Read Online The Girl in the Yellow Vest by Loretta Hill - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Loretta Hill
Ads: Link
dining on the left. He walked straight to the telephone and picked it up.
After dialling the restaurant, he ordered the salmon. He had room service every day even though the units were equipped with kitchens and it would probably be much cheaper to make his own. Cooking brought back many,
many
memories that only pulled all his dissatisfaction screaming to the surface. Got him fixated on how unfair life was. How brutal. How unkind.
He was angry. He was always angry.
Tonight, however, the memories and the frustration refused to be suppressed by his clever dinner arrangements. Sitting on his dining table in its understated brown packaging was the parcel from his wife. He had brought it in before going over to the Silver Seas reception. He leaned against the wall, arms folded, looking at it for a moment. Trying to work out what its deal was as it sat there, practically burning a hole in the polished pine table.
He certainly hadn’t been able to open the thing at work due to prying eyes. At least that was what he’d told himself. Now he had to wonder if he was game enough to open it at all.
Oh to hell with it.
He walked over to the table, put Charlotte Templeton’s list down beside the parcel, then picked up the brown tough bag. Ripping off the sides, two things dropped out. A DVD in a white casing, labelled
Watch me first
. And a blue envelope labelled
Read me second
. His hands trembled as he picked up the plastic disc cover first.
Did he dare watch it?
He couldn’t afford to go back to that place he’d been two years back. He’d hauled himself out of there by the fingernails, surfacing from the abyss with not much of his soul still left intact. If this was what he thought it was, he didn’t know if he could handle it. But what else was he supposed to do? Store it? Watch it in three years? Five years? Destroy it?
No, he could never destroy anything of Kathryn’s.
He gritted his teeth.
Damn you, Kathryn! Even now you’re still able to get your way.
Before he lost his nerve he went over to the TV cabinet and opened it. On a shelf below was a DVD player. He supposed he should thank his lucky stars it wasn’t a VCR. Taking a breath, he slipped the disk into the player and turned on the TV.
The disc played automatically, nearly flooring him with the sudden image of her smiling on the screen. As though she was really there.
‘Hi, Mark.’
Oh God. God help me.
He reached out, blindly grabbing for the arm of the couch as the sound of her voice hit him in the chest like a physical blow.
‘Surprised to see me?’
She was wearing a loose T-shirt and a scarf. This must have been just after all her hair had fallen out. Her face was pale but her big blue eyes sparkled with all the love they’d shared on the day they’d first met, back in their early twenties. He sank slowly onto the couch, his gaze never wavering from the screen.
Her eyes grew glassy and her hand immediately went to her cheeks, dashing the wetness away. ‘Sorry, this is harder than I thought.’
No shit.
She was sitting on the couch in their apartment, the window open behind her, a gentle breeze billowing the curtains towards her. He never thought he’d see her like that again.
‘You’re probably wondering how you got this.’ She looked down at her hands. ‘I, er . . . I’m going to leave it with a solicitor with a delivery date after my death. The fact is, I know,’ she glanced up then, ‘I know you will need me.’
If only you knew how much.
‘I mean, you need me to help you get through this because we both know you’re not going to listen to anyone else.’
Tears stung his eyes. It wasn’t news to him. He’d do anything for her. All their friends used to comment that she had him wrapped around her little finger.
Used to. He hadn’t really spoken to any of them in a while. It reminded him too much of everything he’d lost.
She paused, licking her lips. ‘I remember when Simon died and you turned into such a bastard. I
After dialling the restaurant, he ordered the salmon. He had room service every day even though the units were equipped with kitchens and it would probably be much cheaper to make his own. Cooking brought back many,
many
memories that only pulled all his dissatisfaction screaming to the surface. Got him fixated on how unfair life was. How brutal. How unkind.
He was angry. He was always angry.
Tonight, however, the memories and the frustration refused to be suppressed by his clever dinner arrangements. Sitting on his dining table in its understated brown packaging was the parcel from his wife. He had brought it in before going over to the Silver Seas reception. He leaned against the wall, arms folded, looking at it for a moment. Trying to work out what its deal was as it sat there, practically burning a hole in the polished pine table.
He certainly hadn’t been able to open the thing at work due to prying eyes. At least that was what he’d told himself. Now he had to wonder if he was game enough to open it at all.
Oh to hell with it.
He walked over to the table, put Charlotte Templeton’s list down beside the parcel, then picked up the brown tough bag. Ripping off the sides, two things dropped out. A DVD in a white casing, labelled
Watch me first
. And a blue envelope labelled
Read me second
. His hands trembled as he picked up the plastic disc cover first.
Did he dare watch it?
He couldn’t afford to go back to that place he’d been two years back. He’d hauled himself out of there by the fingernails, surfacing from the abyss with not much of his soul still left intact. If this was what he thought it was, he didn’t know if he could handle it. But what else was he supposed to do? Store it? Watch it in three years? Five years? Destroy it?
No, he could never destroy anything of Kathryn’s.
He gritted his teeth.
Damn you, Kathryn! Even now you’re still able to get your way.
Before he lost his nerve he went over to the TV cabinet and opened it. On a shelf below was a DVD player. He supposed he should thank his lucky stars it wasn’t a VCR. Taking a breath, he slipped the disk into the player and turned on the TV.
The disc played automatically, nearly flooring him with the sudden image of her smiling on the screen. As though she was really there.
‘Hi, Mark.’
Oh God. God help me.
He reached out, blindly grabbing for the arm of the couch as the sound of her voice hit him in the chest like a physical blow.
‘Surprised to see me?’
She was wearing a loose T-shirt and a scarf. This must have been just after all her hair had fallen out. Her face was pale but her big blue eyes sparkled with all the love they’d shared on the day they’d first met, back in their early twenties. He sank slowly onto the couch, his gaze never wavering from the screen.
Her eyes grew glassy and her hand immediately went to her cheeks, dashing the wetness away. ‘Sorry, this is harder than I thought.’
No shit.
She was sitting on the couch in their apartment, the window open behind her, a gentle breeze billowing the curtains towards her. He never thought he’d see her like that again.
‘You’re probably wondering how you got this.’ She looked down at her hands. ‘I, er . . . I’m going to leave it with a solicitor with a delivery date after my death. The fact is, I know,’ she glanced up then, ‘I know you will need me.’
If only you knew how much.
‘I mean, you need me to help you get through this because we both know you’re not going to listen to anyone else.’
Tears stung his eyes. It wasn’t news to him. He’d do anything for her. All their friends used to comment that she had him wrapped around her little finger.
Used to. He hadn’t really spoken to any of them in a while. It reminded him too much of everything he’d lost.
She paused, licking her lips. ‘I remember when Simon died and you turned into such a bastard. I
Similar Books
