Epilogue: Cora - The Foster Child

The police informed us that Jacob killed himself in prison while awaiting trial. We should all feel relieved, and we are because even though he would have got a long sentence at some point he would be out again and could come after us. But we feel sad too, he’d watched his dad suffer in pain for years and something had snapped in him when he found those newspaper cuttings. I was worried how Lori would take it, she had loved him once, but although she had tears in her eyes she said she wasn’t going to mourn him when he’d hurt so many people and had been prepared to kill us.

Elliot is riddled with guilt. ‘I had no idea. I was told Colin was out of hospital and I thought he was okay. I didn’t know he was disabled.’ He puts his head in his hands. ‘We did that to Jacob, me and Rocky. We’re partly responsible for Jacob turning out how he did too. We should never have been on the road.’

‘You weren’t driving and you got him help,’ I remind him. It is Elliot’s deep remorse that made me stay with him. I love him and I know he is genuinely sorry for what he did all those years ago. He’s tried to make up for it ever since. And although he should have told me, and the police, I accept that he’d been trying to protect me.

Lori and Violet both had a long talk about the past and Violet was touched when she heard the reason why Lori wanted to be a social worker. She convinced Lori to continue with the course at another university. And Lori encouraged Violet to train as a teacher. She’s starting her course in September. They both often meet up and have become firm friends. Lori’s living with me and Elliot at the moment but is talking about getting her own flat like Violet. Or maybe even sharing a flat together.

At first Elliot wanted to sell up and move, he was ashamed of everyone knowing about his past, but Scott and Gabby persuaded us to stay. And most people have been really supportive although of course there is always the odd one or two who judge and gossip. Christy and Joe have both been a tower of support too.

Elliot is a good man who tried his best to right the wrongs he did as a youth. We all make mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance. When Elliot came out of hospital, Mr Taylor-Brown came round to see us with Caleb, who apologised to us quite sincerely, saying that he had just thought it was messing around, he didn’t know what Rocky was planning. He was given a police caution and we’ve had no trouble from him since.

It’s over but I still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes, trembling about how close we all came to being killed. I try not to wake Elliot but somehow he always knows and reaches out for me, pulling me into him, holding me tight until I fall back asleep again.

We’re stronger now than we were before, and from now on there will be no secrets between us.

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If you were gripped by The Foster Child then don’t miss Karen King’s totally unputdownable thriller with a shocking twist, The Mother-in-Law.

Get it here or keep reading for an exclusive extract.