Read Online The Girl in the Yellow Vest by Loretta Hill - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Loretta Hill
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nearly divorced your arse. Remember that, Mark?’
How could he not? Losing his twin to a shark attack had been one of the worst moments of his life. The two of them had both been really into water sports, any type, any form. It was their favourite thing to do on the weekend. One innocent day on the beach had cost his brother, Simon, everything. Simon had always been such a strong swimmer and to make matters worse had the fearless attitude of a daredevil. If it occurred to him that a shark might attack him, he certainly wouldn’t have expected to die from it. But he did, on the operating table, in Royal Perth Hospital. Shark attacks were frequent on the WA coastline, but Mark had never believed it would happen to either of them. That sort of story belonged on the news, not in his family history.
They hadn’t just been brothers but best mates as well. Having that constant struck out of his life was like being pushed out to sea on a brittle raft. He hadn’t known what to do at first. But when the shock cleared, he was angry. Splinteringly angry, with a rage that went so deep he had no idea how to fuel it. And so it fed on his life.
He’d retreated into a hole and pushed everyone away, including his wife. It had been months and months before he found his way back to her. He had wanted the world to suffer as he had suffered. How wrong he had been.
‘I think you made more enemies that year than you had hot dinners,’ the ghost on the TV continued. ‘That tongue of yours cuts like a knife, Mark. Doesn’t help that you’re too smart for your own good. You know exactly where to throw your poisoned darts and you had a lot of them.’
She paused. ‘Well, I’m guessing,’ she smiled, ‘just going on past experience . . . that the same thing has happened again.’
Kathryn, no
.
‘I mean, we both know that a person doesn’t lose the two most important people in his life within five years and then just snap out of it. Especially not you, Mark.’
He closed his eyes. Losing his brother had been like cutting off a limb. But when she had died it had been far, far worse. Like his world had descended into darkness. Everything was black. Nothing was enjoyable because all he could think was that he could have had that moment with her.
As he opened his eyes, he watched her pause, licking her lips and giving him that secret smile that made his heart struggle to beat. His hand closed around the top of his shirt near the collar, fisting the material in his hands. Why did he feel like he couldn’t breathe?
Kathryn continued to eyeball him. ‘I’ve got news for you, mister. I’m not letting you drop out of life for me. I’m not letting you burn every friendship you’ve ever had because I died on you. I’m going to pull you out of this hole you’ve put yourself in if it kills me.’ She laughed, and the achingly familiar sound made an unwanted wetness pool behind his eyes. ‘Oh, crap, it already has.’
Cancer.
They’d battled with it for three years. When she was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer, they had done all the treatments. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation. He had thought losing his brother was bad but at least that had been quick. Watching the love of your life waste away before your very eyes, helpless to do anything, did something to a person.
And that something wasn’t good.
‘It’s been two years, Mark. It’s time to let go.’
Like hell.
He reached for the remote, his fingers trembling over the buttons, his brain malfunctioning so he couldn’t figure out which one to push to make her stop talking.
She appeared to be reading his mind. As usual. ‘Just hear me out. I’ve written you a list. It’s in the box with this disc. I want you to do all of it. In that order. Promise me, Mark. Promise me now. Don’t think I can’t hear you, because I can. I know that I –’
His brain finally played ball, his thumb jabbed the stop button and abruptly the TV screen went blank. His breathing was
How could he not? Losing his twin to a shark attack had been one of the worst moments of his life. The two of them had both been really into water sports, any type, any form. It was their favourite thing to do on the weekend. One innocent day on the beach had cost his brother, Simon, everything. Simon had always been such a strong swimmer and to make matters worse had the fearless attitude of a daredevil. If it occurred to him that a shark might attack him, he certainly wouldn’t have expected to die from it. But he did, on the operating table, in Royal Perth Hospital. Shark attacks were frequent on the WA coastline, but Mark had never believed it would happen to either of them. That sort of story belonged on the news, not in his family history.
They hadn’t just been brothers but best mates as well. Having that constant struck out of his life was like being pushed out to sea on a brittle raft. He hadn’t known what to do at first. But when the shock cleared, he was angry. Splinteringly angry, with a rage that went so deep he had no idea how to fuel it. And so it fed on his life.
He’d retreated into a hole and pushed everyone away, including his wife. It had been months and months before he found his way back to her. He had wanted the world to suffer as he had suffered. How wrong he had been.
‘I think you made more enemies that year than you had hot dinners,’ the ghost on the TV continued. ‘That tongue of yours cuts like a knife, Mark. Doesn’t help that you’re too smart for your own good. You know exactly where to throw your poisoned darts and you had a lot of them.’
She paused. ‘Well, I’m guessing,’ she smiled, ‘just going on past experience . . . that the same thing has happened again.’
Kathryn, no
.
‘I mean, we both know that a person doesn’t lose the two most important people in his life within five years and then just snap out of it. Especially not you, Mark.’
He closed his eyes. Losing his brother had been like cutting off a limb. But when she had died it had been far, far worse. Like his world had descended into darkness. Everything was black. Nothing was enjoyable because all he could think was that he could have had that moment with her.
As he opened his eyes, he watched her pause, licking her lips and giving him that secret smile that made his heart struggle to beat. His hand closed around the top of his shirt near the collar, fisting the material in his hands. Why did he feel like he couldn’t breathe?
Kathryn continued to eyeball him. ‘I’ve got news for you, mister. I’m not letting you drop out of life for me. I’m not letting you burn every friendship you’ve ever had because I died on you. I’m going to pull you out of this hole you’ve put yourself in if it kills me.’ She laughed, and the achingly familiar sound made an unwanted wetness pool behind his eyes. ‘Oh, crap, it already has.’
Cancer.
They’d battled with it for three years. When she was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer, they had done all the treatments. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation. He had thought losing his brother was bad but at least that had been quick. Watching the love of your life waste away before your very eyes, helpless to do anything, did something to a person.
And that something wasn’t good.
‘It’s been two years, Mark. It’s time to let go.’
Like hell.
He reached for the remote, his fingers trembling over the buttons, his brain malfunctioning so he couldn’t figure out which one to push to make her stop talking.
She appeared to be reading his mind. As usual. ‘Just hear me out. I’ve written you a list. It’s in the box with this disc. I want you to do all of it. In that order. Promise me, Mark. Promise me now. Don’t think I can’t hear you, because I can. I know that I –’
His brain finally played ball, his thumb jabbed the stop button and abruptly the TV screen went blank. His breathing was
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