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Back Deadly Revenge
Chapters (60)
  1. CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR LEIGH RUSSELL
  2. Glossary of acronyms
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. Acknowledgements

‘If you tell anyone,’ he had whispered in her undamaged ear, ‘I’ll make sure you never see Daisy again.’

With every small concession to his will, she surrendered a little more of her freedom, and lost another shred of her self-respect, until she no longer had the power to resist his bullying. Looking back, she could hardly believe how readily she had come to tolerate his domination, yet the truth was it had all come about so slowly she had scarcely noticed it happening. And now it was too late to leave him and start again. Life, with all its potential and its opportunities, had slipped from her grasp while she had been looking elsewhere. And still she could not leave him. Where would she go? Brought up by an overbearing father, she had never learned to fend for herself. The last thing she wanted to do was go crawling back to her parents. They had warned her that her marriage wouldn’t end well.

‘There’ll be tears before bedtime, you mark my words,’ her father had told her.

He had been too blinkered to realise that his opposition to her marriage only made her more determined to be Jason’s wife. In any case, she hadn’t wanted to stay and witness her parents’ tormented relationship any more than they wanted her there to see it. And then the baby had come along, and that changed everything. Although Jessica’s love for her baby was overwhelming, Daisy wasn’t exactly company. Jessica talked to her, but Daisy only cried and gurgled. Watching her lying in her cot, curling and spreading her tiny fingers in the air, Jessica wondered how she was going to protect her daughter from Jason. Since the birth he had become unapproachable, and she had learned it was best to avoid trying to start a conversation with him. Any communication other than his animal grunting in bed ended in an argument, and the likelihood of violence. Jessica’s only other adult human contact, apart from her parents, was with the health visitor, who encouraged Jessica to visit the local children’s centre.

Although she said she would definitely go along, Jessica rarely went out, existing in a state of exhaustion in a strange silent world punctuated only by the baby’s cries and brief exchanges with a cashier when she went to the supermarket. She could have been living on the moon with only a small dumb alien for company. But as long as Jason didn’t hit her, she was content to keep her head lowered and carry on. One day the baby would be old enough to talk, and they would become friends. Considering the future, Jessica resolved to make sure Jason never lifted his hand against their daughter.

‘I’ll kill him before I let him touch you,’ she whispered to the gurgling baby as she stroked the downy hair on her head. ‘I promise you, I’ll kill him.’

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