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Back Lie Beside Me Save as PDF
Chapters (49)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. PENGUIN BOOKS
  4. Dedication
  5. Prologue
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. Acknowledgements
  47. Read More
  48. Prologue
  49. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Jonah allowed the silence to build, considering his options, and then he decided that pushing her now, while she was tired, hungover and anxious was probably his best option. ‘Is your husband really away, Louise?’ he asked.

She gave him a genuinely startled look. ‘Of course he is. I wouldn’t have got drunk with April if he … Niall’s been in Geneva since Thursday.’

‘And this was a work trip?’

‘Pharmaceuticals conference,’ she said. ‘He’s a rep. He does this a lot. Takes GPs to nice places and spoils them.’ She suddenly gave a strange half-smile. ‘Look, he has nothing to do with what happened.’

‘Then why are you afraid of contacting him?’ Jonah asked, his eyes fixed on her face.

He saw a blush creep up Louise’s neck, and then she said, quietly, ‘Because Niall is … he can be a tad self-righteous. He’ll be angry with me for getting drunk. He’ll think this is my fault.’

Jonah gave a small, involuntary smile. ‘I think he’d be hard pressed to make a dead man in your garden your fault.’

Louise looked up at him, with that half-smile back on her lips. ‘You haven’t met my husband.’

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6

Louise

The first night that really fucked things up for us was my birthday. Though it wasn’t the night itself. It was, of course, Dina. Your gorgeous, hideous ex.

God, I hate remembering it. Dina suddenly had to meet you for lunch that day. And it was incredibly clear to me what she was going to say. I suspect it was to you, too. You went along hoping she wanted you back.

And of course that was what she was going to say, whether it was true or not. It was my birthday. What better time to ruin things for both of us? I can imagine how she let delicate tears slide down her cheeks as she told you she’d made a mistake. That she missed you. It was deliberate and predictable and thoroughly, thoroughly cruel.

I’ve never quite been able to admit to you how much I hate Dina. How could I, when you cycled so regularly through fury at her and sudden loyalty? When it was OK for you to call her a horrible human being, but absolutely out of the question for me to do the same?

That day justified every thought I’d had about her. It was abundantly clear after you’d met her that you were halfway to being hers again, and my birthday party became a hollow, bitter experience when it should have been fun.