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Back The Marriage Trap: A completely addictive psychological thriller Save as PDF
Chapters (60)
  1. Cover
  2. Books by Sheryl Browne
  3. Dedication
  4. KARLA
  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. Epilogue
  54. The Affair
  55. Hear more from Sheryl
  56. Books by Sheryl Browne
  57. A Letter from Sheryl
  58. The Babysitter
  59. The Second Wife
  60. Acknowledgements

‘I used Jason’s machine while mine was running a software check. I should have said.’ He glanced cautiously at Jason. ‘It was me browsing those sites, Karla, not Jason.’

Seventeen

KARLA

The damp, grey drizzle of the mid-February afternoon seems to be seeping through my coat and into my bones as I stand outside the school, waiting for Holly and Josh to come out. I feel so empty, so cold and lonely. A combination of nerves and nausea grips my stomach, as I recall the look on Jason’s face when he walked quietly from his office. He was no longer furious at having found me there, snooping on him. He didn’t say a word, he simply looked at me, his eyes frighteningly void of any emotion. It was as if the shutters had come down. And then he turned and walked away.

Unsure what to do, I followed him, called out to him. Begged him to stay and talk to me. He wouldn’t even meet my gaze. As he climbed into his car without a word, his body language was that of a defeated man. It was as if all the fight had gone out of him. And that’s down to me. I should never have pushed my father’s proposal. I should have stood by the side of the man I am in love with, have always been in love with, the man I chose to be with, whatever our financial circumstances. Instead, in Jason’s eyes, I have taken my father’s side, against him. My heart plummets icily as I recall how I ranted at him like some demented thing – in front of his employees, for God’s sake. He must have felt so crushed. So alone.

Did Mark use Jason’s laptop? It’s possible. The truth is, I have no idea what to believe. My heart wants to believe my husband, but my head… Has he been accessing these sites? Have I driven him to look outside our marriage for whatever it is he needs?

I pull my phone from my pocket and check my messages, hoping Jason will have replied to the one in which I apologised and suggested we go out together to talk properly. There’s nothing.

He won’t be licking his wounds. Jason’s not like that. I know him. He’s quiet sometimes – when he’s pondering his business problems, mostly – but he doesn’t sit around blaming the world for them. My heart sinks further as I remember that I accused him of doing just that: blaming other people for what’s wrong in his life. Jason doesn’t do that. He blames himself. He takes action to try to fix things. He’s not a sulker. He never gives me the silent treatment. That’s how I know his silence now is significant. And it frightens me.