The Perfect Tenant: A gripping psychological domestic thriller full of suspense and shocking twists (The Domestic Thriller Collection (Standalones)) by AJ Carter

Author:AJ Carter [Carter, AJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Papyrus Publishing LTD
Published: 2023-05-09T00:00:00+00:00

For the rest of the afternoon, Cody is showing off his new – old, technically, but new to him – games console. Alice is paying full attention with all the interest a mother should, asking questions and even taking on our previously tried method of sharing a controller. I sit back in the armchair with a lukewarm coffee, admiring the bond between the two of them.

Then guilt hits me like lightning.

It comes out of nowhere, leaving me dazed and confused. How could I, as a man, know the responsibility I have to these people and yet still betray their trust? Alice has gone through some stuff lately, which has been hard on us all, but does that really give me the right to mess around? And with Ellie, too? It’s not just the stab in the back but the size of the knife.

‘You okay over there?’ Alice asks.

‘I’m fine.’ Smiling weakly, I turn my attention back to the TV, where a Toyota Supra slips off the road and slams into a barricade. It’s kind of how I feel about my life right now: crashing and burning despite having someone at my side. ‘Actually, I’m not.’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Maybe I’m just tired.’

‘Why don’t you go get some rest? You’ve been overdoing it lately. Yes, I know that’s mostly my fault, but I can make it up to you. We could even go away for your birthday next week if you want?’

‘Yeah!’ Cody screams, dropping the controller and entering the discussion.

Meanwhile, I’m astounded that it’s almost my birthday and I didn’t even realise. I quickly add it up in my head, comparing my latest invoice to the dreaded day of celebration. She’s right. I’m almost forty, and I hate birthdays, even when they’re the small ones.

‘I don’t know about going away,’ I tell them, ‘but I do need some rest.’

‘Go for it. We’re here when you need us.’

Alice’s kindness leaves me with even more guilt. It’s an unbearably heavy weight to endure, so I leave the house with a heavy fog clouding up my mind. There’s a fog outside, too, and its icy fingers creep down my collar to send a bolt of cold right through me.

‘Idiot,’ I mutter under my breath, looking back after crossing the road. There’s a family in there who waits for me – relies on my every move – and here I am, thinking about heading right over to Ellie’s to check out the sexy new underwear she boasted about. The worst part is no matter how much I try to convince myself, I know what’s going to happen.

I’m on my way to her house without another thought.

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