Chapters (78)
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Remarkable Praise for Nicci French
- Also by Nicci French
- About the Publisher
Jude’s throat felt tight. She had thought she would never see Liam again, and yet over the years she had imagined meeting him: by chance, on a bus, on a street, in a crowd of people, walking in the Clee Hills by her parents’ house in Shropshire. Because there were things that she needed to say, had needed to say for over a decade, although now the moment had actually come she didn’t know how to start saying them.
“I should be the one tracking you down,” she said, haltingly. “I know that you . . .” She stopped. “I’ve never forgotten.”
He frowned, as if he was considering this. When he spoke, he didn’t seem angry or even sad. Just reflective, as if he were talking about someone else.
“I made some choices,” he said. “Not always good choices. You probably heard about how I messed up my exams, on top of everything else.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s all right. It happens. And things are better now, on the whole. I’ve got some stuff to sort out but I’m fine.” He paused a beat and then smiled—not ironically or one of his knowing half-smiles, but a smile that transformed his face and made him look younger. “I’ve got a little kid,” he said. “Alfie. He’s one now.”
Jude blinked. “Wow. A son! Does he look like you?”
“People say so. Poor little guy.”
“That’s so nice.” She wanted to cry but didn’t know why. She smiled instead.
“Yeah, well.”
Jude took a deep breath. “I need to say something.”
“All right.”
“First, before I say it. I’m with Nat and I’m lucky to have him and we’re going to get married, well, you know that, and we’re buying a place together.”
“Good.” His tone was dry.
She put out a hand and gripped his; it was dry and warm and his fingers curled around hers.
“No, listen, I’m being serious. I had to say that first, because I really want to say something else.” She took another breath. “I loved you so much, Liam, back then. I was smitten. Blown away. You were all I could think about. And for ages after, I thought about you. For years, really.”
Jude almost gasped as she said this. She had never said anything like this to him at the time. She had never said anything like this out loud. She thought of Nat and felt a stab of guilt.
Liam shook his head slowly. “You turned my life upside down too, you know.”