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Back What I Never Told you Save as PDF
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

“Oops, what have I done?” El says, before starting to laugh herself.

Tracey staggers to her feet, looking aghast, then grabs her bag and flees from the hall as the laughter spreads like a virus from table to table. It feels like the only one not laughing is me.

I want to follow Tracey and make sure she is ok, but El catches my eye and gives me a withering glare, so I stay where I am. The laughter dies down, El begins flirting with Brian, and his friends pull up chairs.

I look at the plate in front of me, suddenly not hungry anymore.

“Aren’t you going to eat those after all?” El says, before Brian’s hand reaches in and starts wading through my chips.

9

NOW

Helen stood alone on the sand, staring out at the blue expanse in front of her as Clive snuffled in pools of water and climbed on the less scary looking rocks. With the tide out, the beach was exposed, but the tide was notoriously fickle and the sea quick to engulf this little patch of sand in favour of clattering and clashing against the rocks with lethal force.

The steps back up to the coastal path were narrow and treacherous when wet, especially for Clive’s chunky turkey legs, but Helen had needed to get out into the spray and chill this morning, to breathe deeply and have a moment. For that, she needed his company. Someone who would just be with her unconditionally.

She usually had this beach to herself as very few would dare to wander on it and run the risk of getting caught in the tide. After all these years though, she knew they had another ten minutes or so before they had to make their way back up, before the water started to encroach on their liberty. She turned away from the sea and stared up at the house peering down on her from the cliff. She could just make out the top of the ivy-clad pool house in the near distance and the top windows of the house further back. It felt like the house was keeping an eye out, peeping over the cliff, checking up on her. Always in her peripheral vision.

Always watching.

She needed to gather up Matt’s dirty laundry, put a load on to wash and then head to work, but was lacking motivation to even begin today. One of those days when slipping back under the covers seemed a better idea.

The only idea.

It had been a while since she had felt like this. Suffocated. Like the walls were closing in.

And that house. Always watching. Judging.