Happily Married: A completely addictive psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist by Victoria Jenkins

Author:Victoria Jenkins [Jenkins, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781837902392
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2023-05-10T16:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FOUR

As soon as Natalie leaves the house to take Elsie to the leisure centre, I corner Jake in the kitchen. We’ve barely had a chance to talk since he pushed me over in the barn; we’ve managed to keep our exchanges brief, neither addressing the subject of what happened.

‘Can we talk?’

‘About what?’

‘You know what.’

He glances at the kitchen window, checking the driveway. Natalie’s car hasn’t yet left the drive, but it sometimes takes her an age to get Elsie into her car seat.

‘I said I was sorry for what happened. I should never have pushed you like that.’

‘Sorry isn’t enough.’

‘I’ll make it up to you, I promise.’

‘How?’

‘Whatever it takes. But please, we can’t do this now.’

‘Then when?’

We hear the sound of the front door, and Jake quickly heads to the porch where he feigns taking off his wellies. I’m at the sink when Natalie comes in.

‘That was a quick swim,’ I say casually.

‘Forgot Elsie’s armbands,’ she says, rolling her eyes. She goes to a bag that’s been left hanging on one of the dining chairs and fumbles in it before producing them like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat. ‘I’ll do the shopping on the way back,’ she tells Jake.

She goes back to the hallway, but I notice her pause before she gets to the front door. I don’t believe her story. I think she forgot the armbands on purpose, so she’d have a reason to come back here. She’s suspicious of everyone at the moment, constantly watching everything that’s going on in the house. Her nerves must be on edge waiting for a knock at the door from social services.

‘See you later,’ she calls out, too cheerfully. I watch at the kitchen window, waiting here to see her car leave the driveway. In the porch, Jake takes his wellies back off. I’d expected him to scarper off to the barns as soon as he had a chance, but apparently he wants to stay.

‘I’m sorry about what happened,’ he says.

‘You already said that.’

‘I’d never do anything to hurt you.’

‘That’s not true though, is it? This is hurting me. Every day I wake up knowing you’re still with her. I’m just left hanging on to the hope of us being together – one day. But that day never seems to come. That’s hurting me.’

‘We just need to wait until all this crap with social services is over.’

‘But there’s always something, isn’t there? There was another excuse before that, and there’ll be another one after it. If you don’t want me any more, I’d rather you just say.’

‘Of course I want you.’

‘Then prove it.’

I kiss him. He hesitates, still on edge though we know that Natalie’s gone. I pull him against me and kiss him again, harder this time, feeling his body against mine finally relenting.

‘Come upstairs with me,’ I say. ‘Natalie will be gone a couple of hours, at least.’

‘I can’t.’

But I feel him growing hard against me, his erection pressed against my hip. His cold hands trace my waist, reaching under my T-shirt and finding the dips in the flesh that curve towards my groin.

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