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Back When She Returned Save as PDF
Chapters (48)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT
  3. CONTENTS
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. ONE
  6. TWO
  7. THREE
  8. FOUR
  9. FIVE
  10. SIX
  11. SEVEN
  12. EIGHT
  13. NINE
  14. TEN
  15. ELEVEN
  16. TWELVE
  17. THIRTEEN
  18. FOURTEEN
  19. FIFTEEN
  20. SIXTEEN
  21. SEVENTEEN
  22. EIGHTEEN
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. TWENTY-NINE
  34. THIRTY
  35. THIRTY-ONE
  36. THIRTY-TWO
  37. THIRTY-THREE
  38. THIRTY-FOUR
  39. THIRTY-FIVE
  40. THIRTY-SIX
  41. THIRTY-SEVEN
  42. THIRTY-EIGHT
  43. THIRTY-NINE
  44. FORTY
  45. FORTY-ONE
  46. FORTY-TWO
  47. FORTY-THREE
  48. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Come on, Meredith. For someone who is always accusing me of being naive, that seems pretty naive to me. ‘Hey, Officers, I just wanted you to know that my wife and I got into a fight on the morning she disappeared over me being in massive debt and lying to her about it.’ Any version of the story that included an argument was a no-win situation.”

“Still, you could’ve told me. You should’ve told me,” I added for emphasis.

He raised his eyebrows. “Really? Like you told me everything about you and James?”

THIRTY-FOUR

THIRTY-FOUR

ABBI

NOW

I hadn’t been at Meaghan’s since we found out about Mom. We’d been best friends since second grade, and this was the longest we’d ever been apart. Her room was as familiar to me as my own—the queen-size bed in the middle covered with the quilt her grandmother made for her when she was a baby; her favorite teddy bear tucked underneath her pillow, a secret I’d kept since middle school; the pink wall I helped her paint; and the closet filled with half my clothes, which she’d borrowed over the last few years. But it all felt unfamiliar and surreal. Even Meaghan looked different, younger somehow. Or maybe I’d grown up overnight, crossed over some line that once you were over, you didn’t ever get to go back.

Dad had forced me to come even though I’d wanted to stay home. He had insisted that I get out of the house so I’d feel like a normal kid again, but I was pretty sure it was so he and Meredith could fight in private. Things were so tense between them ever since Meredith accused Mom of lying. I was doing my best to stay out of it. If Mom wanted to tell me who she was talking to, then she would. If not, then that was okay too. It was her choice.

“You wouldn’t believe what Sophie said to Josiah after football practice today. So ridiculous.” Meaghan had been prattling on for what felt like hours, and normally I would’ve joined in, but it seemed wrong to talk about football games and homecoming when there were so many other important things going on. “Have you picked out your dress for the dance yet?”

“I forgot all about it. Things have been pretty crazy around my house,” I said.

“Yeah, I bet,” she said, shifting in her spot on the couch and grabbing her phone off the coffee table in front of her. “Kayla texted they’re on their way. Finally.”