AUTHORS NOTE: I've had a few days off work so I have managed to get a bit of time in to do a bit of writing. This particular chapter comes in two parts as I literally just kept writing and ended up with a chapter of over 10,000 words which I conceded was probably a bit too long. So, I split it into two. I will post both chapters together so there is no wait so this is the first of two uploads today, but this is not going to be a regular thing so don't get used to it.
A quick warning the second part (next chapter) will have a trigger warning and I'll just say now that the subject of rape and abuse are discussed in that part if anyone is sensitive to those subjects.
CHAPTER 73
"Ireland!" I call as I sit trying to figure out how I am going to get our mother to the prison for the confrontation with Gideon and Ryan.
She appears with a phone in her hand and she looks at me questioningly. "What?!" she asks.
"How the hell do I get our mom to the prison?" I ask helplessly.
Ireland sighs and comes and sits with me, "Well you don't tell her where you are going, that's for certain as she will refuse to go. You can't just phone her out of the blue and say hey mom lets go and see your son who you washed your hands of years ago… you know the one who shot your other son!"
I let out a snort at the absurdity of this whole situation. Then I rub my eyes, I am at a loss of how I am going to do this, but I don't want to let Gideon down as this is the first time ever he has turned to me for help.
"Hang on" Ireland says as she looks at me as though a lightbulb has just gone off in her head. "Mom's birthday is coming up shortly, why not say you want to take her out as you won't be around for her birthday… that's something you have done before, it's something we have both done so she won't get suspicious about that will she?" she asks.
I think about that and realise that's the best we are going to come up with, "Some birthday present!" I say wryly and Ireland giggles.
"Yeah I know, but she deserves all she gets," all humour vanishing from her voice as she says that.
I glance at the phone, "Sorry did I disturb your call?" I ask nodding my head towards the phone she is still gripping.
She looks at it and shakes her head, "No, I was thinking about calling Angus" she says.
I am surprised by that and it immediately peaks my interest as to why she would do that.
"Why?" I ask simply.
Ireland sighs, "After listening to everything that was said, they were all lied to… they were all led to believe shit that wasn't true. Mom is going to be confronted about her part but Ryan's dad is dead, so he can't be held accountable for his part and the lies he told and we both know mom could say anything to make herself look better – and you know she will".
I nod in agreement, that is the only thing that is concerning me about this confrontation, mom will swear black is white until she realises she cannot deny it anymore. But when that moment comes she will probably tell more lies to try and get herself off the hook.
"So…" Ireland continues, "I was thinking after what Ryan said about his other mom… Eric Landon's wife who left, I think after what she did she also should be held accountable in a way if Ryan is going to get the healing he needs. But, I also thought she might have some insight as to how it really was back then. So, I was going to call Angus to find out if he could track her down and find out if firstly she is still alive and secondly if he could contact her, and thirdly if we could get her to spill what she knows".
I lean back in my seat, this is an angle which I hadn't considered but my clever little sister is on the ball with this. "Ireland, that's brilliant!" I say simply and she beams at me.
"Really? You really think so?" she asks hopefully.
I nod, "Yeah, but I'd suggest bringing Ana and Eva on board with this part, then if Angus can find this woman maybe if you three go to talk to her, all women together and try and appeal to her better nature to get her to talk".
Ireland nods, "Ok… In that case I'll call Eva instead and run my idea past her" she says. With that she jumps from her seat and rushes from the room. I look down at my phone in my hand and taking a deep breath I call my mother.
oooOOOooo
(EVA)
"It just makes me so angry, all these people have lied, cheated and stolen and in doing so have fucked up the lives of the next generation. I just hope this plan works out and everyone can get their closure" I say as I sip from my glass.
Ana looks at me sympathetically, "Yeah, I thought Christian and I had fucked up parentage but its positively normal compared to the murky waters of the Landon and Cross families".
I let out a snort, "Yeah, I thought Frank was fucked up but he's got nothing on them".
"Have you heard anything from him since the military trial and when we went with El to see him?" Ana asks warily.
I shake my head, "No, not a peep. Now that he realises we despise him and he is in no position to capitalise on our link he's slunk away and I don't think we will hear about him again".
"Good" Ana replies.
"What about you, have you heard anything from him? Has El?" I ask and Ana just shakes her head.
"No and no" she says simply.
"Talking of El how is he now? He seems really happy from what he says when we talk. He said he sees his birth mom and sister quite regularly although they seem to like to live their own lives, but he is always full of what he, Meg and Ava are up to. I get to chat with him and Meg quite regularly and they both seem to be living the dream".
