Chapters (67)
- Cover
- Dedication
- PROLOGUE
- PART ONE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- PART TWO
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- PART THREE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- PART FOUR
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- EPILOGUE
- Mailing list
- A Letter from Kathryn
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- Also by Kathryn Croft
On Monday evening, when she sees Rob for the first time since she was with Mark, she doesn’t expect to feel such a surge of overwhelming sadness. It truly is over. They both seem to know it, although neither of them speaks this certainty aloud. She will have to, of course; she can’t put it off any longer.
Even though Rob offers to cook dinner, she can’t let him. If this is their last meal together, then she wants to be the one to prepare it. It will be the last thing she can do for him.
‘Go on, then,’ Rob says when they’re halfway through dinner. So far, they’ve eaten in silence, both of them pretending to be so engrossed in the food that they forget to have a conversation.
‘What?’
‘I know you well enough to know that there’s something you want to talk about, so what is it?’
Rob confronting her like this takes Abby by surprise – she’s not sure she’s ready to say it; her plan was to wait until they’d eaten.
‘I think I should move out.’ It’s not how she wants to begin this conversation, yet it’s the only way she can manage to start.
Rob stares at her, and she can’t tell what he’s thinking. He doesn’t look surprised. Why doesn’t he say something? Anything. His silence is suffocating.
‘Did you hear me?’
Keeping his eyes on her, he nods and picks up his fork. ‘If you want to move out, then I can’t stop you.’
He hasn’t asked why, hasn’t demanded an explanation. He already knows, and Greg is the only person who could have told him. Even in death he still haunts her. It doesn’t matter now, though – there is nothing to protect any more.
‘You deserve more than me,’ she continues.
When he doesn’t answer, she turns away from his stare and begins clearing the table. ‘I’ll go and pack.’
‘Wait,’ he says.
Abby is relieved; she wants them to be able to talk properly. She puts the plates back on the table.
‘You should stay here,’ he says. ‘You’ve got nowhere to go, and I can stay with Mum and Dad.’
Hearing this, tears form in her eyes. Even after what she’s done Rob is still showing her kindness. ‘No, that’s not fair. I’ll go.’
He stands. ‘Stay. Please. You need to be around here to go to job interviews.’ He doesn’t give her a chance to stop him, but heads upstairs.
Despite his offer, everything’s changed now, and she’s not sure she wants to stay in London. From the minute they moved here, her whole life has been falling apart.