The Big Day: A completely twisty and unputdownable psychological thriller by Ruth Harrow

Author:Ruth Harrow [Harrow, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2024-06-03T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-SIX

As I drive home, the weight of everything gets to me. My face screws up against my will a few times on the journey.

I had thought today was just a matter of money. Form filling and assessments. But it's more than that, isn't it? That money symbolises everything that happened all those years ago. I was just sixteen when my parents died in the horrific manner they did.

Should I have told Scott that? Probably. Instead, he thinks my parents were neglectful. Drug users, probably. He believes this is the reason I spent my teens in foster homes and why I am so cool about inviting them to the wedding. My fiancé hasn't pried. He is so respectful, letting me reveal parts of myself to him gradually when I feel ready.

I'm not sure when I will be able to tell him the truth—that my name isn't really Samantha; it's Holly. No one has called me that for years. I'm much more used to Sam.

Holly has bad connotations.

What happened when I was sixteen made me hate my name, my own identity. Seeing that name again on the paperwork forced me to admit I was the girl it all happened to. It's almost too much to bear.

So I'm more than happy to be Sam, the teaching assistant. Not Holly, the girl splashed all over the national papers for months, even years. The press loved my story. They were fascinated by it.

I'm a grown woman, and I've left all that behind. My hair is short, cropped around my shoulders, and does not flow down my back as it did then. I keep my head down, away from the public eye. You won't find me on social media.

Most importantly, I keep my scars hidden. The proof of what happened that day was marked on my body forever.

Pulling the car up the driveway, I check my reflection in the mirror. I grab a tissue and clean up the smudged mascara.

When I enter the house, I find Scott and Dawn in the living room together. They are on opposite ends of the corner sofa. The atmosphere is palpable. Something I can't identify hangs in it. Scott is nursing a tumbler of whiskey.

Has Dawn dispensed punishments for my refusal to let her use my vehicle?

'Hey you,' Scott says as he reaches out for my hand. I join him on the sofa. He kisses me on the cheek and slides his arm around me. It's comforting after the day I've had. It would be wonderful to lean into him and forget all about today, but I'm too aware that Dawn keeps an eye on us, a muscle in her cheek twitching.

Her gaze keeps moving down to the long sleeves of my floral blouse. She hasn't forgotten about my scars. Is she about to fire questions at me? Has she interrogated Scott about them whilst I was out?

Even though I anticipate her bringing up the subject now, she doesn't.

The TV is on in the background, and A Place in the Sun is wittering on.

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