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Back Where The Story Starts Save as PDF
Chapters (65)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. CONTENTS
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  65. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘You never want to go out with my mates. We see no one. And now you can’t even be bothered to be here for my bloody birthday. It’s crap, Ray. Really crap. What kind of marriage is this, anyway? I’m stuck here day in day out dealing with all the shit, and you waltz in when it suits you, take all the glory and then bugger off again.’

She was being unfair. Ray’s job was what kept them afloat. He paid for almost everything for her and Leah and he’d bought the house all those years ago, so she hadn’t had any of the day-to-day worries that her friends had. On top of all that, she’d known the score when she’d married him. But right now she didn’t care about any of that. She wanted to hurt him, just like he was hurting her by missing her birthday.

‘I’ve had enough,’ she screamed at him. ‘You can bloody well ring that office and tell them that you can’t work. And then you can take me out for dinner.’

She was crying now, tears borne of frustration bursting hot from her eyes.

Ray, however, didn’t even flinch. ‘I am sorry,’ he said in controlled tones, ‘that you are disappointed, Melissa, but I have a job that week and there is nothing that I can do about it.’ His face was completely blank, emotionless, calm. He didn’t even raise his voice. ‘If you don’t like it then I can leave, we can get a divorce. Is that what you want?’

No! No, of course that wasn’t what she wanted. Ray was her world, and she was happy to take what she could get of him. It was just . . .

Melissa threw her arms around his neck and convulsed into his shoulder. Ray stood motionless for a moment and then he wrapped his arms around her tight, the way he always did.

‘I’m sorry,’ she gulped through her tears. ‘It’s just so crap.’

‘I know it is, baby,’ he said soothingly. ‘But it is what it is. And at least I do come home. What if I was on the rigs or in the army? I wouldn’t be home for months on end.’

Melissa nodded, her tears and snot smearing his clean shirt.

‘And I’m really sorry about your birthday but I’ll make it up to you. I promise.’

And he would, Melissa knew. Next time he was home there’d be flowers and a box of Milk Tray chocolates and a bottle of fizz and she would feel like a princess all over again.