Her feelings for Ollie were one hundred percent why she agreed to go on that show. She’d feared if she stayed in town, she wouldn’t be able to fight the attraction.

‘I couldn’t believe it when I saw you get out of that limousine,’ Sophie says. ‘I called out to Ollie to come see. He nearly fell over at first and then his face went green.’

Bonnie drops her head, imagining how Ollie must have felt when he’d seen her on screen.

‘Bonnie Yates on a reality TV dating show?’ Sophie shakes her head in disbelief. ‘It doesn’t seem like a very you thing to do.’

No, it’s much more of a Sophie thing to do.

‘You went on there to get away from Oliver, didn’t you?’ She’s clearly not going to give up until Bonnie confesses.

‘There were some old feelings there when you guys moved back to town,’ Bonnie admits, ‘but I knew he was with you.’

Sophie laughs, wicked but also amused. ‘You actually expect me to believe that?’ She closes her eyes for a moment, as though trying to get a grip on her emotions. ‘I honestly don’t know whether to laugh or scream.’

Bonnie’s heart is beating so hard that pain thuds through her body.

‘I thought you were a decent person. I honestly thought I could trust you but you’re both as bad as each other. Pathetic liars.’

Bonnie finds herself feeling a little defensive. She isn’t the one who was engaged. She isn’t the one who cheated. But she also feels ashamed, because she thought she was a decent person too, but a decent person wouldn’t kiss a man who was engaged to someone else. ‘I’m sorry,’ Bonnie hears herself mutter. ‘Please believe that I really am sorry.’ She turns away, unable to meet Sophie’s gaze before rushing off to her car.

As she drives away, her whole body is drenched in dirty, mucky guilt.

Chapter 44

44

‘Did you have a good flight?’ Darcy asks as she greets Alice through the taxi window. She’d flown up from Sydney to Port Macquarie’s regional airport.

Alice doesn’t even bother replying and instead just offers her familiar icy gaze.

‘Do you want me to help you with your bags?’

‘I’m not an invalid.’

The polite smile on Darcy’s face aches. Once the photo of Bonnie and Oliver had gone viral, Alice had made it very clear that she didn’t feel Darcy was equipped to deal with everything on her own and would be flying up immediately to ensure Bonnie’s exit interview went smoothly. Darcy’s sure Alice thrives on this kind of drama, it’s like fuel for a dragon.

‘What has the network decided to do about the photo of Bonnie and her ex?’ Darcy asks. When Darcy had spoken to Alice last night it still hadn’t been decided.