The only silver lining was that Guy would die too. His master plan was a joint suicide. It didn’t help her, but at least it stopped him doing this to other people.

She hummed louder.

‘Quite pathetic,’ Guy said. ‘Infantile.’ He frowned. ‘You know,’ he said. ‘You’re wasting your last minutes on earth like this? I don’t know what I ever saw in you. It’ll be a relief when I’ve killed you and I can get on with the rest of my life.’

She froze.

What was that? Get on with the rest of his life. She stared at him, eyes wide.

A smile spread across his face. It was thin and joyless and lizard-like, but this time it was real.

‘Oh my,’ he said. ‘You thought I was actually planning a double suicide, didn’t you? That was your solace.’ He laughed. ‘No, it’s only you who’s dying today, Annabelle. The suicide note will be for both of us – so they will assume I’m dead. They’ll never find my body, though. They’ll put it down to the tides.’

He tore off the paper and put it in his shirt pocket.

‘Seriously, you think I’d kill myself for you? You’re nothing. You’re not special. You never deserved me in the first place. I thought you were like me, but I was wrong. I wouldn’t do it for anyone, but wasting my life over you. I’m a lot more important than that. So I’m going to kill you. There’s no need for me to die. Once you’re gone, I can get on with my life. My new life. Because Guy Sanderson will have to disappear, obviously. But I’m glad about that. I’m sick of him. I can’t wait. It’s going to be fun.’

She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was upset, but she could not stop herself from giving a low moan of desperation.

‘Now you see,’ he said. ‘And what’s more, I will come out of this even stronger. You will come out of it at the bottom of a cliff. I will throw you to your death – I’m quite looking forward to seeing you fall and watching what happens when you hit the ground. I’ve never seen anything like that. And then I will walk away.’

He turned and started the car. She closed her eyes as they pulled out of the lay-by.

2

Annabelle’s stomach constricted and she was gripped by a sharp, debilitating panic.

She knew, in that moment, that she was going to die.