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very understan ding and told him not to worry; she would pick one up from the b akery on her way over. The rest of the day seemed to go without a hitch but tempers were frayed between them and every day it seemed to get worse. Ellie was spending more and more time with Abi and less time with him. There were days when he came home from work to find she was still out in the car with Abi having left Oliver with his mother and other days when he came home to find Abi there playing with Ollie until the girl had practically become a fixture and seemed to be always in their lives. N ot yet being able to drive safely meant Ellie depended on her friend a lot and he knew that she needed someone to help her with Ollie so at first he’d been glad of her having such a close friend. Then it seemed to get a little out of hand. The girl began to have an opinion. If they disagreed on something Abi always took her side. The two girls had become almost inseparable and so it came as no surprise when Ellie asked him if her friend could move into the spare bedroom. She was apparently having trouble finding work , couldn’t afford the rent in her flat and in any case Ellie needed her help and he wasn’t exactly there to help her was he?
    ‘Ellie I have to go to work. There’s the mortgage on this place and all the bills. I’ve already taken my quota of holiday this year when you had your accident so my hands are a little tied don’t you think? I would help you when I come home but you’ve always got that bloody little sponger here and…….’
    ‘Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare cal l her that! She’s been more help to me than you’ve ever been. She’s the only one who really cares.’
    ‘That’s not fair Ellie and you know it. I’ve tried my best to look after you and help you. I even offered to sell the bloody house and buy a bungalow. I haven’t slept properly myself in ages. I’m always worried you’ll wake up and do something stupid. But I still have to get up in the morning and go to work so that we can eat and look after Ollie and sometimes I find that really hard Ellie; r eally hard. Ever since the accident you have become more and more distant. There are times I just want to come home and spend a little quality time with my wife, but when I get here; she’s here. She’s always here.’
    ‘It’s not my fault. I didn’t purposely jump out the bloody window did I? You think I don’t know what I’ve put you through? At least if Abi’s here, you don’t need to be. I’m giving you a break, that’ s all. She’s so good with Ollie; with both of us. She really looks after me, and anyway, it’s only for a couple of weeks until she finds a job. She’ll pay her keep ....... and we need the money.’
    ‘Well if she really intends to start working again then she won’t be here to look after you anyway will she, s o what’s the point? You won’t benefit from her being here if she’s working, apart from a few quid that she’ll help you spend and we’ll never have any privacy. Is that what you want Ellie?’ He stormed from the room slamming the door closed behind him. Perhaps that was what Ellie wanted. She certainly didn’t seem to want him anymore, and not just sexually. She didn’t even want to be in his company. He felt like his marriage was falling apart and he couldn’t fix it. To give in would be to give up. Was that truly what she wanted?
    He drove around for a while, bought a paper at the newsagents and went home. He’d barely been gone an hour and when he walked in Abi was there. Ellie was sitting next to her on the sofa. She’d been crying. They both looked at him nonchalantly. He felt like a stranger in his own home and he knew then that he would give in; t hat Ellie would have her way and, more to the point that Abi would have hers.
     
    After a successful couple of weeks creating and updating the new website which was already proving its worth with enquiries rolling in since they went live on