The Pretend Wife (A Gripping Psychological Thriller with a Shocking Twist) by Ann-Marie Richards

Author:Ann-Marie Richards
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: psychological thriller, domestic thriller, women's fiction
Publisher: Ann-Marie Richards
Published: 2021-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17 – Now

With trepidation, Julia fished into her handbag and pulled out her security pass for the senior’s center for her volunteer shift. It had her name and photo in bold.

Julia Windsmith.

A photo of her looking jovial stared right back at her as if she were a different person altogether. A complete stranger she didn’t recognize, unlike the one she saw earlier in the mirror. In the photo, her eyes were filled with hope, her smile wide as the ocean, her hair so perfect and neat, there wasn’t a strand out of place.

She remembered the day she took that photo.

Dan had dropped her off at the center, though he didn’t come inside. She thought nothing of it at the time, but now, tragically, she knew it was all a scheme. He never wanted them to appear anywhere together, if she could remember correctly. He’d strategically planned it that way.

If Kerry was right, this was an elaborate plot. But why? Why do this to her? What was really behind this charade? Did this have anything to do with his ex-wife, Alexandria?

“Hey, Julia. Good to see you again.” The cheerful voice came from Luke, the volunteer coordinator at the senior center.

He just came into the volunteer staff lounge area near to where the lockers were. There was a coffeemaker in the kitchen area and in the lounge section was a fireplace, large flat screen TV, and sofa. They made it cozy with the recent renovations to match the rest of the facility thanks to some generous donations from local businesses.

“Hi Luke.” Julia tried to sound as cheerful as she could to match his demeanor.

She always believed that no matter what you were going through, you had to park it outside, check your attitude at the door, but don’t bring it into the workplace or in this case, the volunteer job she was chosen to do.

She’d been there for so many years, it had become like a second home to her in a way. Volunteering made her happy and gave her a sense of purpose. She wasn’t there for just herself to take up space in the world, but to be of service to others. Make a difference in someone’s life. Give back.

Between music therapy with the children at the treatment center where her brother stayed and volunteering with the war vets, which she’d been doing since high school, her life seemed more fulfilled.

It was also a great opportunity to see people outside of her workplace, which was a different world altogether.

She knew most of the staff, but the turnover was so high, even amongst the volunteers who ended up moving south or taking jobs in other cities or quitting after they finished high school and gotten their volunteer credits, but Julia stayed on. It was more than just a way to fulfill a requirement for her high school diploma or college entrance criteria, it was something special and close to her heart.

The center always seemed to have trouble keeping people. It probably didn’t help that it was in such an isolated area.

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