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
‘Did you plan it all along? To make me feel secure about us before you just… disappear? I never had you down as being cruel. Heartless.’
She ignores him. ‘What are you doing here, Mark?’
He takes a step towards her. ‘Don’t jump to conclusions. I’m here because Cassie called me when I went to get our food. She’s been really depressed and was hysterical on the phone. I couldn’t just leave her by herself. I would have told you I was coming here if you hadn’t left.’
She stares at him. More lies. ‘Really? You drove up here in the middle of the night to comfort your ex?’
He shakes his head. ‘You really don’t know me, do you?’ Again, he steps closer to her. She fights every urge to back away; she needs to show him she’s not afraid, that she’s in control. It still feels as though she’s shrinking.
‘You’re right, I don’t,’ Abby tells him. ‘I’m beginning to learn, though, that we can never know anyone. Maybe not even ourselves.’
When he doesn’t reply she pulls out her phone, finding one of the pictures of her and Greg and holding it in front of him. ‘Recognise this?’
Mark moves closer and stares at her phone. Even in this darkness she can see his face drain of colour. ‘How did you get that?’
‘Stay there. Don’t come any closer.’
‘Abby, I can explain.’
‘Go on then. Because for hours I’ve been wondering why the hell you’ve got hundreds of photos of me from months ago when we weren’t even in each other’s lives. And why you’ve got photos of Greg on the day he went missing. So go on, Mark, explain yourself.’ Despite the force of her words, she feels as though she’s seconds away from crumbling.
He glances back at the house. ‘Please, can we at least sit in the car?’
‘Sienna knows where I am. If anything happens to me, she’ll know exactly what to tell the police.’
‘The police? Abby, what are you talking about?’
She opens the passenger door. ‘Get in then.’
‘I don’t know where to start,’ Mark says as soon as they’re both in the car, the doors shutting them off from the street outside.
Abby turns to him. ‘Start with the truth. You need to know you’ve got no option now.’