I crane to hear and the noise comes again, a screech like nails on a chalkboard, as though someone is trying to cut through glass and get inside the cottage. White-knuckled, I grip the sheet, too afraid to move. Surely it’s just a branch tapping the window somewhere downstairs, or the wind rattling the glass. After a moment it stops and my clenched muscles relax.

I still don’t sleep though. My heart refuses to settle and every time I try to close my eyes they snap open, staring into the dark void of the room, my mind conjuring monsters. Eventually, exhaustion and the darkness overwhelm me and I slip into a dream-filled sleep.

The Stalker

They were making love in front of the fire. She was naked, her pale skin painted rose gold with the flames, like she was a lacquered ornament. When I saw her, I wanted to take her in my hands, to hold her and marvel at her, and also to smash her to the stone floor. I wanted to annihilate her. And him. For touching her like that.

It made me so angry seeing them together. It made me think of all I’d once had and all I’d lost. It reminded me of how once my heart had been filled with love, but now was broken. It made me think of all the betrayal I’d suffered. And it made me want to fall to my knees and sob at the injustice and the pain of it.

But as I stood there, locked outside in the cold, watching them together inside the cottage, her with head thrown back, her delicate white throat on display, groaning as he pressed into her, I was filled with a searing white-hot rage. I wanted nothing more than to burst in and kill them both.

I backed away from the window before I could be seen, deciding that there was no point in rushing things. I needed to be careful.

I’d take my time with them; let the rage simmer before I brought it to a boil.

Chapter Ten

Day Four

I jerk awake from a nightmare involving a prowling monster hunting me in the dark. A dull grey light fills the room. It’s not yet dawn, and when I creep from bed, leaving Liam asleep, and head downstairs I see that Venus, the morning star, is still visible in the light of daybreak. I watch it through the kitchen window as it fades away and finally disappears.

In the cold light of day the nightmares from last night and the fear of an intruder melt away. I play around with the coffee maker – thankfully it’s automatic – and try to figure out how to use the steam wand attached to it. By the time I’ve located the manual in the drawer and made the perfect froth for a cappuccino, Liam is awake and has joined me in the kitchen.