The Liar's Sister (ARC) by Sarah A Denzil

Author:Sarah A Denzil [Denzil, Sarah A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786817372
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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By the time I’m on my way to the Prince of Wales, Rhona has also been in touch and suggested that she comes to meet us too. The idea of dealing with both women at the same time fills me with some trepidation, but it’s a good way to get this over and done with. All the way there, my stomach swirls.

The pub will no doubt be full of villagers, and it’s possible that one or more of them wrote us the threatening note to try and frighten us. I don’t think it could be Rhona or Emily, because they’re still friendly with Rosie. At least they’ll be allies while I’m there.

There’s another reason why my stomach flips over. What I didn’t tell Rosie while we were arguing was that Samuel wasn’t just my boyfriend; he was the boy I loved deeply. The only person I’ve ever loved in that way. To Rosie, my lack of a love life is due to my primness. She blames my doomed relationships on my stand-offishness, but the reality is that true heartbreak takes a long time to heal.

I’ve allowed my other boyfriends to drift away because they don’t mean even a tenth of what Samuel meant to me. Not the guy I dated on and off throughout university, not Simon, not the boss I slept with intermittently – none of them. My replies to their texts or voicemail messages would become less and less frequent until they gave up. Simon, a man so dull that Mum constantly called him Steven and on other occasions forgot he even existed, clung on a little longer than most men might in that situation, going as far as to once suggest we move in together, but everyone has a limit. I would push and push until I found that limit.

It wasn’t my intention to distance myself from them; it was more of a subconscious thing, I think. After the first few weeks, or the first few months, my stomach would drop when I heard my phone buzz and saw the name on the screen. I’d clam up with tension at the thought of any sort of commitment. I threw myself into university work or my job as a distraction. And then, later, I threw myself into caring for Mum.

But if I can never love anyone in the same way I loved Samuel, does that mean I’ll forever be lonely? Forever be a little bit sad? And what does it say about me that I still love the person my sister accused of sexual assault? What’s wrong with me?

Reg glances up when I walk in, and then turns away. A line from The League of Gentlemen pops into my mind: A local pub for local people. I’m local, of course, but I’m as unwelcome as any outsider. And is it any surprise? It was Rosie’s accusation that changed this village for the worse. Perhaps it’s my family that’s the rotten core everyone is trying to dig out.

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