The Teacher's Secret: A completely unputdownable psychological thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists by Lauren North

Author:Lauren North [North, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2024-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-ONE

OLIVER

Oliver’s alarm beeps for a second time. A persistent, brain-piercing noise he didn’t realise until that very second he hated. He reaches for his phone, squinting at the screen and swiping twice before the alarm stops and the silence resumes.

He flops back onto the pillow and thinks of all the times he’s lain in this bed listening to the soft thud of Archie’s footsteps in the hall outside and how he and Cate had kept their eyes closed and wished for just five more minutes of peace. What he wouldn’t give to hear those footsteps now.

The sob when it comes is guttural and shuddering, taking him by surprise. He never claimed to be perfect. He knows that’s what everyone always thought. The perfect family, the perfect life, the perfect man. But he’s human. He’s made mistakes like everyone else, but he’s always tried. One little slip and this is his punishment.

He shifts in the bed, catching the stale smell of the bedclothes that need changing. Except Cate normally does that. He isn’t sure he knows where the clean sets are kept. The stink turns his stomach, reminding him of the whisky bottle he’d gone back to last night.

Yesterday, it was easy to focus on his anger. Anger at Lexi for showing the photos to the police and interfering in whatever else she was doing yesterday. He’d driven home, knowing really that his anger was at Cate and what she’d driven him to.

But in his first waking moments, it’s impossible not to let his feelings for Archie rip him in two. Tears stream down his face. A screamed ‘sorry’ lodges in his throat. He didn’t mean to hurt them.

Memories of Christmas flood his thoughts. Christmas Day at Cate’s parents’ house, smiling at everyone, pretending they hadn’t been arguing non-stop for the last week, putting on a show and talking to everyone but each other.

Then Boxing Day when he’d woken up to an empty house. He’d freaked out that time. He’d called everyone he could think of. Her parents and all her friends. Disturbing people’s Christmas celebrations and making a fool of himself, just like she’d wanted. No one had seen them. He’d called her hundreds of times. She hadn’t answered. In the early evening, when he’d been unable to think of anything else he could do, he’d texted her, telling her he’d be calling the police in an hour, begging her to come back.

Fifty-five minutes later she’d returned, self-righteousness, smug. Archie had been giddy on the high of Grandma and Grandad’s sweets and attention, oblivious to the game his mother was playing. Oliver had spoken to Wally that morning, plucking up the courage to ask if Cate was there, and the man had lied through his teeth.

That Boxing Day night she’d told him she’d found the receipt for the hotel. His stay with another woman. A stupid mistake. Meaningless, he’d told her, grovelling and pleading for another chance. She’d lorded it over him, enjoying the power, but she’d allowed him to stay, and he’d sworn it was over.

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