The Wife in the Photo by Emily Shiner

Author:Emily Shiner [Shiner, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense, American Suspense, Psychological Suspense, Domestic Thriller
ISBN: 9781837903856
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2023-09-06T16:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-FOUR

EVAN

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

I feel a ball of anxiety drop straight into my stomach when I pull up into my driveway and see Ariel’s car.

What the hell is she doing here? I gave her the day off on purpose, hoping that Jessica would have some time to herself to just be quiet, and yet here she is. This is the second time I’ve told her not to come to the house and she’s done the opposite.

How dare she think she can just stop by?

Anger rushes through me and I grip the steering wheel hard, the leather squeaking under the pressure. I take a deep breath and release it, then unclench my jaw, trying to calm back down.

I’m not going to go in there yelling and raging. I’m going to keep my cool, try to figure out what’s really going on. It’s clear Ariel is up to something, but without knowing what it is, I need to be careful.

Letting myself into the house, I move quietly and quickly, not really wanting to alert Jessica or Ariel to the fact that I’m home. Sure, if they were paying attention to the driveway then they might have heard me pull up, but the fact that nobody has greeted me yet makes me think they must be involved in something else.

And I’m right.

I’m so quiet when I walk into the living room that the two of them don’t hear me and I get an eyeful of what’s going on. There’s a pile of shopping bags on the floor, clothes spilling out of one of them. Standing right by the door, like they could barely make it into the house before they had to hug, Jessica and Ariel are embracing.

My daughter looks so small wrapped in the housekeeper’s arms, and I stop in the doorway. Grabbing it for support, I stare at the two of them, trying to figure out what’s going on.

“It’s okay. You just have to trust me. I’ll keep you safe.”

Even from across the room I can hear what Ariel’s murmuring to Jessica. She keeps running her hand down my daughter’s back like she’s trying to comfort her. I know I shouldn’t be bothered by this scene, but there’s something about my daughter finding comfort from someone else that upsets me.

No, that’s not it. It terrifies me. It wasn’t too long ago that she was in my arms just like this, sobbing over her mother. I have no reason to think she might be telling Ariel the truth about what happened to Lola, but I still stop short. My heart races in my chest and it’s difficult for me to breathe.

I have to do something. I have to—stop her, get her out of here—stay calm, I have to stay calm.

I clear my throat.

Jessica and Ariel jump back from each other. They look guilty, like I just caught them doing something they weren’t supposed to. But they were just hugging, right? Still, there’s something eating at the back of my mind that makes me think there’s more to this scene than meets the eye.

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