She knew this was it for her. There was no escaping him – no reasoning with him. She’d tried to burn him alive after all and even a saint couldn’t forgive that. She tried to weigh up her options, but she had none. There was no running. No hiding. She would have to stay and face him, and she knew that only one of them would get out of there alive. She held out very little hope that it would be her.

Nathan moved across the kitchen in two quick strides, grabbing Grace by her hair and pulling her to her knees, making her cry out and drop the knife she was holding.

‘You ungrateful, filthy whore,’ he snarled and then he spat in her face. ‘I’m going to make you pay for what you and that fucker have done. I’m going to make you feel pain like you have never felt in your life. You think you’ve seen me angry, Grace? You have no fucking idea!’

Dragging her into the living room, he threw her onto the floor. ‘Of course you could always try and beg my forgiveness. Maybe I have a heart in here somewhere. Maybe there are ways you could persuade me to go a bit easier on you.’ He laughed again.

It was a terrifying sound. She wanted to cry with the pain, and out of sheer terror, but she would not. Nothing would change what that monster was about to do to her, and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry or beg. Never again.

Nathan took a seat on the armchair and she remained on the floor wondering what he planned on doing next.

‘So tell me, Grace,’ he started. ‘Tell me all about you and Ben. How long have you been fucking him?’

She thought about her answer carefully. This was possibly the last conversation she would ever have in her life, so why shouldn’t she tell the truth? Lying would only make Nathan feel better, and why would she want to do that? This was the only thing that was left in her control. The only thing she had left to hurt him with. And maybe, if she made him angry enough, he would end it quickly.

‘It started a long time ago, Nathan. A few months before you went to prison,’ she told him honestly.

‘What?’ he shouted so loud she thought he was going to implode. She could tell that wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting. ‘While we were married? While we were still together?’

She nodded at him. Jumping up from his seated position, he slapped her across the face with the back of his hand. She tasted blood.

‘Did you fuck him in our bed?’ he snarled.

‘Yes, Nathan. In our bed. On our sofa. On our kitchen table. He was good too, he knew how to really satisfy a woman,’ she said defiantly.