The Wife Next Door: A totally gripping psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist by Rona Halsall

Author:Rona Halsall [Halsall, Rona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781803141596
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2022-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

By the time Jess had psyched herself up to face her guests again, ready with more apologies, they’d already gone. Toby was watching his favourite astronomy programme on TV, completely engrossed. Ben was sitting alone at the kitchen table, staring into a mug of tea. He looked up when she came in, his expression grim.

‘What the heck is going on, Jess?’

Her mouth moved, trying to form words, but nothing came out. She didn’t know herself what was going on, so how on earth could she explain to Ben?

‘I thought you were going to apologise to Carol for the last upset, try and make peace with her, but instead you’ve done the opposite.’ He shook his head. ‘She was fuming. Said you were impossible. Grabbed Mo and went home. Poor Rob’s gone to see if he can calm things down. Again.’

Jess sank into a chair opposite him, annoyed with herself for not listening to her own voice of reason. The one that had told her it was wrong to eavesdrop on Carol’s conversation.

Ben raised an eyebrow, jerked his head towards the ceiling. ‘What happened up there?’

For a moment she was too ashamed to talk about it. Her eyes dropped to her lap, unable to bear the accusation in his eyes, and she busied herself picking imaginary fluff off her dress. But then she remembered Ruby’s role in the whole episode, and knew she had no choice. Ruby wouldn’t hesitate to tell her father what she’d seen.

Ben listened as she told him what had happened, his expression growing increasingly dark. A nervous tic twitched at the corner of his eye, something she’d never noticed before.

‘So… who was she talking to?’

Jess shook her head. ‘I don’t know, I didn’t hear much, but I have a feeling it’s the same person she was speaking to the other week.’

‘You mean the last time you were listening in on one of Carol’s private conversations?’

Jess cringed inside. It sounded so bad. What sort of person have I turned into?

Ben gave a frustrated huff. ‘Everyone’s got their secrets. Things they want to keep to themselves. Why should you know everything about Carol’s life? It’s her choice what she tells other people, and she’s not going to tell you anything if you’re constantly snooping on her. You’ve got to try and earn her respect. Then she might open up. But the way you’re going now, you’re just turning her into an enemy, and to be honest, it’s making things awkward for all of us.’

‘I know, I know,’ Jess sighed. She glanced up at him, and decided it was time he started to listen to her concerns, rather than always taking sides with Carol. ‘But it happened by accident. It’s not like I deliberately went up there to listen in on a secret conversation.’

‘You need to stop being so suspicious of everyone.’ She could tell by the forced patience in his voice that he was fuming.

‘That’s all right for you to say. You’re not the one who’s had someone

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