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Back The Lucky Eight Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Prologue
  4. Five Years Later
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-one
  26. Twenty-two
  27. Twenty-three
  28. Twenty-four
  29. Twenty-five
  30. Twenty-six
  31. Twenty-seven
  32. Twenty-eight
  33. Twenty-nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-one
  36. Thirty-two
  37. Thirty-three
  38. Thirty-four
  39. Thirty-five
  40. Thirty-six
  41. Thirty-seven
  42. Thirty-eight
  43. Thirty-nine
  44. Forty
  45. Forty-one
  46. Forty-two
  47. Forty-three
  48. Forty-four
  49. Forty-five
  50. Forty-six
  51. Forty-seven
  52. Forty-eight
  53. Forty-nine
  54. Fifty
  55. Fifty-one
  56. Fifty-two
  57. Fifty-three
  58. Fifty-four
  59. Fifty-five
  60. Epilogue
  61. Acknowledgements
  62. Canelo Crime
  63. About the Author
  64. Also by Sheila Bugler

The words were so different to the ones she’d expected him to say that she thought, at first, she’d misheard him.

‘I’m not sure I understand,’ she said.

‘It’s nothing for you to worry about,’ Adam said. ‘You know I’ve never once compared our relationship to my marriage. You and Vivienne, you’re completely different people. And I’m happier with you than I could ever have imagined being again. You do know that, Clodagh, don’t you?’

‘Of course,’ she said, when she could trust herself to speak. ‘But are you saying that’s why Nick wanted to speak to me? To… what? What did he want to say to me, Adam?’

‘He wanted to humiliate you,’ Adam said. ‘Remind you of all the ways you’re not like Vivienne and make you feel really shit about yourself.’

A lump had lodged in her throat. She had to swallow several times to clear it.

‘I don’t need Nick to make me feel any more shit about myself than I already feel,’ she said, when she was finally able to speak.

‘Don’t say that, darling. You’re the world to me. I’ve never been happier in my life than I’ve been with you these past few months.’

The lie was so blatant it hung in the air long after he’d said it. It was true that Adam was happy now, Clodagh could see that for herself. But happier than he’d been when Vivienne was still alive? No way.

‘Thank you,’ she said, hating herself for sounding so pathetically grateful.

‘I feel bad even telling you about Nick,’ Adam said. ‘But I knew you’d be worrying all night about why he’d sent that text message. I thought it was better you knew the truth.’

Maybe he was right, Clodagh thought, after they’d said an awkward good night to each other and ended the call. It wasn’t nice hearing that Nick had viewed her as nothing but a poor substitute for her dead sister. At the same time, she’d spent most of the day worrying about what Nick had really said to Adam. Now, at least, she knew.

Doing all she could to put the conversation to one side, she got dressed and went downstairs to get something to eat. There was some leftover chickpea soup in the fridge. Pouring this into a saucepan, she put it on low heat, while she set the kitchen table. As she opened the cupboard to get out some plates, she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. A reflection in the glass doors that led into the garden. Someone was in the kitchen, standing behind her. She froze, keeping her eyes trained on the glass, watching as the reflection in the glass started walking towards her.

Nine