Stanton Box Set

“This man is in here for murder but the supposed victim is alive and in hospital. He will not be going back into his cell and will have full use of telephone and internet,” Vincenzo asserts.

The guard’s eyes hold his. “He can wait out his time as a free man inside the prison. There is a lounge area that he may use until the paperwork is complete,” he replies.

Vincenzo nods and continues to fill out the paperwork and my eyes flick to Cameron. He can’t get the smile off his face… we all can’t. The intense feeling of relief is immeasurable.

The guard knocks on the door of the office. “This way,” he gestures.

We all stand and Vincenzo immediately embraces Cameron and me.

“You did good.” He smiles warmly.

“Natasha did good,” Cameron replies as he slaps Vincenzo on the back. We leave the room and follow the guard through a maze of corridors and finally into an office where Joshua is seated at a desk. His face falls when he sees us. “What’s wrong? Is it Mum?” he asks, panicked.

The guard closes the door on the way out and Joshua frowns at the back of the door. “Cameron, what is it?” he asks again.

“Joshua, we have her,” Cameron whispers.

Joshua frowns. “Who?”

“Natasha, she’s alive and we have her,” Cameron stammers.

Joshua frowns.

“It’s true.” I nod as I smile—I still can’t believe it.

“Can’t be,” Joshua whispers as his eyes flick to me.

I nod as my eyes well up with tears.

“She’s alive?” he whispers.

Cameron laughs. “Very much so. She’s in the hospital for observation but she is unharmed. She was given a blood transfusion and survived.”

Joshua stands. “What!” he whispers.

Cameron grabs his brother in an embrace. “We found her, we found her,” he whispers into his hair. “It’s over, everything is over. You can come home.”

“She’s alive,” Joshua whispers again as his eyes flick between the two of us in disbelief. “She’s ok?” he gasps. He holds out his arm for me to join them and the three of us stand in an embrace as we let our emotions overload together for the first time since this tragedy began.

Natasha

I sit in the back of the car with a huge smile on my face which I can’t control. I’m going to see him. For the first time in seven weeks I’m going to see my love. We are waiting in the car outside the prison exit door located at the side of the prison entrance. There are cars lined up and news reporters telecasting from everywhere and for once I don’t begrudge them being here. I want the world to see the footage of the moment he is set free. Ben and Max are in the front seat and we have brought a limousine at my request. I want to be alone with him on the hour-and-a-half drive home. This is it—I look at my watch again—1.55 pm. He is being released at 2 pm. I clasp my hands nervously on my lap as I wait. Yesterday after the police came I was transferred by ambulance to hospital but thankfully was released this morning.

My eyes flick out the window as I think of Amelie and what she went through. I feel nothing but deep pity for her. The level of grief she must have felt when Joshua push

ed her aside sent her over the edge. She was hell bent on revenge and making him feel the loss that she had felt when he left. But she was good to me and I was essentially looked after. She could have just killed me on that night, but she didn’t. Instead she gave me a blood transfusion and kept me in a luxury house. I wish I could have helped her… instead I killed her. Regret twists my stomach and I close my eyes as I remember firing the three bullets. At that moment I had snapped; I had passed my point of rational thinking. She pushed me past the point of no return but I’m relieved Carl survived.

I’m so grateful for this family that we have. A broad smile covers my face when I remember my mum, Bridget and Abbie’s tears of joy at the hospital. Adrian and Cameron were so proud of themselves for finding me that they kept cuddling each other while the police were questioning me at the house. What a bunch of cry babies we all are… even Margaret. I have never been so glad to see her in my life. I was worried that she may have ended her own life by now. Thank god she hasn’t.

The gates open. “Here he comes,” Ben says. “Just stay in the car.”

My heart jumps through my chest as I see him come through the gates and I can’t stop myself. I fling open the car door and run through the carpark toward him. He sees me, drops his bag and I jump into his waiting arms.

And he holds me, and finally my tears break the dam and I sob into his neck.

I feel like I am having an out-of-body experience as I hear the reporter’s cameras click in the distance from every angle.

“I’m here, baby,” I whisper into his neck and he pulls me tighter into him. “I’m here.”