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
‘I’ll come straight over,’ she says when Sienna’s filled her in on everything she knows. ‘Give me half an hour.’
Only when she stands by the window, waiting for Abby, does Sienna pause to question what lies behind Abby’s apparent concern. Is it Greg she’s worried about, or herself?
As soon as Sienna opens the door, Abby throws her arms around her. Beyond the apparent warmth of it there is something different. It’s too brief, both of them pulling away almost as soon as they’ve embraced. Still, she’s glad Abby is here.
Inside, Abby slips off her denim jacket. ‘I’m assuming you’ve called the hospital?’
She shakes her head. ‘He’s not there. He had some annual leave saved up, so he took this week off work. Rosa, his secretary, has no idea where he might be.’
Abby’s brow furrows. ‘What about his friends? Maybe one of them knows where he is?’
She wants to tell Abby that of course she’s called them all, that there’s nothing she hasn’t thought of, but she can’t take her frustration out on her friend. ‘I just got off the phone with one of them. Marty. He says he hasn’t heard from him. He’s been away at a conference all last week so hasn’t even seen Greg at work. This is just so…’ She struggles to find the right word. She wants to tell Abby the truth; what is the point of her being here otherwise? If Abby knows, then there’s a chance it might encourage her to be open in return.
‘We had a huge fight.’ She studies Abby’s reaction. Does this come as a shock or something she’s not surprised to hear? Her face is poker straight, though, so Sienna learns nothing. ‘I’m so ashamed of how I acted. I think… do you think… he’s left? Left me?’ She can barely say it.
Something shifts in Abby’s demeanour, as if everything is now clear. ‘Oh. I’m sorry. Maybe he just wants some space?’ She pauses. ‘What did you fight about?’
‘I wouldn’t call it a fight. That implies something physical, doesn’t it? It was more a clearing of the air. I said things that I’ve kept bottled up for years, and I couldn’t stop myself.’
‘Oh, Sienna.’ Abby leans forward. ‘Look, you don’t have to tell me any details. It’s between you and Greg.’
Sienna nods, relieved that Abby has said this; it is personal after all – something to be kept between Greg and her.
She waits for Abby to say something else, but she doesn’t speak, she only stares at Sienna, making her regret opening up. ‘You don’t know the half of it, Abby. What it’s like to be in our marriage.’