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Back The Lie Save as PDF
Chapters (69)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. Acknowledgements
  66. Reading Group Questions
  67. Read More
  68. I
  69. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Silence fell, the three of them lost in their own thoughts. Leo didn’t know why he was so shocked. He remembered when his father announced he wanted him and Rex to meet Anezka. That had been bad enough, both of them cringing at the implication their dad was probably having sex with someone other than their mother – having sex at all, in fact, even with their mother, especially with their mother. But this was somehow way, way worse. Mum with another man? It made him positively squirm and blew right out of the water Rex’s fond theory that their parents might get back together. Although he realized now that he, too, had been holding on to the idea that they might, ever since he’d been told they were separating.

‘That’s great, Mum.’ Provoked into siding with her in the face of his father’s obvious disapproval – something he’d done since childhood – Leo forced the words from between his lips.

He saw a pained look flit across his father’s face. Then the bell rang and Leo leapt up from the sofa.

Later, while his father was being put through his paces by the physio, his mother took his arm and drew him into the dining room, shutting the heavy door behind her. Leo could still hear Imogen’s monotonous exhortations from the next-door room.

‘I’m sorry about that, sweetheart.’

Leo patted her shoulder. ‘It’s OK, Mum. It was a bit of a shock, hearing it from Dad like that. But I’m happy for you, really. It’s your life and Dad has no right to make you feel guilty.’

‘He does, though.’

‘Yeah, well, he’s jealous, probably.’ He knew this now – courtesy of Anezka – although he hadn’t yet mentioned that part of their conversation to his mother.

‘It’s early days. But I like him a lot.’ She stopped, glanced away, clearly embarrassed.

Whoa, Leo thought, but said, ‘Look forward to meeting him, then.’

‘You do?’ She raised an amused eyebrow.

He gave her a sheepish grin. ‘Sort of.’

She laughed and hugged him. ‘Love you for saying it, anyway.’

Leo felt oddly tearful as he retreated to Rex’s old room ‘for a read’, as he told his mother. Why did things have to be so complicated with his parents? First the volatile Anezka and now some dodgy old soldier?

He couldn’t really believe his mother was in love with this random guy. How could she do that to them right now, when everything was so horrible, so uncertain?

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