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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

He shook his head. Did he look sad? Melissa didn’t know, didn’t even care.

‘Goodbye then, Melissa,’ he said with a finality that made her want to grab hold of him and make him stay. But she couldn’t. She owed it to herself to let him leave.

He stalked out of the room and, stopping only to pick up his coat and car keys, he left the house, slamming the front door behind him. Melissa saw him stride down the path and on to the street and then heard the engine of his car starting up. He really was going to go.

Well, he could do as he pleased. She didn’t need him anyway. He could fuck off back to where he came from. She and Leah would be just fine without him. She had the house and her job. They would be totally fine.

Melissa flopped back on to the sofa and curled herself into a tiny ball. She felt so stupid and humiliated. Her cheeks, flushed with the wine already, burned hot. He had made her look like an idiot. She would never forgive him. And how would she explain it all to Leah? Well, she couldn’t, she wouldn’t. She couldn’t bear to. She grabbed at a cushion and pulled it tight into her chest and then she let out a howl.

47

47

GRACE – THEN

Grace stared at the television. The newsreader had already moved on to the next item but the words that he had just spoken hung in the air, suspended like a bomb in the instant before it falls. Melissa Allen was dead. She was dead. And with her death the balance of Grace’s life was restored in some sort of cosmic realignment.

From the few details that Grace had managed to snatch from the half-heard story, it sounded as if she had taken her own life. Others in Grace’s position might have allowed themselves a tiny spark of celebration at the news, but Grace felt nothing but heart-wrenching pity. None of this had been Melissa’s fault. She had got herself caught in a sticky web like an unsuspecting butterfly with no understanding of the peril she was in.

Grace let her mind’s eye visualise Melissa as she had been the last time they met, a little plumper than before maybe, her hair less blonde and with soil under her fingernails. She had certainly lost the girlish charms that she’d had when Grace had first encountered her, but she’d seemed happy, contented with life – in a good place, as that awful expression went. How quickly things could change and a situation could spiral out of control, so that the future suddenly looked more bleak than could be borne and death the only endurable solution.