Ana smiles and nods, "Yeah, we really don't see or hear much from Sadie or Lucy, they keep themselves to themselves. Elliot goes to see them and he takes Ava to see them and they visit El but they don't really have much to do with the rest of us. They will show up when Grace and Carrick invite them to dinner and it's all very polite but I think what it is, is Sadie still believes that everyone was disappointed with her when she accepted the terms of the divorce so easily after what everyone did to get her away from Detroit".
I nod, "I can understand why she did that though, the abuse she suffered she just wanted a clean break. She didn't care about getting revenge she just wanted that bastard out of her life for good so she could rebuild".
A brief silence spreads out between us, before Ana continues. "Megumi is having the time of her life in Seattle, she is as thick as thieves with Mia, they are always doing something together and she is loving it at GEH. Christian is very impressed with her and her work ethic. She's doing really well and she and El are so happy. I don't think it will be long before he pops the question because she gets on so well with Ava. Did she tell you that Ava has started calling her mom?"
I nod, "Yeah, she said that they are talking about her adopting Ava so that she is officially her mom. I got the impression El is thinking about asking her to marry him the last time we talked. They are good for each other; they've both been hurt – in different ways but hurt is hurt and it leaves emotional scars. They are mindful of that and careful with each other but they are solid so it would be the next obvious step".
"I just hope Kate doesn't do something stupid when that time comes and she is made aware of it" Ana says despondently.
That attracts my attention, as far as I was aware Kate has been pretty much forgotten and Ana hasn't mentioned her for a while until now. "Has she been in touch?" I ask and Ana shuffles uncomfortably and flushes slightly.
"Ana?" I ask a little sharper than I intended.
She looks up at me and shrugs, "Out of the blue she started calling me again recently, leaving messages saying she wants to build bridges and saying how sorry she is. I'm obviously ignoring them," she says in a rush as though she wants to blurt out something that she is desperate to get out.
"When did that start?" I ask angrily as I remember my confrontation with Kate back in Seattle.
Ana holds up her hand, "Only very recently, just before we flew out. That's why I haven't said anything until now. I've tried to ignore it as we have more important things going on at the moment and I know how Christian will react when I tell him".
"Shit" I breathe. Before I can say anything else though, my phone starts buzzing I look at it and smile as I see Ireland's face on the screen. "It's Ireland" I say and I quickly answer putting the call on speaker so that Ana can hear.
"Hi Ireland, what's up?" I ask brightly.
"Hi Eva, I've had an idea" she replies.
"Ok?" I say and wait for her to elaborate.
"Christopher is working on getting mom to the prison for the big confrontation and I thought that as Ryan Landon's dad is dead, the only other person who also needs to be held accountable for their actions is the woman who was married to his dad. Ryan thought she was his mom till she blew his world apart out of spite so if he is going to get his closure and heal then she should be there and held accountable for what she did. But I also thought that she might be able to shed some light on what really went on between mom, Gideon's dad and Ryan's dad as she was there at the time".
I look at Ana with my eyebrows raised and she grins and nods.
"That's a brilliant idea Ireland" I say enthusiastically.
"That's great, I'm so glad you think so" she replies clearly relieved by my response. "So, my reason for ringing is I have no idea who this woman is. I Googled Eric Landon and she was named as his wife and Ryan's mom an according to Google she is called Martha. The thing is I don't know if she is still alive, it said she faded into obscurity after the divorce and so I don't know if she has gone back to her maiden name or if she still goes by Landon. It was all a bit sketchy, and its unknown if she is even still alive, so I was wondering if Angus or Raul could track her down and if they could I was wondering if we could go and see her and try and persuade her to come forward. Not only for Ryan's sake but for Gideon so he can find out just what really went on back then. I also think if she is there, mom won't be able to deny everything and try and make herself look innocent as she has done all these years, because someone else who knew her then will be able to put us right".
I am on my feet and so is Ana, Angus and Raul are both here at the moment talking with Welch, Gideon and Christian so this would be the perfect opportunity to get him on board with this.
"Just hang on Ireland Angus is here now, let me go and find him" I say.
"Ok" she replies and then there is silence. Ana and I go to Gideon's study where there are voices coming through the door and I hear the Scottish accent loud and clear amongst them. I smile and knock on the door before carefully opening it.
"Angel" Gideon purrs as soon as he sees me and I see his eyes soften and a longing heat immediately appear in them.
