The Wife: An unputdownable psychological thriller with a breathtaking twist Page 24

I told Toby he was a grown man and should have made his own decisions. He should have stood by his wife. Should never have cheated on me in the first place. If he’d kept it in his pants then none of this would have happened.

  Toby didn’t reply to that. Instead, he said he loved me. That he’d spent the past ten years of our marriage trying to make it up to me. That a day hadn’t gone by when he wished he hadn’t done what he had. But I didn’t believe a word. After all, when he thought that Nick was about to spill the beans to me, he had lied again, this time telling me that I had killed my sister. No. The only comfort that prison visit gave me was that I was lucky to be rid of him.

  But it didn’t stop me mourning the loss of the husband I’d thought he was.

  Back then, I didn’t have time to process what had happened to me. To mourn my sister. To grieve the death of my sham marriage. To accept that Toby had cheated on me with my own sister. To realise that a woman I thought of as a second mother had tried to kill me. It was all too much, so I buried it. Instead, I attempted to get on with regular things such as work and raising a family while dealing with the aftermath. At least I had Madeline and my father as support.

  Madeline found herself in a similar position to me. Although she didn’t have a cheating husband and a dead sister, she did have a husband who had helped to cover up a murder and was facing a long prison sentence. It was more than enough to destroy their marriage and leave her on her own with two children. Consequently, we sought one another out.

  Strangely – after our initial distress and anger – whenever we got together socially we avoided talking about our husbands and their parents. Instead, we concentrated on practicalities, such as divorce, house sales and children. Right now, Madeline feels like more of a sister to me than my own ever was.

  We held a small private funeral for Dina with just Dad and I in attendance. It was a sad and depressing affair. I didn’t cry, but I noticed Dad wiping away a few tears. Neither of us comforted the other. In fact, we barely spoke. There wasn’t anything to say that didn’t involve a world of painful memories. And neither of us were ready to confront those. Dina had betrayed me, but she had paid the ultimate price. I didn’t want to spend the funeral thinking about our corrosive relationship, so instead I tried to focus on the times before Mum died. Back when we were proper sisters who played together and laughed and shared silly secrets. Before it all crumbled away.

  And yet… despite Dina’s and my broken relationship, I can’t help thinking about those two instances in town where I saw my sister days before the party. First wearing that beautiful red coat, walking along the road with a man. And second when she locked eyes with me through the salon window. Both times, I had been so certain it was her. Even now, months later, I can recall each incident clear as day. I know it’s silly, but I almost believe it was her. Warning me somehow that nothing was as it seemed. That she had been the victim of foul play. A last attempt to somehow make amends, or at least connect with me in a meaningful way. I shiver and force my thoughts back to the present.

  Madeline places the final empty packing box on the floor. ‘All done,’ she says, getting to her feet.

  I put down the stack of bowls I’m holding. ‘You don’t have to leave right away, do you? Stay for tea, if you like.’

  She yawns. ‘I better go. I’ve got food to prep for a client’s dinner party tomorrow.’

  ‘Okay. Thanks for today.’

  ‘That’s all right. You can return the favour when I move into my new place.’ She grins.

  ‘We’ll be there,’ Dad says. ‘As long as you unpack the kettle first.’

  ‘Of course. And I’ll even throw in some homemade cookies.’ She hugs us both and we spend the next ten minutes prying her daughters away from their cousins.

  Once she’s gone, a wave of tiredness washes over me. The children disappear off to their rooms to amuse themselves, and I start preparing an omelette for our tea. Dad’s still sitting at the kitchen table. Now that the boxes are unpacked, he’s already made a start on the firelighters, rolling each sheet into a tube, flattening it, then bending it diagonally in the centre, folding one side and then the other until he’s made a little concertina-like creation. I remember him showing us how to make them when we were kids. While Mum was still alive.

  ‘You okay, love?’ It’s a question he now asks me at least twenty times a day.

  ‘Yeah, I’m fine. Feels good to have got that lot unpacked and put away.’

  ‘I’ll make you up a box of these lighters, and then you can get the kids to add to it. It’s going to be a cold winter and you’ll be glad of these to get the fire going quickly on a chilly evening. I’ll order you some logs from the fella I use.’

  ‘Great. Thanks.’

  After I was discharged from hospital, Dad took the kids and I back to his place. I have to hand it to him, he was incredible. All those parenting skills he’d been lacking after Mum died came out in full force as he cared for his grandchildren. While I attempted not to fall to pieces, he cooked for them, played with them, chatted with them and comforted them, all in his own understated way. I tried not to feel bitter that he’d never done any of this for me and Dina while we were growing up. He was doing it now, and that’s what mattered.

