"Iain I don't know what to say. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"This. I… I'm not naive enough to think I'd dealt with all that stuff in the past it's just well.. me and you... I was just feeling so happy for a change that I'd almost stopped worrying about it coming up again. I should have been honest about how much of a mess it left me in because you don't deserve to be involved in any of this... I was being selfish. I should have told you but I just wanted to hold on to what we had for as long as I could. I feel awful I should have thought about how this all effects…"

"Rita?" Iain interrupted. He was conscious he didn't know all the details of her past with Mark but he wanted to make sure he trod carefully given how shaken she was looking. Rita's brown eyes locked on his, tears still wetting her lashes.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked softly.

"What?" she whispered, eyes narrowing in confusion. Why was he asking, why did he even want to?

"I didn't want to assume. But I don't care. Sorry no I mean of course I care...what i'm trying to say is that your past doesn't matter, i mean it doesn't affect how I fee..."

Rita's gaze had been flicking between his lips and his green eyes while he was talking and now she suddenly reached up a hand to grab the back of his neck and pull him into her until their mouths pressed together softly. Iain wrapped his arms around her back and felt the tension ebb away from her body as he pulled her close into his. It wasn't an elaborate kiss but as Rita felt the warmth of him, breathed in his smell, she felt safe in his arms and she knew this was something she couldn't give up without a fight. She pulled back to look at him again.

"Iain, what you said to Mark just now I... I've never heard anyone talk about me like that before. I'm not sure I deserve it. I really haven't handled this very well. God I should have been braver I should have stood up to him like you just did, that girl, his pupil... I didn't do anything it was all my fault that it happened, that it dragged on as long as it did.

"Hey, hey, no. Oh my god Rita don't you ever think that what happened to her was anything to do with you. The only person who did anything wrong was him and as for standing up to him, it's easy for me. He doesn't mean anything to me but he was your husband. You loved him. I can't even begin to imagine what this must be like for you. Come here…"

Iain cupped the back of her head gently and brought his lips to hers again, both of them deepening the kiss this time, their breath quickening as their bodies pressed closer together, his fingers softly tunnelling through her hair. He stopped abruptly and pulled back, confusion on his features as he brought his hand back to look at it.

"Rita? You're bleeding…" both of them observing the drops of scarlet now glistening on his fingers. Rita raised her hand to the back of her head tentatively, whilst subconsciously taking a step back.

Iain could feel his pulse racing.

"He did this?" His voice was not much more than a whisper.

Rita felt her stomach lurch as the feeling of nausea returned. Her shoulders slumped as she cast her eyes that towards the floor. Iain tried again

"Rita talk to me please. Wh… what did he do?" he took a step towards her intending to pull her in and reassure her that he was there for her but to his horror she flinched away from him, panic flashing across her face.

"O god no Rita… I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you. Sweetheart I want to help you I would never hurt you, please… talk to me?"

Rita took a depth breath and closed her eyes. If this was going to eat her up from the inside anyway she might as well be honest, put them both out of their misery.

"Erm… he… he followed me into my office. He found our texts - he was angry - said I was cheap, said it was because I wasn't a proper wife that he had to look elsewhere" she paused. Iain gulped, his heart breaking to hear what she was saying but determined to let her finish now she was opening up.

"My head... I must've hit the corner of the shelves when he pushed me backwards. He…he... my clothes" Rita's hand instinctively pulled the lapels of her jacket together under her chin as she spoke, her eyes still cast downwards.

"This" Rita reached down and fumbled with the hem of her top raising it slightly on one side, high enough that Iain saw the 3 angry red lines down her side. His head swam with emotions that he tried desperately to control.

"No no no" he heard himself whisper "Rita did he…?" Rita continued to hang her head.

"No. He said he would if he'd wanted to. I wouldn't have been able to stop him. I didn't do anything to stop him. I'm sorry. I just froze"

Iain took some deep breaths trying to push from his mind what he wanted to do to Mark if he got his hands on him. His priority was Rita and he needed to let her know.

"Ok. Thank you for telling me. Please don't blame yourself, none of this is your fault. I want to help you with this Rita, however you'll let me. I don't want us to change but if that's too much for you at the moment then please let me help you as a friend okay?"

"We can talk about any of this that you want to later or whenever you're ready but… and this is just a thought… there's something you could do now if you wanted?"

Rita looked up, tears glistening in her eyes. Iain took a deep breath.

"You could report what's just happened Rita? I mean he'll probably still have your skin under his nails. This could be a chance to stop him getting away with what he just put you through, what he might put others through. He doesn't have to have this power over you. Not any more"

"But what if it's not enough for the police to get him? What if it just makes him more angry?"

"I'm not sure Rita, you probably know more about how it all works than me. But what I do know is that Mark needs to face up to what he's really like. He's not going to do that if he gets away with behaviour like that. And I've got you this time. You're not on your own facing this. Look I saw the woman copper in the ED just now, her car's still over there. We could go and have a chat to her? I'm fairly sure I saw Mark head straight to the pub. I don't think he's got far. You don't have to do this now Rita but it might be too late to act on it if you change your mind further down the line? If you want I can hold your hand the whole time or we can get Zoe. Whatever you're most comfortable with. What do you think?"

Rita inhaled a shaky breath as she tried to collect her thoughts. She'd expected Iain to be disgusted with her but he was still here. That had to be something.

"I think you're right. I don't want him to have this power over me anymore. Over anyone. I want to put it all behind me I just didn't think I could do it on my own but...well… did you mean it?

"Did I mean what?" Iain asked gently

"What you said to Mark… that… You said that I finally had someone who loves me?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." Iain smiled.

"And you still mean it, even now you know about what just happened?"

"Of course I do. This doesn't change anything. Rita I love you and I want to help you. You don't have to say it back. That's not why I'm saying it. It just happens to be true."

"I don't have to but I do. Love you that is. I thought I was going to lose you over this but I think I can stand up to him if you're with me. Shall… shall we go and see?" She smiled as Iain offered her his hand, ignoring it instead choosing to lean into his side until he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squeezing her into him gently.

"Come on then. And when we're done, I'm going to take you home and run you a bath and you can have a soak while I cook us some tea. We can spend the rest of the night eating ice cream and watching your choice of crap telly okay? If you love me I think I can just about stretch to that. If that's what you want?" Iain planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"Sounds perfect. And I do love you. I must do, you know why? Any time any of this Mark stuff has resurfaced in the past, the first thought that's occurred to me is how quickly I could get my hands on a drink afterwards." Rita shivered as she thought about how weak that made her sound now she'd said it out loud.

Iain pursed his lips together and shook his head sadly. How had he not thought how deeply this had affected Rita? Not thought to ask before now? Today was the day he would start to put that all right.

"And that's not what you've thought about today?" he queried, genuinely concerned.

"No." She wrapped her arm more tightly round his waist. "The only thing I thought about today was you."