Page 53 of The Jealous Girl

Relief loosened the tightness in my chest. Maybe I hadn’t misread everything between us. Maybe we really had wanted the same things. At least at the time.

‘But you don’t any more?’

‘I didn’t say that.’

The sense of relief evaporated as quickly as it had come, as more doubts tightened their grip. If he’d changed his mind about this, what if he’d changed his mind about us too?

‘If you can’t even tell them we’re engaged, how would you ever tell them we were married?’

‘The timing isn’t right,’ he said with a slight shrug.

His words made sense. His dad was in the hospital. His mum was stressed and worried. Sharing our excitement right now would have been selfish. But I still needed more certainty. More reassurance.

I studied him carefully. ‘You’re sure that’s all it is?’

‘What else do you think it is?’ His voice was edged with impatience rather than reassurance.

I hesitated. Something inside me told me not to say it. Not to put my fears into words. Not to say them aloud. To make them real.

But I couldn’t stop myself.

‘Maybe you’re having second thoughts.’

The words hung between us, sharp and quiet.

The memory lingered as we gathered in the hallway and Denise pulled Ryan into a tight hug. ‘Come home tomorrow,’ she said softly. ‘Your father would love to see you.’

‘I will,’ Ryan promised without hesitation.

She stepped back, her hand lingering on his arm. ‘Just don’t tell your dad.’ Her gaze drifted to me. ‘You’ll kill him.’

I flinched as she repeated her earlier warning. Then she turned away and slipped out of the door without even a goodbye.

I swallowed as Ryan clicked the door closed behind her. To us, our ceremony in Malta had felt like we were practically married now, but to Ryan’s family I was still nothing more than I had always been. An inconvenience.

And nothing was ever going to change.

Ryan leaned against the door and closed his eyes. I moved towards him, threading my arms around his waist.

‘Are you okay?’ I asked quietly.

He shook his head slowly. ‘What if Mum’s right?’ he asked quietly. He opened his eyes and met my gaze. ‘What if we rushed into this?’

21

NOW

Late August

Wednesday

The drive home passed in a blur. My foot pressed heavier on the accelerator than usual, in my eagerness to put distance between me and Blackwater Stables.

I couldn’t believe I’d done that. Broken in. Stolen records.

My eyes flicked from the road ahead to the rear-view mirror, my stomach churning.

There was nothing behind me. No headlights, no flashing blue lights. Yet my pulse didn’t ease. When had I become this?