She Says She's My Daughter: A gripping and addictive psychological thriller with a heart-stopping twist by Lauren North

Author:Lauren North [North, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781837906550
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2023-07-23T23:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-SEVEN

SARAH

I hang up the phone as a dizzying anger spins in my head; the result of my pounding heart and the blood now rushing to my brain. My hand drags along the smooth plaster of the wall in the hallway, anchoring it in my sights, whilst the rest of the room spins with fairground-like fury in front of my eyes.

And alongside the anger are the memories I don’t want to remember, seeping through cracks in my armour, clouding my thoughts.

I have to eat. I know this now. I’ve forgotten my art of survival – eat, sleep, work, look forward never back. And if I’m not surviving, then I’m drowning. In grief. In despair. In all that I’ve lost.

I make it to the kitchen, aware of the eyes watching me – Rebecca and Michael and the girl, all stood frozen, waiting for my next outburst.

Ryan touches my arm as I pass, concern creasing his brow, but it’s Daniel I focus on. He’s standing by the open fridge, studying its contents and crunching on half a slice of buttered toast. Without asking, I grab the other half of the jagged rectangle from his plate and force myself to eat.

Chewing is a marathon. The toast tastes like cardboard, but I swallow it down.

‘I’d have made you some if you’d asked,’ Daniel says.

His voice, his entire manner, is relaxed, and suddenly I’m not sure if I want to hug him or shout at him.

Don’s words echo in my head. ‘Your boy is a natural, you know? That was superb. Not as vague as you wanted but he skipped over your absence like a pro.’

‘Shall I make bacon sandwiches?’ Michael chirps as he follows me into the room, buoyant now.

‘What was that out there?’ I ask him, forcing a calm into my voice that I don’t feel, but I want answers more than I want to yell.

‘Well, I…’ Michael gaze darts around the room before landing sheepishly back on me. ‘The statement was good, I thought. Well done, Daniel.’

‘Thanks,’ Daniel says, raising his eyebrows and pulling a face so the one word lands somewhere between a statement and a question in that way only teenagers seem to manage.

‘I told you I was going to ask Don to release a statement. Until we know more—’

‘A statement was never going to be enough,’ Michael cuts in. ‘Come on, Sarah, you know this business better than anyone. This is too big. Daniel did a great job out there.’

‘I’m not saying he didn’t; what I’m saying is that we need to think about what we’re doing as a family. We need to agree. When did you decide you were going to do this? Whose idea was it even? And why did no one tell me?’

Michael clears his throat. ‘You heard what Ryan said. He thought it was a good idea and I agreed.’

I turn my gaze on Ryan. Did he suggest something to Michael while I was out of the room? He starts to say something, but Daniel cuts him off.

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