I was truly amazed. ‘Your dad was actually hoovering?’ I needed clarification.

  Freya nodded. ‘He sat down at the kitchen table and flicked through the paper while he was waiting for the kettle to boil, and that’s when he saw the picture.’

  Those words took my breath away. For a split second I closed my eyes, hoping for all the pain to disappear. But it didn’t. I’d made the wrong decision. I should never have gone to that party.

  Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

  ‘What happened then?’ I asked. I needed to know even though I couldn’t bear to hear the answer.

  Ann sat quietly, listening to every word.

  ‘I was just about to haul my suitcase up the stairs when I heard him gasp. I popped my head through the door to check everything was alright, and he was just sitting there with his head in his hands.’ She nodded towards Ann seat. ‘He was shaking, and I thought he was in pain. I rushed over to him, but before I could ask him whether he was OK, I glanced over his shoulder, and there you were staring back at me but with a different name. I had to look twice. For a split second, I actually thought you were a bigamist.’

  I shook my head. ‘Definitely not. I’m just a stupid woman who made a very big mistake, and I don’t know what to do about it.’

  I wiped a tear from my cheek and took a sip of tea.

  ‘What did your dad do then?’ Ann asked.

  ‘He gripped the table and scraped his chair back. There were tears streaming down his face. I’ve never seen Dad cry before. He kept muttering that I shouldn’t see him this way. He walked out of the kitchen and left the paper on the table. The next thing I knew he was out of the door and in the van. I rushed after him and shouted for him to stop, but it was too late – he was gone.’

  ‘Have you tried ringing him?’ I asked.

  She nodded. ‘It rang but he didn’t pick it up.’

  ‘That’s what happened when I tried too.’

  Freya held my gaze for a second. ‘Do you want me to try again?’

  ‘Would you?’

  She reached inside her hoody pocket and pulled out her phone.

  ‘What will you say?’ I asked. My heart was hammering in my chest.

  ‘Let’s see if he picks it up first.’

  I didn’t have a clue what this was going to achieve, but I just needed to know that he was OK. Or as OK as he could be in the circumstances.

  We watched as Freya put the phone to her ear.

  ‘Straight to answerphone this time,’ she said and sighed.

  ‘What now?’ Ann asked.

  I shook my head. My throat became tight and I felt sick to my stomach.

  ‘I haven’t a clue. Where could he be?’

  No one answered.

  Ann broke the silence. ‘Why didn’t Peter come back with you for Christmas?’ she asked Freya.

  ‘Hmm. The thing is…’

  I looked up, startled. ‘What?’ I asked, not sure I could take any more upset.

  ‘It looks like you pair aren’t the only ones having relationship difficulties.’ Freya paused. ‘I’ve split up with Peter.’

  ‘Oh no.’ I reached across the table and squeezed her hand. ‘How come?’

  ‘It’s just one of those things,’ she said quite sensibly. ‘I woke up one day last week and decided it wasn’t what I wanted any more. I could have strung it out over Christmas, but I didn’t see the point. We’d just grown apart. It’s as simple as that.’

  ‘It doesn’t stop you feeling sad about it though, does it?’ Ann said sympathetically.

  ‘No, it doesn’t. We’ve been together for over a year, but he’s more like my best friend; the spark’s gone. So we’ve spent the last week talking and we’ve decided to just be friends.

  ‘And look what you’ve come home to! I’m truly sorry, Freya,’ I said, trying my best to blink back the fresh tears in my eyes.

  ‘Don’t be,’ she said. ‘And where’s Abbie? She’s gone AWOL and isn’t answering any of my texts.’

  My stomach flipped uneasily. ‘She’s staying at a friend’s house,’ I said as Ann and I exchanged a glance.

  I could kick myself. I’d sent everyone’s life into turmoil and I only had myself to blame.

  I wandered back over to the sink with the empty biscuit plate and looked out towards Marcus’s house. I saw a woman coming out of his front door and gasped.

  Ann looked up. ‘What is it?’

  ‘There’s a woman at Marcus’s house,’ I said without turning around.

  I heard their chairs scrape behind me and Ann and Freya joined me at the window. We huddled together, gaping across the road. We watched as the woman retrieved a bag from the boot of the white Fiesta before disappearing back inside his house.

