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Back Every Little Secret Save as PDF
Chapters (81)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Prologue
  4. Chapter One
  5. Chapter Two
  6. Chapter Three
  7. Chapter Four
  8. Chapter Five
  9. Chapter Six
  10. Chapter Seven
  11. Chapter Eight
  12. Chapter Nine
  13. Chapter Ten
  14. Chapter Eleven
  15. Chapter Twelve
  16. Chapter Thirteen
  17. Chapter Fourteen
  18. Chapter Fifteen
  19. Chapter Sixteen
  20. Chapter Seventeen
  21. Chapter Eighteen
  22. Chapter Nineteen
  23. Chapter Twenty
  24. Chapter Twenty-One
  25. Chapter Twenty-Two
  26. Chapter Twenty-Three
  27. Chapter Twenty-Four
  28. Chapter Twenty-Five
  29. Chapter Twenty-Six
  30. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  31. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  32. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  33. Chapter Thirty
  34. Chapter Thirty-One
  35. Chapter Thirty-Two
  36. Chapter Thirty-Three
  37. Chapter Thirty-Four
  38. Chapter Thirty-Five
  39. Chapter Thirty-Six
  40. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  41. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  42. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  43. Chapter Forty
  44. Chapter Forty-One
  45. Chapter Forty-Two
  46. Chapter Forty-Three
  47. Chapter Forty-Four
  48. Chapter Forty-Five
  49. Chapter Forty-Six
  50. Chapter Forty-Seven
  51. Chapter Forty-Eight
  52. Chapter Forty-Nine
  53. Chapter Fifty
  54. Chapter Fifty-One
  55. Chapter Fifty-Two
  56. Chapter Fifty-Three
  57. Chapter Fifty-Four
  58. Chapter Fifty-Five
  59. Chapter Fifty-Six
  60. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  61. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  62. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  63. Chapter Sixty
  64. Chapter Sixty-One
  65. Chapter Sixty-Two
  66. Chapter Sixty-Three
  67. Chapter Sixty-Four
  68. Chapter Sixty-Five
  69. Chapter Sixty-Six
  70. Chapter Sixty-Seven
  71. Chapter Sixty-Eight
  72. Chapter Sixty-Nine
  73. Chapter Seventy
  74. Chapter Seventy-One
  75. Chapter Seventy-Two
  76. Chapter Seventy-Three
  77. Chapter Seventy-Four
  78. A Letter From Ruby
  79. Acknowledgements
  80. About the Author
  81. Also by Ruby Speechley

‘I wish you wouldn’t put up with him.’ He touches her arm. A power surge shoots through her. She drops the shoe on the floor and locks her hands together. He turns his back on her, adjusting his crotch.

As he bends down, she examines the back of his neck, the soft springy hairs escaping his Pink Floyd T-shirt, a wing-looking tattoo, just visible. She never knew Rob had tattoos.

His hands work quickly, matching the shoes together, lining them up. She imagines those hands smoothing over her body. No, stop it. Adam’s not left her, he’s coming home.

Chapter Forty-Five

Maddy: November 2019

It’s a gusty day, not the best weather to be playing in the park with Emily, but Maddy won’t let it put her off. Squinting at the low, blinding sun, she pushes Emily on the swing, all the time keeping an eye on the path by the hairdressers, which she guesses is the way he will come. A crow squawks angrily in the swaying skeleton tree as the wind rumbles around them. Emily says something, but her voice is snatched away. Maddy checks her phone. It is exactly 5 p.m. Perhaps he can’t get away. If Mother’s idea works, he won’t be able to resist the note she left in his sock drawer, because she signed it ‘Dad’.

COME AND MEET ME AT THE PARK AT 5 PM. DON’T TELL YOUR MUM. IT’S OUR LITTLE SECRET. DAD X

There is the possibility that he’ll show it to Alison, which is why she’s disguised her handwriting by using capital letters. Hopefully it’s easy for Jamie to read. She pictures her marching around the corner of the hairdressers and dragging Jamie away by the wrist. By then it won’t matter because she’ll have turned him against her. Told him things he ought to know about his mother. Maddy will put her hood up, turn away and hope she goes straight back home when she realises Adam is not there and she’s just a mum in a park with her daughter.

It’s 5.02 p.m. Is he allowed out on his own normally? She’s not sure, but he can sneak out of the door, can’t he? He’d do anything to see his dad.

At 5.03 p.m., he runs towards them, head down, hood up. Poor boy, probably thinks Daddy won’t wait. She keeps one eye on Emily, who is in the climbing frame, while she waves at Jamie. He comes to an abrupt halt in front of her.

‘Oh, hi again, have you seen my dad? He said he’d be here.’ Jamie is out of breath. He’s changed out of his school clothes and is wearing jeans and trainers.