She knew they were together as a couple; this was no “business trip.” She had seen it in their looks, their touches, how he’d kissed her, and the way they had flirted and romanced in front of her.
What were they doing now? Heading into early evening they would be inside, perhaps having a private wine tasting. She imagined them seated at a table near a roaring fire, their legs brushing, their hands clasping from time to time. She imagined how Ryan was looking at Trish, and the expression in his eyes, and how they would talk and laugh, sharing in-jokes that were part of their own private language after more than a decade of married life.
And here she was, her sanity unraveling, with a ruined meal and children who hated her and a whole world of fears pressing down on her shoulders.
Cassie collapsed onto a chair, buried her face in her hands, and sobbed.
It felt like hours later, but was probably only a few minutes, when she heard the front door slam. Knowing Dylan was back forced her to pick herself up and carry on. She sensed it would be foolish to show weakness in front of him, and worse to show fear, no matter how she was shaking inside.
“Hello, Dylan,” she called out, and felt enormous relief when he called back a casual “Hi.”
This small encouragement gave her the strength of will she needed.
She could not let this family destroy her.
As soon as Ryan got back, she would be free to leave, and this time, she wouldn’t allow herself to be swayed by any of his lies.
The chicken was salvageable. If she cut off the burnt part and put the rest back in a lower oven, it should be edible.
Meanwhile, Cassie decided, she was going to use the gift that Dylan had given her. As it was the most reliable pregnancy test, she was going to take it right now, so that one way or another, she wouldn’t have the uncertainty of not knowing.
Back in the bathroom, she held the stick carefully and this time she followed the instructions to the letter, waiting the full two minutes before looking down.
To her utter relief, the test was a clear negative.
Cassie breathed out a sigh that seemed to take all of her tension away with it. This test wouldn’t be wrong, because it was the most accurate one.
Finally things were starting to move in her favor.
*
Cassie woke the following morning feeling confident about her decision. She would not believe another word Ryan said to her. All she was doing was annihilating her own self-esteem. No matter what he said or did, she was going to walk out as soon as they got back.
Cassie played a board game with the children before lunch, and when the rain cleared in the afternoon, they went for a walk down the path to the beach. Dylan seemed to have warmed to her again, and she hoped that he’d understood that she’d lost her temper, and had accepted her apology.
As the hours went by and there was still no sign of Ryan and Trish, she started to wonder when exactly they were planning to arrive. Ryan had said “late,” but what did that mean? She’d assumed it meant late afternoon, but five o’clock came and went with no word from him. Exactly how long were they planning to extend this loving little jaunt?
Cassie fumed and fretted, repacking her bags as the evening drew in. She wanted to get her departure over and done with. No kind words, no kisses, no diamond necklaces could change her mind this time. She’d seen Ryan for what he was—a pathological liar who’d strung her along because it suited his plans.
It was only when she was finishing off her packing that she remembered the other test—the one she’d bought—was still in the Land Rover’s cubbyhole. Tempting as it was to leave it there and hope that it might prove an interesting conversation point for Ryan and Trish at some future date, Cassie decided it would be better to remove it.
She headed out to the garage and opened the cubbyhole in the central console. The test had fallen right to the bottom, and when she rummaged in the cubbyhole’s dark interior, the first thing she pulled out was a pair of wire cutters.
She placed them on the seat and delved into the cubbyhole again.
This time she pulled out a short knife.
Now she could feel the plastic bag containing the test—but there was something else there, as well. What was it?
Cassie pulled out the test bag and then scrabbled with her fingers, picking up the small, sharp items she could feel there.
She took them out and stared at them, dumbfounded.
They were fragments of wire.
The last time she’d seen wire of this color and size had been when she’d been staring down into her car’s open hood.
Cassie felt dizzy with horrified realization.
No wonder it had been so easy for her to agree to stay on, and to accept Ryan’s lies about Trish. Being stranded, and dependent on him to fix her car, had been the main reason for that.
He’d trapped her here, forcing her to rely on his helpfulness by cutting the wires in the first place. With his wife due to fly back, he’d needed a contingency plan. He must have gone out after her and driven behind her to the hardware store.
She’d left her car unlocked, but if she hadn’t, she was sure he would have done something different—slashed two of the tires, perhaps.
One way or another, he’d devised a foolproof plan to force her into staying.
She’d been manipulated by him without even realizing it.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
As the reality of what Ryan had done sunk in, Cassie was filled with a fury so huge that she couldn’t think straight.
He had sabotaged her car to make sure she couldn’t leave. He’d been using her this entire time. Seeing she was vulnerable, he’d trapped her in a spider’s web of lies and