  ‘Who’s that then?’ Ann asked.

  My eyes widened. ‘Your guess is as good as mine.’

  ‘She doesn’t look much like a dog walker to me,’ Ann said.

  I whirled round to look at her.

  ‘She doesn’t, does she?’ I said.

  ‘Do you think it’s the lack of dog that gives that away or the stiletto heels?’ Freya quipped.

  ‘Thank you so much for that, Freya,’ I said managing a weak smile at her joke.

  I looked over one last time. ‘Well there’s only one way to find out,’ I said determinedly. ‘I’m going over. Maybe something’s happened to him. Let’s face it, he’s disappeared off the face of the earth,’ I added, snatching my coat from the banister and swinging the front door open before anyone could say another word.

  I walked as fast as my legs would let me. I didn’t have a clue what I was going to say, but I knew something wasn’t right.

  I took a deep breath and quickly glanced back to see Ann and Freya still peering out of the window.

  It felt strange knocking on the front door, but I rapped hard on the wood and hovered nervously on the step. I heard footsteps clatter up the hallway and my mouth went dry, my heart hammering in my chest. I wasn’t sure why but a sudden picture of Marcus with this woman flooded my mind. There they were, lying in front of the log fire making love. What was I thinking? I squeezed my eyes shut to try and banish the image from my mind. I was being stupid. There would be a reasonable explanation why Marcus hadn’t been in touch. He’d probably lost his phone and this woman was a business acquaintance or a cleaner. She could be anyone. That was it – he’d probably hired some domestic help.

  The front door opened, and I had to admit the woman standing before me didn’t look much like a cleaner. She was tall and slim and extraordinarily pretty. Her skin was flawless, her hair chestnut brown and she stared at me with hazel eyes. She was truly stunning – straight out of a magazine.

  I must have looked like a tramp standing on the doorstep with my bedraggled hair, puffed-up eyes and lack of make-up. I had a feeling I’d seen her somewhere before, but I couldn’t place her.

  Before I could say anything, I noticed she was clutching the newspaper in her hand.

  ‘Aha, Mrs Bowman,’ she said slowly, her eyes pinned on me as she held up the paper.

  I shook my head then nodded towards the paper. I attempted to keep my voice level. ‘No, I’m not Mrs Bowman. If you’re referring to the photo in the paper, it’s a printing error. I’m Lizzie, Marcus’s neighbour.’ I pointed across the road towards my house. ‘I live just over there.’

  She stood on her tiptoes and flicked her eyes over my shoulder to give my house a fleeting glance. She turned back towards me and her eyes narrowed. I could see the displeasure in her pinched lips.

  ‘Are you here to walk Frank?’ I asked, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

  She gave a contemptuous laugh, which made me feel even worse.

  ‘Not quite.’ Her tone wasn’t friendly; in fact, it was safe to say she was acting a little hostile. ‘Let me introduce myself,’ she said, tucking the newspaper under her arm and gripping my hand in a painful handshake.

  ‘I’m Sally Bowman.’

  I blinked at her, confused. My mind went into overdrive. Marcus had never mentioned a sister – only his brother, Will.

  I shook my head. ‘Sorry, I don’t understand.’ Then the penny dropped, and I remembered where I’d seen her face before.

  I opened my mouth but no words came out.

  ‘Marcus’s wife,’ she said bluntly.

  ‘B-But you’re dead,’ I stammered, recognising her face from Marcus’s Facebook profile picture.

  ‘I think you’d better come in,’ she said, opening the front door wide open.

  43

  Sally Bowman most definitely hadn’t died in a hit-and-run accident; she was standing next to me in the hallway as large as life.

  She ushered me into the living room and I hovered on the edge of a chair with my hands stuffed in the pockets of my coat while I twisted a tissue nervously around my fingers.

  I waited for her to speak. I could hear Frank clattering about in the kitchen and sniffing at the gap under the doorway. It was evident from Sally’s stony stare that she wasn’t impressed – and who could blame her.

  ‘Why did you think I was dead?’ she said, finally breaking the silence.

  I swallowed, conscious of her eyes on me. My stomach felt like it was snarled in knots.

