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Back The Other Husband
Chapters (67)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. PROLOGUE
  4. PART ONE
  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. PART TWO
  23. EIGHTEEN
  24. NINETEEN
  25. TWENTY
  26. TWENTY-ONE
  27. TWENTY-TWO
  28. TWENTY-THREE
  29. TWENTY-FOUR
  30. TWENTY-FIVE
  31. TWENTY-SIX
  32. TWENTY-SEVEN
  33. TWENTY-EIGHT
  34. TWENTY-NINE
  35. PART THREE
  36. THIRTY
  37. THIRTY-ONE
  38. THIRTY-TWO
  39. THIRTY-THREE
  40. THIRTY-FOUR
  41. THIRTY-FIVE
  42. THIRTY-SIX
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. THIRTY-NINE
  46. PART FOUR
  47. FORTY
  48. FORTY-ONE
  49. FORTY-TWO
  50. FORTY-THREE
  51. FORTY-FOUR
  52. FORTY-FIVE
  53. FORTY-SIX
  54. FORTY-SEVEN
  55. FORTY-EIGHT
  56. FORTY-NINE
  57. FIFTY
  58. FIFTY-ONE
  59. FIFTY-TWO
  60. FIFTY-THREE
  61. FIFTY-FOUR
  62. EPILOGUE
  63. Mailing list
  64. A Letter from Kathryn
  65. Acknowledgements
  66. About the Author
  67. Also by Kathryn Croft

Inside the building, nobody mans the reception desk and there’s hardly a soul around. The registration email advised her to go to the yoga studio, so she follows the signs up the stairs, finding the room empty when she gets there, and peers through the glass doors. It’s two minutes to seven now, so it’s strange that she’s the first one here. Surely the instructor should be here already, or at least some other participants.

She hears a voice before she sees who’s speaking.

‘Hi, are they not in yet? I thought I was late!’

Swivelling around, she finds herself face to face with the woman who’s addressing her. She looks around the same age as Abby, but this is where any similarity ends. While Abby is dressed in basic black leggings and an oversized T-shirt she’s borrowed from Rob, this woman wears bright patterned leggings and a yoga vest, both of which do a good job of showing off her toned, slim figure. Her face is fully made up, and her glossy dark hair is tied in a ponytail that seems to dance as she moves.

Abby makes an immediate judgement, something that is out of character for her. This must be an arrogant woman who stands before her, someone who comes here only to show off how fit and active she is. She can probably be found in the gym at least five times a week as well, and expertly looks after a brood of perfect children at home. All of this enters Abby’s head without her even thinking about it. It’s just there: a projected image with no foundation.

She will quickly come to realise that she’s got Sienna completely wrong, yet it is a mistake Abby will keep making, fuelled by her need to stamp out her loneliness.

‘There’s nobody in there,’ Abby points out. ‘Are you here for Pilates?’

‘Yep, and usually everyone’s in there by now.’ The woman pauses. ‘Is this your first class?’

Abby smiles, not wanting her to see that she’s nervous, that she feels like a small child in an imposing new school. ‘Yes, am I that obvious?’

‘No, I just haven’t seen you before. Oh, you’ll love it.’ The woman pats Abby’s arm. ‘And Gwen’s a brilliant instructor. She’s actually a trained physiotherapist too, so she knows what she’s doing.’

Abby nods. ‘That’s good. How long have you been doing it?’