There’s a house. Huntley Lodge. It’s surrounded by yellow tape. At the side of the building, overgrown shrubbery hides part of a crime scene tent that has been erected because a dead body has been discovered. My heart is crashing against the wall of my chest because I know exactly where that is. I stood in that spot.

A pretty news reporter is speaking into a big fluffy mic saying that initial reports suggest the body has been lying there for some time. I swallow hard, trying to stop myself from throwing up. My head feels like the weight of the world is pushing down on it and I can no longer hear the reporter’s voice. It has become muffled, fading into the background, fading like I was supposed to fade.

Rooted to the spot, I feel the chains of my past gripping tightly. I’m no longer able to see Huntley Lodge on the television screen because my vision has blurred… All I can see now is my beautiful new life slipping away from me.

Chapter Two

‘Are you okay?’ Lucas calls from the sofa.

I should say no but I say yes in the hope he doesn’t persist. I can’t talk about this now, not to Lucas. I need to get my head around it first. Why now? Three more weeks and I was out of here. The news reporter said the body has been there for some time. It’s been three years since I lived at Huntley Lodge. If the police discover that body has been lying there since then, they’ll come knocking. They’ll ask questions.

A gust of cold air rushes into the room as I pull open the balcony door. With my arms wrapped across my chest I step outside and take a deep breath. The sharpness of the icy air travels deep into my lungs but a shiver of fear travels further, right through my body.

The city lights flicker from both sides of the dark, mirroring waters. Flags hanging from tall posts down the quaysides flap wildly in the gusting winds and I feel something shift inside me.