  ‘OK, here’s the thing,’ she said. ‘There’s a bright side to all this – I’m not dead.’

  Sally took a deep breath and I met her gaze. She smiled softly, trying to make a joke of the situation, but neither of us were laughing.

  ‘Are you married, Lizzie?’

  I nodded. I just didn’t know what to say. My mind froze.

  She carried on in a low calm voice. ‘Marcus and I are – or I should say were – separated. Working through our differences. He’s only here until they can place him in another job.’

  I processed that and dipped my head in acknowledgment.

  ‘You know about that then?’ Sally asked.

  ‘Yes, he said he’d been off work for a while. He said it’s been a difficult twelve months, with the grief and then finding out about your affair.’

  Sally raised her eyebrows at me.

  ‘My affair?’

  ‘Yes, he said you’d been killed in a hit-and-run, and that he’d found out about the affair when the police returned your phone afterwards.’

  Now I was feeling foolish, because that had clearly been a lie.

  She looked as dazed and shocked as me. ‘I can assure you I’ve never been hit by a car. Nor have I had an affair.’

  ‘I can see that now,’ I said.

  Sally’s eyes gleamed with unshed tears; she was obviously devastated.

  ‘I’m so sorry you’ve been dragged into this mess, Lizzie. It appears my husband is a compulsive liar, and I’ve no idea what the hell makes him tick.’

  ‘It’s OK,’ I said, though it was far from it.

  ‘I can assure you Marcus hasn’t been absent from work at all. He’s been working in a branch of the store not too far from here; in fact, we live in a house not too far from here.’

  I looked up, startled. ‘So he didn’t work in a branch in Scotland?’

  ‘No, never. The branch he worked in was less than ten miles from here.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  Sally hesitated for a moment. She fiddled with the hem of her jumper then took a deep breath and looked up.

  ‘I remember it clearly. I was eleven weeks pregnant and morning sickness had taken over my life. My blood pressure was low and every time I moved I felt sick or dizzy so I was just lying in bed, watching the rain lash against the window. I fell asleep for a bit and when I woke up the rain was just a light drizzle. After nibbling on a few ginger biscuits I started to feel a bit better and thought the fresh air might do me some good, so I decided I’d take Frank for a walk. I remembered I’d left my umbrella in the boot of Marcus’s car and popped out to get it before we left.

  ‘Just as I reached the car, I heard a ringing noise, and when I opened the boot I found a holdall stuffed with Marcus’s clothes, toiletries and a mobile phone, purposely hidden.’

  ‘Did you answer it?’

  She nodded, faltering for a moment.

  ‘That was the moment I discovered Marcus was having an affair with Melissa Braithwaite – the MD’s wife.’

  ‘Larry’s wife?’ I said, astonished.

  ‘You know her?’ Sally asked, her eyes wide.

  ‘Not exactly.’

  I paused for a moment. Sally’s eyes were fixed on me, waiting for me to explain.

  ‘I met Larry and Melissa at Bretton’s Christmas party. That’s where that photograph was taken. Marcus assured me it would just be for an in-house magazine; I had no idea it would end up in the local paper.’ I didn’t divulge the fact that Larry had followed me into the piano room.

  ‘Did Larry know about the affair?’

  Sally fiddled with her wedding ring as she spoke. ‘Yes, I told him. The phone was full of messages between them – and intimate pictures. Melissa’s number was the only one in the contact list. I gave him the phone so he could see for himself. I thought I had the perfect husband, the perfect marriage, but it was all a lie.’

  I noticed Sally’s hands shaking. I sat there quietly for a second trying to take it all in.

  ‘Larry removed Marcus from the store and placed him in another nearby branch. Melissa worked at the same store, you see. Unfortunately, it affected Larry in a big way. He doted on his wife. She had everything – the big house, the fast cars, holidays abroad. I’ve heard a rumour he’s turned to drink. I’m very surprised Marcus even attended the Christmas party, knowing how likely it was that they’d be there.’

  Unless he did it on purpose, I thought, wiping away tears of frustration. Things were starting to click into place. Larry had obviously been devastated by what had happened; he’d wanted revenge and thought he could get to Marcus through me.

