Love Till Death
Emily stepped out of the shop, adjusting the grocery bag in her grip with a sigh. She’d barely bought anything, yet the thing might as well have been filled with bricks. Pausing outside her terraced house, she frowned. “No lights on. Beth’s run off again.” She shook her head. “Just wait till she gets back… Ever since she started seeing that… Alex, her grades have slipped, she’s skipping homework. The teachers are complaining. And with her A-levels coming up, university applications—oh, just you wait till you come home, I’ll give you a piece of my mind…” She muttered under her breath, hauling herself up the stairs.
Inside, she dumped the bag onto a kitchen chair and glanced at the stove. “Figures. I asked her to peel potatoes or at least put the pasta on. Gone again… What am I supposed to do with her? Honestly…”
With sharp movements, she shrugged off her coat, flung it onto the hallway rack, and stormed back into the kitchen. Doors slammed, plates clattered—Emily was doing her furious version of cooking dinner, already rehearsing the scolding Beth would receive the moment she dared show her face.
But Beth was in no hurry. Half past ten, and still no sign of her. Emily paced the living room like a caged tiger, muttering to herself like a mantra:
“Just you wait till you come home… Oh, I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget. Breaking my back to give you everything, and you can’t even boil pasta? I’m exhausted, doing it all alone… Does she think I don’t want a life of my own? I was just like her once, left holding the baby with no help. Ungrateful… Does she want to end up like me? Let her try it, then. She’ll learn the hard way.”
The anger boiled over. She wanted to smash something, anything, just to release the fury simmering inside.
When the key finally rattled in the lock, relief flooded her—until she saw Beth’s guilty face, eyes still sparkling with reckless joy. Then the rage flared anew.
“Where have you been? Do you have any idea what time it is? And your schoolwork? A-levels are weeks away, and you’re out God-knows-where!” she shouted, forgetting the neighbours entirely.
“I did my work…” Beth protested weakly.
“Quiet! Don’t you dare backchat me! Have you lost your mind? I raised you, worked myself to the bone so you could get an education, have a decent life. And you’re throwing it away!”
“I’m not throwing anything away. Stop shouting…” Beth snapped back.
Her eyes dimmed, cheeks flushed with frustration.
“Oh, you—” Emily bit back the insult just in time.
She glanced around wildly, hunting for something—anything—to channel her wrath. Beth took the chance to sidestep her, but Emily’s hand shot out, grabbing a rolled-up magazine from the side table.
“Mum!” Beth yelped, ducking, arms shielding her head.
That cry, that flinch—Emily’s arm dropped like a lead weight. The magazine thudded to the floor. Deflated, she sagged, the anger draining out of her like air from a punctured balloon.
“I’ve been out of my mind, not knowing where you were, and you— What’s that on your finger? Where’d you get that?” she asked dully, suddenly too tired to even speak.
She slumped onto the hall bench.
Beth slowly lowered her hands, staring at the simple gold band with a tiny white stone.
“Alex gave it to me.” She peeked at her mother—as if checking if the storm had passed.
“You’re still in school. Doesn’t he know that?” Emily murmured, transfixed by the ring.
“He does. So what? Two more months, and I’ll have my exams, then—”
“Then you’re an adult? Please. While you live under my roof, you’ll follow my rules. Help out, at least. And don’t think getting older means doing whatever you like. Does it mean staying out all hours? Missing curfew? Maybe dropping out of school next? What if you—?” The fury surged again.
She knew she was spiralling but couldn’t stop.
“Mum, he loves me. And I love him,” Beth said desperately.
“If he loved you, he’d want what’s best for you, not this. Where did he even come from—?” Emily shook her head, rocking slightly, a strangled sound escaping her throat.
That night, she tossed and turned. The argument, the worry—it all gnawed at her. She couldn’t relax, couldn’t sleep. How had her bright, obedient girl, her pride and joy, turned into this? Her mind conjured worst-case scenarios until, exhausted, she rang her only friend.
“What’s wrong?” came the groggy reply, followed by a loud yawn. “Do you know what time it is?”
“Sorry. I’ve got no one else. Beth… she’s—”
“I warned you. You can’t smother her. What’s she done now?”
“Oh, Lizzie… She’s hooked up with this older bloke, skiving off school, teachers complaining. The shame of it.” Another yawn crackled down the line. “Just… tell me what to do.” Silence. “Lizzie? Are you asleep? Fine, I’ll call tomorrow.” She hung up.
Venting had helped a little. She drifted into a fitful sleep. By morning, things seemed less dire. She resolved to act—but how?
As she washed up, boiled the kettle, she plotted how to get through to Beth. Peeking into her daughter’s room, she found her curled up, cheek resting on her palm. Her heart clenched with fear and tenderness. Sighing, she shut the door softly and got ready for work.
Leaving the flat, she snatched her keys from the hook—then, on impulse, rummaged through Beth’s jacket for hers. A thought struck her. In the junk drawer, she found the spare set from her ex-husband. Locking the door with those, she pocketed both sets.
“There. She’s staying put. I’ll call the school tomorrow, say she’s poorly. She’s not going anywhere.” It felt like the right decision. She’d talk to Beth properly tonight, find the right words.
If only she’d known what would happen. But after a sleepless night, her brain refused to think ahead.
At nine, Beth rang, furious. “Why’d you lock me in? Where are my keys?”
“So you can sit and think. We’ll talk when I’m home. Don’t disturb me at work,” Emily said curtly.
No more calls came. The day dragged. No brilliant arguments formed—only resentment and threats.
Returning home, she spotted a crowd outside the block opposite. A neighbour, hobbling arthritically, hurried past.
“Linda, what’s going on?” Emily nodded toward the crowd.
“Oh, Em…” Linda faltered, pity in her eyes. “Don’t panic. They’ve called the police and the fire brigade…”
“Just tell me!” Emily snapped, though her heart already knew.
The setting sun blinded her, hiding the reason for the gathering.
“Look up. Isn’t that your Beth?” Linda shielded her eyes.
Emily squinted—then saw them. Two blurry figures on the roof’s edge. She didn’t need to recognise Beth before she was shoving through the crowd, craning her neck. The sun dipped behind the rooftops, leaving the sky clear—and there was Beth, hand in hand with Alex.
“God, I locked her in, took the keys… She couldn’t have—” She didn’t realise she was speaking aloud.
“A lorry with a cherry picker pulled up earlier. Thought it was maintenance,” a man beside her said. “Must’ve got her out through the window. That your girl?”
People turned, whispering.
“Beth!” Emily screamed—or thought she did. Only a strangled sob escaped.
“That’s Alex with her. Dodged the army. Dad’s in prison for killing his mum when he was drunk…”
“He delivers pizzas…”
“Nice girl, always said hello…”
“Where’s the police?”
“They’re coming—hear the sirens?”
Emily didn’t look away. Her neck ached, but she feared blinking might break the fragile thread holding them back. Alex spotted the approaching vehicles.
“Stay back! We’ll jump!” he shouted, voice shaking—no real threat in it.
Emily didn’t see the men slipping into the building. Tears blurred her vision, but she kept staring. Then Beth’s figure wavered.
She lunged forward, arms outstretched—but darkness swallowed her.
When she came to, a young man’s face hovered above hers. She lashed out, thinking it was Alex.
“Easy. Stay down. Ambulance is coming,” the guy in a fire brigade uniform said.
It wasn’t Alex.
“Beth…” she whispered.
“She’s fine. There—As Beth helped her mother to her feet, she clutched her tighter than ever before, whispering, “I’ll never scare you like that again,” while the echoes of the past year faded into the quiet hum of a new beginning.
