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Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by Dawn Goodwin
  3. WHAT I NEVER TOLD YOU
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Dedication
  7. Prologue
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. Acknowledgements
  55. About the Author
  56. An Invitation from the Publisher

“Because it doesn’t take much to ruin a man’s reputation. Not these days. I’m a teacher, a male teacher. Just a hint of anything inappropriate and I would be finished. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, they’ll say. Diana said she had loads of evidence against me. I don’t even know who the girl in the photo is, but that won’t matter.”

“Diana? She’s the one leaving the photographs everywhere?” Helen had hoped for clarity but instead was more confused than ever. How had Diana got hold of the photographs? How much did she know? And why go after Hugh? It had nothing to do with him.

He was still crying, big, ugly sobs that made his body shudder and his nose stream. Helen reached out and wrapped her arms around his heaving shoulders awkwardly. “This is all my fault. I’ll sort it out, I promise.”

*

The pool house was quiet, but the lights were on, fluorescent white. Mills thought Matt had headed in this direction, but now she wasn’t so sure. The glass door was standing open, the humidity escaping like a fog. Oily fingerprints smudged the glass.

Diana might already be inside, waiting for Helen, ready with her excuses and explanations. Mills hesitated. Maybe she should talk to Diana first, let her know she couldn’t mess around with her family like this. What had Mum said? Show a bully strength and they will run a mile? Maybe Diana just needed to be taught a lesson.

She took a deep breath and stepped through the glass door.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the piercing light.

And that’s when she saw her.

Diana was floating face down in the pool.

32

THEN

The rest of the afternoon passes without memory of it. I can hear myself laughing riotously at times, tickled by obscurity, then feeling serene and calm, silently enjoying the sensation of a blade of grass running between my fingers at break time or the fresh, alive, tingling taste of minty chewing gum in my mouth. Then a surge of energy so that I have to tap my foot and click my pen, anything to release it. I think a teacher tells me off for fidgeting, but I grin back and carry on regardless. I catch Steph and Emily elbowing each other and nodding at me, but I don’t care.

I don’t care about anything at all. I feel like I am floating through the rest of the school day, at once enjoying the weightlessness while desperate for it to end so that I can go home. To nothing. To no one.