them was certainly explosive. At only sixteen she had been headstrong and feisty. Shane was nearly ten years her senior and should have known better but he had taken advantage of her in every way and eventually driven her to have to take action. It was Michelle she had confided in late one night when Shane had disappeared to the pub and upon discovering the whereabouts of her friend Michelle, at only fifteen had bravely gone round to her aide.
When she had arrived she had found Carla pale and extremely ill looking. She was so frail she looked as though she hadn't eaten in weeks and her usually perfect make up was smudged and blotchy. She had definitely been crying and she had bruises all over her body, making it clear to Michelle that she had been badly beaten. The concerning thing was how long this had been going on. Michelle knew domestic abuse was a very serious crime and she insisted that her and Carla leave. It took some time to convince her friend but upon managing to she had wasted no time in starting to get together what little possessions Carla had.
They had frantically tried to pack Carla's bag and get out before Shane came home but had been unsuccessful. Intoxicated to the highest of levels Shane had returned, raging for some reason or another as he usually did and yelled Carla's name. In the bedroom the two friends stopped mid action and looked to the door. Carla knew it would be only seconds until he found them and it was. Marching into the bedroom he frowned and scowled at the sight of them hovered over the bag with Carla's clothes spilling from the top.
"Where are you going?" he bellowed as both of them filled with fear.
Carla stood silently praying Michelle would get away before she came to any harm but was horrified when Shane went straight for her and grabbed her forcing her down onto the bed. With a sadistic grin he held her down, ripping her clothes from her body as she screamed for him to stop. Hot tears ran down her cheeks and Carla tried to fight him off of her before he could do any real harm but she was no match for him. He shrugged her off and pushed her with such force she stumbled and fell back against the wall. When Michelle screamed, obviously in pain Carla was desperate and knew she needed to do something more. Running to the kitchen she grabbed the first thing she saw, a chopping knife with a long sharp blade and went running back to the bedroom where without hesitation she she lunged forward and drove the blade deep into his side.
He let go of Michelle, who was trembling and scowled at Carla. Reaching forward for her he tried to strangle her but had no grip. He tumbled to the ground, clutching at his side where Carla had stabbed him and cursed her as the blood slowly began to pour from the wound. Nothing mattered now but her and Michelle's safety. Reaching across she pulled Michelle from the bed and chucked her one of her coats to cover up with. Leaving everything behind but the weapon, the two girls fled into the night. Carla's knuckles were turning white as she gripped the knife tightly trying not to drop it. It needed disposing of but frightened and young neither of them knew how. Unluckily whilst running they had bumped straight into Michelle's eldest brother Paul who mysteriously had been lurking about not far from Carla's flat in the scrub lands of the estate.
Noticing how suspicious they had seemed and with concern for his sister's safety at having been out so late at night he had intercepted them. At first they had nervously stuttered and been unable to answer his questions as Carla tried to keep the knife from his view hidden at her back but upon walking them home and making sure Michelle was safe inside he had turned back to Carla and she had told him everything. He had insisted on helping her, especially when he had all the facts about the incident. Returning to the crime seen with Carla he had helped her remove Shane's dead body and clean up any mess that suggested what had happened. In the early hours of morning they had finished and crashed on the sofa, Paul spooning Carla as he held her in his arms.
Paul had always loved Carla, not that she had given him a look but now lying there with her he knew his luck was about to change. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her and this was no exception. Knowing that she had killed Shane he had only vowed that if he had known what the man had done and been doing to her he would have killed him himself. It was sweet of him to care so much and come morning he had even packed up her things for her and took her back to his place. It was a much nicer flat, outside of the grotty area they lived in as kids and Carla remembered having been extremely impressed by how well he had done for himself. Paul told her that if anyone ever came asking questions about Shane she was never to tell the truth and to this day it was only the three of them that knew.
Having reminisced the two of them came to the conclusion that it must be this secret that Denzy was referring too. They were stumped as to how she had come across the information because Paul had taken the secret to the grave and now they were the only ones who knew. Wary and frightened they made a pact to stick together on this, deny any knowledge if Denzy tried to pry. Sitting silently they stared at each other not knowing what to do next when Jessica appeared at the door.
"Connor!" she demanded, making them both look at the mention of their name.
"You" continued Jessica intently staring at Carla and gesturing with the finger for her to come.
Hesitantly Carla got up and approached, wondering what was happening now and she swallowed down hard the lump in her throat. She followed Jessica out and up the stairs to the second level where they stopped outside a cell she didn't recognise and waited with anticipation as Michelle watched through the grill like flooring from the ground level.