Chapter 39

Elsie, exhausted after a sleepless night, is visited by Daphne, who urges tea and gossip. As they hang laundry, Roxanne arrives, shaken but composed. Roxanne confirms she contacted police yet refuses to make a new statement, citing a long-ignored AVO against Shane and his repeated breaches.

In the courtyard and then inside, Roxanne details her history with Shane: swift courtship after his accident, isolating control disguised as romance, removal of her independence, and escalating to physical violence during pregnancy. She describes escaping when Persephone was six months old, and Shane’s continued harassment seemingly for control, not custody.

Roxanne faces financial strain, losing higher-paying night cleaning. After a tense silence, Elsie proposes a solution: Persephone can sleep at Elsie’s house on Roxanne’s work nights. Despite misgivings about Persephone’s behavior, Elsie insists, offering safety and stability.

Later, Elsie prepares the spare room for Persephone. She confronts her secret: a cluttered shrine of photographs of Peter. Acknowledging the need to make space—physically and emotionally—Elsie methodically packs the photos away, telling herself and the absent Peter that it is time to put him away.