  After several months of living with him, I could tell that Dad was finding the noise and disruption wearing. Although he never complained, bless him.

  I take the pan off the heat and slide it under the grill to melt the cheese on top of the omelette.

  ‘I am sorry, you know,’ Dad says, dropping another firelighter into the box.

  ‘Sorry?’ I ask. ‘For what?’ I turn the grill down and sit opposite him.

  He sighs and scratches the stubble on his chin. ‘I wasn’t a very good dad to you and Dee, was I?’

  It’s true. He wasn’t the greatest father. But I’m surprised to discover that I don’t feel resentful any more.

  ‘I don’t want to make excuses,’ he continues. ‘But after I lost your mum…’ He frowns and stares down at his hands, picks at his fingernails.

  ‘It’s okay, Dad, you don’t have to explain.’

  ‘But… I do. I want to.’

  ‘You were grieving for Mum, I get it.’

  He nods. His eyes bright with unshed tears. ‘Even so… I shouldn’t have neglected you both. Maybe if I’d spent more time with Dina instead of leaving you to do it all… you were only a kid yourself. She was such a little ’un when your mum died. And now, now it’s all too late…’

  ‘Dad, stop. You did the best you could at the time. Look at me, after all this stuff with Dina and Toby. I was a mess – still am – but at least I had your help. After Mum died, you didn’t have anyone to help with me and Dina. You were on your own. I think you did a pretty good job, considering.’

  Dad takes in everything I’m saying, then he clears his throat. ‘Thanks, love. You’re a good girl, you are.’ He pats my hand and gets to his feet. ‘Okay, well, that omelette smells like it’s almost done. Want me to call the kids down?’

  ‘Yes please.’

  As he walks towards the door, I feel a settling of something inside me. Despite the chaos and uncertainty of everything else, I realise a large piece of my life has been resolved.

  My father hesitates at the door, squaring his shoulders. ‘I love you, Zo,’ he says, without turning around.

  ‘Love you too, Dad.’

  Epilogue

  I close my eyes and try to get comfortable beneath the thin sheet and blanket, turning this way and that before finally giving up like I always do. Instead, I lie on my back with my eyes open, staring into the semi-darkness, accepting that sleep isn’t coming any closer. That it never arrives until it’s almost time to wake up again. In this place, the nights are endless and the days roll into one another. Time works differently here.

  I thought time would help to calm my anger. But it hasn’t abated at all. If anything, it’s grown stronger. Each cell in my body, quivering with outrage and fury at what�
��s happened. At the travesty of justice that’s occurred. I’m a mother. My job is to protect my children. To keep them safe from danger. From predators.

  That girl. That bloody girl. She and her family were never good enough for my Toby. I should have trusted my instincts and steered my youngest boy away from her and her deadbeat trollop of a sister. Instead, I trusted him to make his own decisions. So stupid of me. Toby wasn’t prepared for Zoe Williams and her conniving ways. I’m sure she got pregnant on purpose. Trapped him into marrying her. The dates prove she was pregnant on their wedding day. All right, so I realise she wasn’t that far gone, but however she did it, she cast a spell on my beautiful boy and now our whole family is paying the price. I should have made sure she never woke up on her wedding day. That’s the biggest regret of my life.

  At least Malcolm and Toby are serving their time together. Toby was given fourteen years and Malcolm was given twelve. Toby will look out for his father. But Nick… the poor boy is on his own in a different prison. He does have a shorter sentence though – only two years for his part in covering up Dina’s death – so I pray he’ll be able to bear it. But he’s not strong like Toby. He gets anxious. They’ll eat him alive in there. I can’t think about it. I gave him a pep talk beforehand. Told him to be strong. To act tough even if he doesn’t feel like it. My worst fear is that someone will hurt him. Or that he’ll grow ill with nerves. But maybe he’ll surprise me, and this will be the making of him.

  I’m still not used to the night-time noises here – the snoring, moaning and coughing – so much coughing. No wonder I can’t sleep. But I’m not intimidated by these women. They’re all just doing what they need to do to get through it. Like me. And at least I have something to focus on.

  I was given the longest sentence of all – sixteen years! Just because of the medications and the fact that my actions were premeditated. But, despite what my solicitor says, I’m hoping that with good behaviour my sentence might be reduced. I intend to be the model inmate. I will do everything it takes to show that I’m remorseful. That I’ve changed. That I understand what I did was wrong. I’ve told the boys to do the same. I’m attending counselling sessions, and meeting with the prison chaplain as often as I’m able. Showing everyone that I’m a reformed woman, so that I might get out of here early.