I grin at him before turning my attention to Angus, "Angus, can we borrow you a moment please?" I ask.
He nods and rises gracefully from his seat, "Ay lass" he says genially.
"Is everything ok Angel?" Gideon asks, and I nod.
"Everything is fine, Ireland has had an amazing idea and we need Angus to help, I'll fill you in later" I say.
Gideon nods and returns his attention to some papers on his desk, which is clearly what was being discussed when we interrupted.
Angus closes the door behind him and looks at me questioningly, "What can I do for you lass?" he asks.
I quickly outline Ireland's idea and thrust my phone out towards him so Ireland can speak to him personally.
"Ireland you're on speaker, tell Angus what you told us" I say.
Ireland quickly repeats what she said previously, and Angus listens carefully. He nods and while listening he is tapping furiously on his phone.
"Ay, give me a little time lass and I'll get you what you need" he says.
Ireland thanks him and after a few more words we bring the call to an end and I look up at Angus. "I never would've thought of that angle" I say and Angus nods.
"Ay, she's a clever wee lass. I'll get you what you need but you need to tell Gideon what you are planning", he pauses and glances at Ana, "And you need to tell Christian as well" he adds.
We both assure him we will and with that he turns away and returns to the study as we walk away back to the living room.
oooOOOooo
Two days later…
Angus had found Martha Jackson very quickly and without much effort. She still lives in New York, alone. She had never remarried after divorcing Landon and returned to using her maiden name. She has quietly lived on the generous divorce settlement all these years. That very overly generous settlement interested both Ana and I and we immediately thought that it was hush money so that she didn't spill her secrets to the media about the truth of everything she knew. As far as the media is concerned, she is Ryan's mother and I am guessing her bought silence is the only reason that is so.
Ana and I had sat down with Christian and Gideon and we had explained Ireland's plan and what our intention was. They were impressed with Ireland for thinking of that angle and agreed that it should be us who went to talk to her. Obviously Christian had insisted that Taylor accompanied Ana and Gideon said that Raul or Angus should come with me, but it was agreed that they would wait outside as there wasn't any real threat from Martha Jackson and that if we turned up mob handed with security she would probably shut down and refuse to listen to us, let alone agree to help us.
The meeting had gone better than expected, she had been shocked when she had opened the door of her apartment to see us standing there. She had recognised us immediately but to her credit she hadn't closed the door in our faces…
"This is the apartment, so what do we do? Do we just knock?" Ireland asks, her hand poised to knock on the door.
Ana nods, "What's the worst that could happen?" she says.
"Slam the door in our faces when she recognises us" I reply, which produces a couple of nervous giggles from Ana and Ireland.
"Ok, here goes" Ireland says and she knocks confidently on the apartment door.
A moment or so later we hear the sound of a bolt moving and the door carefully opens a little and a kind faced middle aged lady peeps out. Her eyes widen as she immediately recognises us.
"Don't be afraid, we are not here to hurt you… we just want to talk" Ireland blurts out.
"What do you want from me?" she asks nervously.
"Just to talk" I say carefully.
She considers that for a moment and looks at each of us in turn. I am so glad we had persuaded our husbands that security should wait outside as this woman is clearly afraid and I don't think we would still be here if Angus or Raul and Taylor had been with us.
She opens the door a little wider, removing the security chain. "Is this about what Ryan did?" she asks, referring to the night of the gala.
"Partly, a number of things have come out since then and as Eric Landon is dead, you are the only one who was around at that time who could shed some light on what we have discovered" I say.
To our surprise a tear slides down the woman's cheek. She thinks for a moment and then nods. She steps aside, opening the door and inviting us in. We all thank her as we walk past her into a small but comfortable apartment.
"Please sit down, can I get you something to drink?" she asks.
We all politely decline and she sits down opposite us, wringing her hands nervously. "Well then how do you think I can help you?" she asks.
We all look at each other, wondering how to get the ball rolling. We were both disgusted by Ryan's disclosure that she had blown up his life as a child by telling him that she wasn't his mother. But looking at the kindly faced lady in front of us we are questioning that now as she doesn't look capable of being so cruel.
I clear my throat, "We all went to see Ryan at the jail the other day and he told us some things when we confronted him with the information that we had discovered about your ex-husband… and Gideon's mother Elizabeth".
I watch as I see the pain and sorrow in her eyes and something else… guilt. I realise immediately that she did do what Ryan said, but she regrets it. She confirms that by what she says next.