  ‘That’s why he’s renting this house. I asked him to move out while I decided what to do.’

  ‘It’s only a recent thing?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said sadly.

  There were no words to describe how I was feeling. Every part of my body ached with pain, regret and guilt.

  ‘I thought he’d been single for over a year.’

  She shook her head. ‘No. He used you, Lizzie. You weren’t the first and you won’t be the last. Did you love him?’

  ‘I thought I did. For a moment,’ I added quickly, but my heart was hardening by the second.

  Sally tutted with undisguised loathing and shook her head.

  ‘I had no reason not to believe him,’ I said.

  Sally stood up and walked to the window. She gazed out on to the street for a moment before turning back around.

  ‘He told me a similar thing,’ I continued. ‘He told me it was you having the affair and that he’d discovered pictures of you on your phone with a man called Greg who worked in finance.’

  She dipped her head to stifle a laugh. ‘Greg does work in finance. He’s Will’s partner. Marcus’s brother is gay.’

  More lies, I thought to myself as my eyes flitted towards Sally’s stomach. She didn’t look pregnant to me, but she could’ve been hiding the bump with her jumper.’

  ‘What about the baby? What will you do?’

  Sally shut her eyes and her shoulders sagged. ‘I miscarried,’ she said, on the brink of tears.

  ‘Due to the stress?’

  She barely managed a whisper. ‘Yes.’

  ‘I’m so sorry.’

  ‘Don’t be. He seems to get off on the thrill of the chase – and the destruction he leaves behind. I really hope he hasn’t wrecked your marriage, Lizzie; he’s not worth it. That man has made me feel like a complete and utter failure.’

  I could relate to that. The pain was evident in her face.

  ‘Why are you here, if you don’t mind me asking?’

  ‘I’ve come to collect Frank. He disappeared from my garden early one morning. I was devastated; I thought I would never see him again. I even put up posters in the local shops and on lamp posts all around the village. It turned out Marcus had taken him. It only came out when we rowed over the photograph.’ She nodded towards the paper. ‘I wished I’d never set eyes on him,’ she said.

  ‘Me too,’ I said wearily, closing my eyes and letting her words wash over me. I’d been duped. It had all been a pathetic game to him. I couldn’t believe that you could have such admiration for someone and be so intimate one minute and in the blink of an eye you never wanted to set eyes on them again. All I could think about was Henry. What the hell had I done?

  44

  The next morning, I woke up as soon as the sunlight began to filter through the curtains. I’d tossed and turned for most of the night until I’d finally cried myself to sleep around 3 a.m. As soon as I woke up that feeling was back: the gut-wrenching heartache that gripped my stomach. My head was pounding and I realised I’d not eaten anything for nearly twenty-four hours.

  I sat up and smoothed my hand over the empty space next to me with a sharp pang of sadness.

  I’d been stupid and risked everything – and for what?

  Yesterday, Ann and Freya had paced the kitchen, anxiously waiting for my return. They’d watched me as I’d said goodbye to Sally and gave Frank a farewell pat while he danced on his hind legs. I’d felt so sad for her but hopefully she would find someone worthy of her love.

  She’d assured me Marcus wouldn’t be returning to the house. After a huge row he’d given her the key to the house so she could collect Frank. His stuff was to be packed up and forwarded to his parents’ home, and he’d resigned from his job, which was probably the only decent thing to do in the situation. Hopefully Larry Braithwaite would get some sort of closure now he wouldn’t have to cross paths with Marcus again. It was all very surreal. He’d only moved in three weeks ago and the devastation he’d caused in such a small space of time was incredible.

  Sally was now divorcing him and heading to her parents’ house for Christmas.

  I had no one to blame for my predicament but myself. In the last twenty-four hours there’d been no word from Henry. He was obviously hurting, a pain I’d caused and deeply regretted. We had no idea where he was working or where he’d been sleeping, but I assumed that he’d been bedding down in the back of his van. He always kept a few old blankets in the back, just in case he ever broke down and needed to keep warm. He didn’t have a toothbrush or a change of clothes though. I knew he would need time, and if he wanted to get in touch with me, he only had to come home. I wanted him to come home desperately. I tried his phone again but it still went straight to answerphone.