Chapters (50)
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication Page
- Contents
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Ninteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Epilogue
- Letter From the Author
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
She stared at me now, her face serious, appraising. Then, suddenly, she seemed to relax, and she smiled that soft smile I’d always loved so much. Her red hair caught the sunlight and she had a faint tan that gave her skin a honeyed glow. How had I ever thought she could be a killer? Looking at her now, I was reminded of two things: one, that I still loved her as much as ever; two, that I had blown my best chance of happiness. I would never again feel like I had in those early weeks of our relationship. Here was my other half, torn from me once by Zeus, torn from me a second time by my own hand.
‘Stop looking at me like that,’ Charlie said. ‘You look like a pirate eyeing up a mermaid.’
I laughed, then felt the urge to cry. The waitress came over and I ordered a latte and a slice of chocolate cake. I had lost a lot of weight during the last month and had been instructed to eat and drink more fat and protein, to try to regain my strength.
‘I knew you’d look good with an eye patch,’ Charlie said. ‘It suits you.’
‘Thanks. I’ve got a contact lens in the other eye. It looks too weird having glasses and an eye patch.’
She smiled again, but it slipped away quickly.
‘So,’ I said. ‘How have you been?’
She shrugged. ‘Not bad. I mean . . . I guess I’m doing OK. Considering . . . everything.’
Considering she had killed someone, had watched her boyfriend, who had accused her of being a murderer, being tortured.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said.
She shook her head. ‘I know it’s been much worse for you.’
‘Yeah, but I’m not going to get competitive about it.’
Finally, I’d made her laugh.
My coffee came and I added three sugars.
‘Where have you been the last couple of months?’ I asked.
‘Florida.’
‘Really?’ I had imagined her holed up in her flat, like me, watching TV and drinking.
‘Yeah. Miami, to be precise. Plus I travelled around a bit. I just needed . . . to escape. To feel the sun. To be a stranger.’ She looked down.
‘Did you read everything in my email?’
‘Yes. Through my fingers. It’s just so . . .’ She shook her head, lost for words.
‘I know. But do you . . . understand?’ I swallowed hard. ‘Why I did what I did?’