  And then I will make that little bitch pay.

  Zoe and her father had better enjoy what little time they have left. She may think she’s got one over on me, but she has no idea what I’m capable of. And this time I’ll be more prepared. Once it’s over and we’ve finally served our time, I’ll gather my family back up and we’ll be stronger than ever. Nick can win Madeline and the girls back and Toby will have his darling Alice and Jamie in his life once more. And then we can put this whole unfortunate episode behind us.

  I let out a contented yawn, my eyes finally growing heavy. My mind soothed by the plans I’m making. Perhaps I will finally have a good night’s sleep after all.

  If you were gripped by The Wife, you’ll absolutely love The Secret Mother, a completely unputdownable suspense thriller full of jaw-dropping twists.

  Get it now!

  The Secret Mother

  ‘Absolutely addictive and brilliant with an end I didn’t see coming. This is one book you have to read and it gets 5 huge stars from me!!!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

  ‘Are you my mummy?’

  Tessa Markham returns home to find a child in her kitchen. He thinks she’s his mother. But Tessa doesn’t have any children.

  Not anymore.

  She doesn’t know who the little boy is or how he got there.

  After contacting the police, Tessa is suspected of taking the mystery child. Her whole life is turned upside down. And then her husband reveals a secret of his own…

  Tessa isn’t sure what to believe or who to trust. Because someone is lying. To find out who, she must confront her painful past. But is the truth more dangerous than Tessa realises?

  An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller with a twist that will make you wonder if you can ever trust anyone again. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Sister this book will have you hooked.

  Get it here!

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  Books by Shalini Boland

  One of Us Is Lying

  The Other Daughter

  The Marriage Betrayal

  The Girl from the Sea

  The Best Friend

  The Perfect Family

  The Silent Sister

  The Millionaire’s Wife

  The Child Next Door

  The Secret Mother

  Available in Audio

  One of Us is Lying (Available in the UK and the US)

  The Other Daughter (Available in the UK and the US)

  The Marriage Betrayal (Available in the UK and the US)

  The Perfect Family (Available in the UK and the US)

  The Silent Sister (Available in the UK and the US)

  The Child Next Door (Available in the UK and the US)

  The Secret Mother (Available in the UK and the US)

  A Letter from Shalini

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading The Wife. I hope you enjoyed it.

  If you’d like to keep up to date with my latest releases, just sign up here and I’ll let you know when my next novel comes out. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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  Thanks again,

  Shalini Boland x

  www.shaliniboland.co.uk

  One of Us Is Lying

  Tia never harmed anyone. So why does someone want to destroy her?

  Tia is walking home with her children, along the lakeside of their quiet, safe town, when she realises something is wrong with her five-year-old daughter, Rosie. She seems troubled, not at all her usual happy self.

  But when Tia finally coaxes Rosie to open up, she wishes she hadn’t. Because her sweet daughter asks a question Tia never thought she’d hear.

  ‘Mummy, why did you kill someone?’

  Tia knows how rumours spread around her small town. She just can’t understand who would have shared such a horrible story. Or why.

  It can’t have anything to do with what happened. Only her two best friends really remember that…

  Tia thought she could trust Fiona and Kelly with her life. They’ve been through so much together. But when she’s sent photos of herself that could tear her whole world apart, she starts to wonder. Someone is determined to punish her. But who? And will her friends stand by her, or will the past destroy all of their lives?

  From the million-copy-bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Perfect Family, this absolutely addictive psychological thriller is guaranteed to make you gasp. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and Big Little Lies this book is for you.

  Get it here!

  The Other Daughter

  Nine years ago her daughter was taken. And now she’s back.

  Three-year-old Holly is playing happily in a pink plastic playhouse, while her mother Rachel sips coffee and chats with a friend nearby. It should be an ordinary day for all of them. But, in the blink of an eye, it turns into every family’s worst nightmare.

  Holly is taken by a stranger and never found.

  Nine years later, Rachel is living a quiet life in Dorset. S
he’s tried to keep things together since the traumatic day when she lost her eldest daughter. She has a new family, a loving partner and her secrets are locked away in her painful past.

  Until one afternoon when Rachel meets a new school parent Kate and her teenage daughter Bella. Rachel’s world is instantly turned upside down – she’s seen Bella before. She’d recognise that face anywhere – it’s her missing child.

  And she will stop at nothing to get her back…

  From the million-copy-bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Perfect Family, this utterly gripping psychological thriller will have you up all night reading. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Sister this book is for you.

  Get it here!

  The Marriage Betrayal

  ‘Daddy has been lying.’