"That is the only thing I regret; Ryan was an innocent child and although I am assuming that you know I told him Elizabeth was his mother but you have to believe me that I never meant for that to happen the way it did, I loved him as if he was my own and to him I was his mother and so I have been filled with remorse ever since. It is no excuse, it was unforgivable what I said to Ryan but I was so angry with Eric. I wasn't thinking straight, I had to get out of that marriage, I had to leave for my own sanity I was close to a breakdown but as I say it's no excuse, what I did - destroying Ryan… it made me no better than Eric" she says sadly. Much to our horror she starts to sob, Ireland immediately moves and sits beside her taking her hand.
"Please don't cry, we didn't come here to upset you. We are hoping that you can tell us what you know and if you want to, we can take you to Ryan to apologise for what you did. We are arranging a meeting between him, our mother and hopefully clearing the air once and for all and ending the Landon/Cross feud. So, if you want to join us so that you can get your own closure with Ryan…?" Ireland trails off and waits while Martha composes herself.
She looks up at each of us in turn and we see the hope in her eyes now that she can make right the past.
"I'd like that very much, Ryan was the innocent in all this. He was just a child and he was used by Eric to perpetuate the silly grudge he held because Elizabeth chose Geoffrey instead of him. All these years I saw how he was poisoned by Eric's lies".
We all look at each other and wait for her to continue.
"So many times, I wanted to speak out. I wanted to say no don't do this Ryan you are better than that, every time he spoke out in the media and made the baseless accusations against Gideon Cross. But I didn't because I was a coward and because I knew he wouldn't listen to me after what I did to him, but if he knew what his father was really like if he knew the secrets he held and the lifestyle he lived and the unspeakable things he did with Geoffrey and Elizabeth". She stops and shudders and I wonder what on earth could be that bad.
I lean forward reaching out for Martha's other hand and Ana goes and sits next to her on her other side. "Tell us, tell us everything from your perspective" I say gently.
Martha looks up at me and nods. "Before we start, I know you are Gideon's wife – Eva isn't it?" she says and then turns to Ana, "…and you are Christian Grey's wife Ana and you two are sisters?" she asks and we both nod.
"We are, forgive us we didn't introduce ourselves properly when we arrived. You are correct, I am Eva Cross and this is my sister Anastasia Grey - but she prefers just Ana" I say.
I point to Ireland, "This is Ireland Vidal, she is Gideon's little sister. Elizabeth married Chris Vidal after Gideon's dad died and she had Christopher and Ireland with him. It was Ireland's idea to approach you as she thought you'd be able to shed some light on that whole point in time".
Martha nods and smiles weakly at us. "I'll tell you everything, it's time the truth came out. I was gagged for years not to expose the full extent of the crimes Eric, Geoffrey Cross and Elizabeth Yarwood perpetuated. I was silenced by the divorce settlement, a generous sum to buy my silence. But Eric and Geoffrey are now both dead and it's time Elizabeth was held accountable for everything she did and the countless lives all three of them ruined" she says bitterly.
Ana holds up her hand, "Wait, if you are bound by a divorce contract we can't ask you to divulge what you know as surely even all these years later the legalities of that agreement – and the penalties for breaching them would still occur?" she asks looking at me.
Martha sits up straight and smiles, "Oh I'm fine telling you and whatever you decide to do with that information is entirely up to you and out of my hands. Although I am fairly certain nothing would happen to me as Eric is no longer around. According to the contract I am just forbidden to divulge the truth to law enforcement, attorneys or the media, the terms were incredibly clear on that along with the penalties for breaching them. So, even though I believe nothing would happen to me now I could tell you and I could even write it all down, sign and date it and hand it over to you and that would be fine but to be on the safe side I can't tell the authorities or the media".
A grin fills all our faces, "So, if I was to record everything you tell us on my phone that would be fine too?" Ireland asks and Martha nods enthusiastically. Her eyes are shining now, eager with the knowledge that after all these years she is going to finally get the truth out there.
I pull out my phone, "We will all record it that way there is no argument that it is fake, if we all record it separately on our phones, that will be enough" I say.
Martha looks at me, and points at my phone. "Those phones have a video recorder on them don't they?" she asks and I nod realising where this is going.
"Would… could… would you mind recording a message for Ryan for me. I would love to see him but I think if he heard my apology first via a video, he would be more receptive to see me… don't you think?" she asks hopefully.
