Chapters (81)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Prologue
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Chapter Fourteen
- Chapter Fifteen
- Chapter Sixteen
- Chapter Seventeen
- Chapter Eighteen
- Chapter Nineteen
- Chapter Twenty
- Chapter Twenty-One
- Chapter Twenty-Two
- Chapter Twenty-Three
- Chapter Twenty-Four
- Chapter Twenty-Five
- Chapter Twenty-Six
- Chapter Twenty-Seven
- Chapter Twenty-Eight
- Chapter Twenty-Nine
- Chapter Thirty
- Chapter Thirty-One
- Chapter Thirty-Two
- Chapter Thirty-Three
- Chapter Thirty-Four
- Chapter Thirty-Five
- Chapter Thirty-Six
- Chapter Thirty-Seven
- Chapter Thirty-Eight
- Chapter Thirty-Nine
- Chapter Forty
- Chapter Forty-One
- Chapter Forty-Two
- Chapter Forty-Three
- Chapter Forty-Four
- Chapter Forty-Five
- Chapter Forty-Six
- Chapter Forty-Seven
- Chapter Forty-Eight
- Chapter Forty-Nine
- Chapter Fifty
- Chapter Fifty-One
- Chapter Fifty-Two
- Chapter Fifty-Three
- Chapter Fifty-Four
- Chapter Fifty-Five
- Chapter Fifty-Six
- Chapter Fifty-Seven
- Chapter Fifty-Eight
- Chapter Fifty-Nine
- Chapter Sixty
- Chapter Sixty-One
- Chapter Sixty-Two
- Chapter Sixty-Three
- Chapter Sixty-Four
- Chapter Sixty-Five
- Chapter Sixty-Six
- Chapter Sixty-Seven
- Chapter Sixty-Eight
- Chapter Sixty-Nine
- Chapter Seventy
- Chapter Seventy-One
- Chapter Seventy-Two
- Chapter Seventy-Three
- Chapter Seventy-Four
- A Letter From Ruby
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- Also by Ruby Speechley
She starts on the under-sink cupboard door that has already worked itself loose. She unscrews it so it’s barely hanging on its hinges. As she’s going upstairs, she hears the squeal of car brakes on the drive. Ice shoots through her veins. She runs up to the main bedroom and peeps through the curtains. Alison is getting out of her car, and she swings the door closed making sure it doesn’t slam. Seconds later, the front door opens. Again, it’s shut quietly, but still with a clear click. Poppy’s nametag jangles. Shit. Did she lock the back door after she let him out? Thank God she brought her tray of cleaning products up with her. But did she leave anything on the kitchen counter? At least she hadn’t boiled the kettle yet.
Maddy stands in the en-suite shower room, straining to hear, but there is no sound coming from downstairs. Alison must be creeping around trying to catch ‘Adam’ out. According to her Facebook page, she’s convinced it’s him coming back when she’s not here. Her mother’s plan to break the trust between them is working. She’s rather enjoying making her suffer. Any second she expects her to barge in, but she’s ready, cloth in hand and a story about Adam employing her as their cleaner in his absence.
The sound of Alison’s resigned footsteps plodding downstairs tells her that she’s checked every room and given up. The front door slams hard and she skids the car out of the drive and up the road.
Maddy creeps downstairs. In the kitchen is a note on the counter:
Adam, why are you doing this to me? I’ll be back at 6 p.m. Wait for me this time!! We need to talk!!! A
Maddy fills the kettle and smirks at her mother in the window’s reflection.
Back upstairs, she continues with the plan and loosens the screws on the nasty plastic shelf in the shower, packed full of overpriced premium shampoos and scrubs and goodness knows what.
In the living room she has a sip of tea and starts on the cabinet door. The screws are stiff at first, but she manages to undo them enough and she’s able to shut it without showing any sign of it being tampered with.