My face was stinging as though I’d been slapped. I took out my phone and called Harry. I had no idea what I would say to him. It rang three times. He pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at it. I was about fifty yards behind him, now, following them. The ringing stopped. He’d cut me off! He didn’t say anything to Ruby—if he had I wouldn’t have been responsible for my actions—but put his phone back into his pocket. I don’t know whether I imagined that slight hesitation before he put his arm around her shoulder.

I looked from him to her, at the way she reached up to touch his hand, the way she nestled against him, and I thought, Enjoy it while you can, Ruby Dean. I am going to blow up your life.

CHAPTER 24

Emma

I have never been the kind of person who’ll just sit and take whatever someone chooses to dole out. Why would I do that? No. No. Better to preempt them. Get in first. Fire the first bullet. That’s more what I’m like.

And Harry should have known that.

So that night I went straight from the airport to Ruby’s house, to tell her husband that my husband was having an affair with his wife.

•   •   •

By the time I parked on the road by their house, ready for a quick getaway, I was feeling pretty nervous. I looked at the house; it was a good size. Well kept. A large magnolia tree sat in the corner of the garden, still in bloom, its graceful fragrant flowers just starting to shed. Everything here seemed so respectable, so normal, that I had a moment of panic in case I’d got it wrong and Ruby answered the door. What would I say? And then I pulled myself together. She wouldn’t be here. That was definitely her at the airport. I recognized her from the Sheridan’s website, though there her face was pale and serious. There was clearly more to her than you might assume from that photo. No, she wasn’t here. She was boarding her flight around about now, snuggling up to my husband. I’m sure they’d had a quick celebratory drink while they were waiting, clinking glasses at the prospect of a naughty weekend away, thinking they’d fooled everyone. Well, not me.

I walked up their driveway. It was nearly dusk and lamps were lit in their living room. I could hear the faint sound of a television. Someone was home. My stomach clenched with stress but I knew I had to go through with this. I took a deep breath and rang the bell. Through the colored glass panels in the front door I could see someone moving in the hallway. He came closer, his body blocking the light, and I took a step back and braced myself. The front door opened.