I agree immediately, Ana, Ireland and I compare our phones to see who has the most battery life and it appears my phone is the only one fully charged, so I am tasked with doing the video recording while Ana and Ireland make audio recordings on their phones of the meeting. I start the video camera and Martha starts to speak with a heartfelt apology and begging for Ryan's forgiveness for her behaviour. We are all in tears by the time she has finished and not one of us believe that Ryan will be unmoved by her words. We give Martha time to compose herself as I save the recording.
A moment later Martha speaks again, "Ok, I'm ready, I'm going to tell you everything but I warn you it's not pretty". She looks at Ireland apologetically, "I fear you will never look at your mother in the same way again after you hear what I have said, and that concerns me" she says.
Ireland lets out a snort of laughter and shakes her head, "Believe me anything you tell me can't be worse than what I already know about her and what she has done. My mother is a complete narcissist. She is toxic through and through".
Martha listens but Irelands words don't seem to surprise her as she just nods sagely.
"Ok then" I say as we are all set up and ready to start, "We are ready when you are, take your time and tell us everything you know"…
"EVA!"
I'm pulled from my thoughts of that meeting by Gideon calling me. I take a deep breath and pulling my hair into a simple ponytail. I check my appearance in the mirror once more before leaving the bedroom.
Everyone, bar Christopher is gathered in the living room. I look around, my eyes meet Gideon's and then I take in Christian, Ana, Ireland, Caroline, Angus, Raul, Welch and Taylor.
"Christopher just text me, he is about to go and pick up our mother" Gideon says as he pushes his phone into his pocket.
I nod, "Who is fetching Martha?" I ask and Ireland raises her hand.
"I am, Gideon thinks it would be best if I did it and I'm just going now. I'll meet you all at the prison" she says.
We all give her a hug as she moves away accompanied by Raul and I notice that Caroline also goes with them.
"Well, this is it then" I say as I wrap my arms around Gideon's waist.
"This is it" he replies simply and pulling away from me he reaches for the folder of information from the table.
Everyone had been astounded by the revelations that Martha had divulged, I don't think anyone realised just how bad and how vile Elizabeth, Geoffrey Cross and Eric Landon were and since hearing about the depths of depravity and levels of criminality they plunged to we are all different people. Even Angus was astounded by the revelations as he was certain that Elizabeth's relationship with Geoffrey Cross had evolved quite quickly, from what he had known about her when he had looked into her when Chris Vidal had started a relationship with her but according to Martha, they had known each other – and Eric Landon for years and went back a long way. Ireland had just sat and cried after Martha had told her story, I was numb and almost disbelieving what I had heard and trying to work out how I was going to break it to Gideon. Ana was incandescent with indignant rage, but she had immediately put that aside when she saw how Ireland and I had been affected and focussed her energy on supporting us. We had all been affected deeply by what we had heard. But today we are hopefully confronting Elizabeth with those revelations. Ana, Ireland and I have the recordings on our phones. I have the video and Gideon has copies of both the audio and video. Gideon had immediately gone to the prison to see Ryan taking Caroline with him and filled him in on everything we had learnt from Martha and also showed him the video of her apology, along with the revelations about their parents. Ryan had immediately agreed to see her in person and Gideon had said he seemed like a different person now that he was aware of the truth. I don't know how Ryan took the information about what Elizabeth, his father and Geoffrey Cross did as Gideon hasn't spoken about it, in fact he hasn't talked to me at all about it and that worries me.
oooOOOooo
When we arrive at the prison, Raul meets us and takes us into the small room with the one-way mirror which we had previously used. Ireland is already in there and she has tears rolling down her cheeks as she turns to face us. We look and we see Ryan and Martha holding on to each other and sobbing bitterly.
"I felt bad watching this as it was so personal, I know she was only telling him what she'd already told us but it still feels awkward. I feel like a voyeur" Ireland says.
I wrap my arm around her, "Come on Ireland, you've done nothing wrong" I reassure her.
We watch as Ryan pulls away from Martha and leads her to her seat. I am aware that he isn't handcuffed this time and that more seats are arranged in the room. It appears that Gideon has arranged for this and used his influence.
A moment later Ryan nods to someone who I can't see and then there is a knock on the door of our room. The door opens and the prison official who spoke with us previously appears. "Ryan is ready for you all" he says.
Gideon nods, "How many are allowed in this time?" he asks and the prison official hesitates and then waves his hand.
"Listen, after what you explained and what we heard you tell Landon when you came to see him I think it's unnecessary in this instance. I'm aware that your brother is coming with your mother and there will be a confrontation. We will be watching from here, we have to. But everything you have requested is in place" he says.
