Nowhere to Hide by Keri Beevis

Author:Keri Beevis [Beevis, Keri]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Published: 2024-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

17

BEFORE

I don’t recall exactly when it was that I started to fear Duncan. I can still remember a time when I wanted to be with him every waking moment, but now I automatically tense when I hear his footsteps, and wish I was far away from here.

Things changed after he had hit me for the second time. I realised then I should never have forgiven him the first time it happened, believing his lies it had been an accident. I wouldn’t do it again.

My plan had been to contact Juliette as soon as I had my phone back and ask her to come and get me, but it seemed he had anticipated this. Unlike on previous occasions when he had returned home after hurting me, when he had had been full of heartfelt apologies and promises that he would try harder to control his rage, there had been no contriteness.

That day, my head had been thumping and my stomach was painfully sore, the bruises already showing, but I had managed to clean the kitchen as asked and he had skulked around it inspecting my work before I was able to make my escape to the bedroom.

I looked at the phone, quickly learning that the WhatsApp group I had with my friends had gone. Frantically, I scrolled through my contacts, panicking as I realised he had deleted their numbers.

‘Is there a problem?’ he asked innocently, as he walked into the room, hearing my gasp of shock. We both knew what he had done.

My heart thumped, unsure if it was better to call him out or pretend everything was okay. Either option could work out badly for me.

‘I wanted to check my friends arrived home okay,’ I said meekly, deciding that lying to him wasn’t a good idea. ‘But our chat is…’

‘Gone?’ He had the nerve to phrase it as a question.

‘And their numbers,’ I managed, ashamed of the tremor in my voice.

‘Yes, those have gone too.’

I fought to keep the panic from my tone. ‘Why?’

‘Because I don’t want you contacting them again. They’re not welcome back here.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘They were rude and disrespectful to me in my own home. They’re a bad influence on you, Mica, and you have no need for them. Your life now is here with me.’

It wasn’t until later that I discovered the full extent of what he had done.

My contacts were deleted, together with our WhatsApp conversations and my call history, but the vile words in Messenger that Duncan had sent Juliette, pretending to be me, were still there for me to see.

I have thought long and hard before sending this message. You embarrassed me this weekend with your rudeness to Duncan. We let you into our home and you were confrontational and disrespectful. He is a good man and did not deserve to be treated so badly. I am guessing it is jealousy. You’ve always been the one to land on your feet, the one who men look at, but it’s a shame that they can’t see the ugly soul behind your pretty face.

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