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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
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  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
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  40. 33
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  42. 35
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  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

Inside was one more notebook.

She flicked through it, reading the messy, slanted handwriting, nowhere near as neat and legible as her other fictional diaries, the ones she wanted everyone to find.

But this notebook wasn’t meant for reading. It was merely an exercise in therapy at the time, a need for Helen to get the truth out of her head and onto paper so that she could move on, function normally, not turn into a walking shadow like Tracey had.

Her eyes glossed over the sentences, how they detailed what really happened that day.

How it wasn’t Tracey that had lost her cool.

It was Helen that had reacted to Eloise mocking Tracey’s brother and her family, her constant racial slurs and taunting.

It was Helen that had said, “Tell your mother I saved your life,” before pushing Eloise backwards over the edge.

It was Helen that had felt a sense of relief as she watched the body plummet onto the sharp rocks below.

And it was Tracey that had kept quiet all this time out of gratitude and love, yet consumed by guilt at the same time.

Helen tossed the notebook into the sink, then grabbed some matches from the drawer.

She smiled to herself as the pages curled and turned to ash.

No one needed to know. Mills was happy – and that made Helen happy.

Except when she closed her eyes.

Because then, all she could see were two faces at the attic window.

Two bullies.

Eloise and Diana.

The faces she had never intended to save.

THE END

If you enjoyed What I Never Told You, you’ll love The Pact, An addictive, page-turning thriller

Acknowledgements

This book was written when the world was a strange place. Actually, I take that back. When isn’t the world a strange place? But those oddities and eccentricities, weird stories on the news and international lockdowns plant story seeds that grow into books like this one.

This book was written more in isolation than any of the others and yet, despite being physically separated, I have had the absolute privilege of a team of people behind me, pushing me on, championing me, and supporting me all the way, so I have not felt alone.

Thank you to my agent Jo Bell as always – for the chats about not just the book and how far off deadline I am, but also about our common love of dogs and Peloton rides.

Thank you to my editor Thorne Ryan for picking this book up midway and running with it with enthusiasm, and to Hannah Smith for starting the journey with me.

Thank you to the team at Head of Zeus and Aria for the gifs, memes, posts and shares, enabling my little stories to spread far and wide.