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Back The Missing Wife Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. THE MISSING WIFE
  2. PRAISE FOR SAM CARRINGTON
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. THE EPILOGUE
  58. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  59. Prologue
  60. Chapter One
  61. Chapter Two
  62. About the Author
  63. By the same author
  64. About the Publisher

‘How different do you think your life would be now if I hadn’t done that for you, Lou? Eh? No lovely marriage to the safe and dependable Brian, no children – you’d have been locked up for life!’

‘No, Oliver, she wouldn’t have.’

The voice, loud and strong, came from a little higher than where Oliver and Louisa were standing. Louisa lifted her mobile and shone it in Oliver’s direction, in time to see his face pale; it looked like a perfectly white oval against the night’s blue-black backdrop. He lost his footing as he turned abruptly to the direction the voice had come from.

‘What the fuck?’ His words escaped his mouth like a weak hiss of air leaking from a deflating balloon.

‘Surprise!’ Melissa emerged from the bushes, a look of determination set on her face.

Oliver’s mouth gaped as he looked from Melissa to Louisa – the reality dawning on him.

He’d been caught in a trap.

50

THE FORGIVENESS

‘Melissa?’ Oliver’s voice was weak, his posture stiff. But he recovered quickly. ‘What’s going on here? I was so worried about you.’ He moved forwards, his hands held up towards his wife.

‘You were worried about me? Or about yourself?’ Melissa stepped down the pathway, avoiding Oliver’s outstretched arms, until she was standing beside Louisa.

‘You, darling. Obviously you. Why did you disappear like that? How could you leave me knowing that I’d be beside myself wondering if you were okay – whether you were alive or dead?’

‘I’m guessing you rather hoped I was dead.’

‘Why would you say that? Tell her, Louisa, tell her how frantic I’ve been.’ Oliver turned to Louisa, his eyes wide, pleading. ‘Lou, you know, don’t you? How I’ve been searching every day, worried sick that something bad had happened to her.’

‘Yes,’ Louisa said, ‘you do seem to have been worried. But I’m not sure if it was for everyone else’s benefit. And really, you needed to build up an image, didn’t you? One where you were the concerned, loving husband. One where you were the innocent party in all this. You needed me, and Brian, to embellish the clever picture you were painting.’

‘That’s not true.’ He shook his head vehemently. ‘I came to you because my wife was missing, and I needed a friend. Being in Devon, away from everyone I knew, was awful. I was so lonely. You were the only person who would understand, the only one who knew me.’

‘I don’t know you at all, Oliver. And probably never did.’

‘Look, this is ridiculous. Why are you two here, now, doing this to me?’

‘I wanted to teach you a lesson,’ Melissa said. ‘Wanted you to hurt as much as you hurt me.’