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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

Oliver took a deep breath. ‘You killed someone, Lou-Lou.’

29

THE ACCIDENT

Louisa tilted her head back and laughed. That was one way to lessen the impact of what he was really going to tell her.

‘No. Really. I’m not lying.’ Oliver’s expression was set. ‘Do you seriously not remember anything about that night?’ He leant in closer to Louisa’s face, his eyes searching hers.

Blood.

A body on the ground.

Screaming.

Louisa’s breaths were suddenly rapid, her lungs burning as she struggled to get enough air into them. Pins and needles spread down her arms. Her legs.

She’d killed someone.

Everything fell into place; her visions, the flashes of memory – they were from back then. Not from her party. Not Melissa. Louisa’s mind wrestled with this new information, partly relieved it was nothing to do with Melissa, but horrified at the thought she’d been responsible for someone’s death.

‘How? Why?’ She swallowed the rising bile.

‘I’ll get you some water, then we’ll talk.’ Oliver got up and disappeared into the kitchen. Louisa’s world tipped on its axis. A lightness filled her head, then darkness filtered in, slowly at first, then swooping.

‘Are you okay?’ Oliver’s hands were back on her. ‘You feeling faint?’

His words fragmented in her ears. She felt as though she were floating. Above herself. Above Oliver. Away from the reality of the situation. His hands, grasping hers, tethered her, kept her on the ground. The darkness passed.

‘Take big, slow breaths. Come on, keep it together. Breathe.’

She did as he told her. She mirrored his breathing, and with his help, she calmed down.

It was several minutes before she could speak. She wished now that she hadn’t pushed Oliver into telling her. Living with strange visions, the knowledge she had gaps in her memory, was far preferable than this. The truth.

She’d never be able to live with this.

‘How did it happen?’ As much as she wanted to put it back in the box she’d obviously been keeping it in all these years, Louisa knew she couldn’t now. She needed to know all the details, however awful they were.

Oliver sat back on the sofa, fluffing the cushions and getting comfortable. Louisa slumped in her own chair. He was making it seem like it was going to be a long story.