My Husband's Lie: A page turning and emotional family drama by Emma Davies

Author:Emma Davies
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781838885991
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2020-04-08T22:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

It would have been too easy to simply find Stacey in the shop. Too easy and wholly inappropriate, considering what I want to say. Jackie isn’t in there either. Instead it’s a much older woman I don’t recognise and my mention of Stacey’s name elicits no sign of recognition. But I know roughly where she lives and that will have to be enough.

The estate is two roads of modern houses that must have been built about ten or so years ago. They certainly weren’t here when I was a child; back then it was all just fields. They’re right at the other end of the village but, even so, a five-minute walk is all it takes to find myself staring at the rows of near identical houses which pretty much all look like they’re occupied by families. I walk down the road a little way and pick a house at random on my left. A bright-red scooter lies on its side near the front path.

My knock brings a harassed-looking woman to the door with a toddler on her hip. When I explain who I’m looking for, my carefully rehearsed and very plausible lie as to why tripping off my lips, I’m rewarded with a pointing finger and the words ‘Number eighteen.’ The door closes seconds later.

I have no real idea what I’m going to say should Stacey actually answer the door, but the look on her face as she finds me on her doorstep would seem to be a pretty good indicator of how the conversation is going to go.

‘You’d best come in,’ she says, flicking a glance down the street. She stands back to let me enter the narrow hallway before openly looking me up and down.

‘I’m sorry for coming unannounced, only I had no other way of contacting you.’

She peers at me suspiciously. ‘Yeah well, you’re lucky I’m in. I should be at work but my boss rang early to swap my shift.’

I smile graciously.

‘What do you want anyway? I haven’t got time to stand here talking about the good old days.’ There’s a sneer in her voice that sets my teeth on edge.

‘Do you know I still can’t place you,’ I reply. ‘And yet you obviously know me…’

I’m subjected to further scrutiny. ‘I know of you,’ she clarifies. ‘My older sister, Claire, was in your class at school.’

We’re still standing in the hallway. There’s not much light but enough to see the open disdain on Stacey’s face. I struggle to think. I can’t remember the names of half the girls in my class at school. But then a memory stirs. ‘Claire… Sunderland?’ I ask. ‘Is that your last name?’

‘It was. I’m Brooks now.’

I nod. ‘Yes, I do remember. Claire used to be really good at netball, didn’t she?’

‘She still is. She played on the county side for a few years.’

‘Oh…’ I trail off. I’m still not sure where this is all going and Stacey clearly isn’t going to help me out. But then again, why would she,

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