I look at the prison official and then up at Gideon questioningly, wondering what he meant by that. "Arash, and the lawyers who are dealing with the civil cases on behalf of my father's victims and law enforcement are going to be observing what happens, and it will all be recorded on camera with full audio" Gideon explains simply and I realise he is leading his mother into a carefully constructed trap.
"Are you sure about this? You are going to be divulging… the other stuff which happened" I say vaguely.
Gideon looks at me and I see a steely determination in his eyes, "Everyone present in that room, bar Martha Jackson already know what happened to me, I told Ryan when I came to see him on my own… and he believes me," he says and my heart lurches at the way Gideon is still amazed by the fact that people believe what happened to him. But I am more shocked that he had told Ryan Landon of all people something so personal. "But in light of everything else we have learnt about our parents I think what happened to me is the least of my concerns, in fact considering what came out in Martha's testimony I feel it is almost redundant." he adds.
There is another knock on the door and the same prison official appears again, "Just so you are aware your brother has arrived with your mother. She isn't coming willingly, but they are currently going through security and should be here in a few minutes" he says with a small wry smile. I watch as Angus exchanges a glance with Gideon and leaves the room. I'm certain he has gone to make sure Elizabeth will be present.
We make our way to the room where Ryan and Martha are and they both look up as we all troop in. Gideon places the folder he is clutching on to the table. I spot Caroline sitting unobtrusively in a seat in the corner, just observing. Ryan stands holding out his hand to Gideon and then to Christian and he greets them warmly. He turns and smiles nervously at me and at Ana before settling on Ireland.
"Ireland, my mom said it was all your idea to get her involved with this… I just want to thank you" he says simply and Ireland responds by waving her hand dismissively.
"It's ok" she says.
Ryan shakes his head, "No, it was inspired. You have no idea what you've done, you have managed to generate a complete change in how I thought and what I have believed for years with that one action. You have changed everything – literally everything" he says. He glances at Caroline who smiles reassuringly at him and he turns to Gideon.
"I'm sorry… for everything" he says to Gideon. "After we talked and you told me… and after everything mom told me about what Elizabeth was like… and my father and your dad… bro we didn't stand a fucking chance!" he blurts out and I see tears welling up in his eyes.
Gideon's eyes widen and he takes in a sharp breath as he hears the word bro, but he quickly composes himself and shakes his head, "No I don't suppose we did, but this is our chance to put right what they did wrong" he says.
As he says this the door opens and an exasperated and angry Christopher and an amused Angus frogmarches an angry Elizabeth into the room. Gone is the cool as a cucumber exterior, the façade she always displays showing her very fake best side. Gideon glances at the mirror and nods. I realise he is making sure all this is being recorded.
I can't help but grin at Elizabeth, she is dishevelled and clearly fuming but as soon as she sees everyone she quickly tries to compose herself and show us her usual unflappable self. My mouth opens and I am addressing her before I can stop myself.
"It's too late for that Elizabeth, it's time to show your true colours don't hide them anymore because we know everything – every last nasty, vile and despicable thing you have done in your sorry life and there is no running away from it this time, no denying it. You are going to admit what you have done".
Elizabeth looks around the room defiantly but as her gaze falls on Martha her eyes widen in fear. "I… I have no idea what you are talking about" she stammers nervously.
"Yes you do mom and before the denials start, just know that we all know everything, and I mean everything" Ireland says coldly.
Ryan steps forward and looks at his biological mother, and an eerie silence fills the room as he cocks his head slightly as he takes her in and she just emotionlessly stares back. "Gideon was right" he says simply and so quietly that if the room wasn't as silent as it is we wouldn't have heard it.
Elizabeth just stares at him coldly, there is nothing maternal about the look she gives him.
Ryan turns to Gideon, "You were right, I really did dodge that fucking bullet didn't I?" he says.
Gideon just shrugs, "Your jealousy was groundless and completely pointless" he replies simply, before turning towards Elizabeth who is now staring right at him. "Shall we begin then mother?" he says spitting the word mother with so much venom I actually cringe slightly.
Christopher grasps Elizabeth's arm and shoves her unceremoniously into a seat as we all move in an each grab a chair. Elizabeth looks around and swallows hard at all the hostile faces around her.
Gideon looks at me, "Angel I think the best way to begin is with your conversation with Ryan's mom".
The fact he called Martha, 'Ryan's mom' is not lost on anyone and I nod whilst pulling my phone from my pocket and I call up the video. Elizabeth's eyes are fixed on my phone as I turn it towards her. I turn up the volume as high as it will go and I press play.