Page 75 of The Psychopath Next Door

‘Yeah. Not everything, but enough. Including what I just told you about feeling like it had ended on your terms. And she recommended that I get in touch with him, meet up with him, prove to myself we could just be friends. Of course, she didn’t realise it would end with me not wanting to even be that.’

I was stunned. Fiona had known Emma was going to see Mike, but had acted like she was surprised when I told her.

What was she up to? And now, of course, it was too late to talk to Emma about this, because I’d failed to tell her about my encounter with Fiona.

‘Ethan? Hello?’ Emma was speaking. ‘What was it you wanted to talk to me about?’

I blinked at her. ‘Huh?’

‘When you first came out here, you said you wanted to talk.’

‘Oh.’ I didn’t want to go into it now. I needed time to process what I’d just learned. ‘I was going to talk to you about Rose and this incident with Henry, and her behaviour recently, but it can wait.’

‘Yeah. I’ve decided to try to go a bit easier on her. Like Angela said, she’s growing up. It’s all normal. I just don’t want her to turn into a complete devil.’

I laughed, and said, ‘Amen to that.’

I leaned forward and kissed my wife. ‘I love you,’ I said. ‘Let’s go to bed.’

26

Fiona watched from her upstairs window as the Doves’ car rolled to a halt outside their house. They were back. At last! Lola, sensing her owners, had already begun to bark, and she rushed out to greet her humans the second Fiona opened the door, tail whipping back and forth as she ran up to Emma, then Ethan.

Fiona slipped out quietly, heading straight to the car, to Rose.

As soon as the girl got out of the back seat, she lifted her face towards Fiona’s and their eyes met, held contact, and there it was. The connection. The recognition. Unmistakable. It was like the ugly duckling looking at his reflection and realising he was a beautiful swan. That moment of recognising your true nature and seeing it mirrored back at you. If Fiona had harboured any final doubts, even after witnessing Rose launch Patrick down the stairs, they were gone now.

‘Have a good time?’ Fiona asked, heading back towards Ethan and Emma, who were being licked to death by their cockapoo.

Emma laughed. ‘Yes, beautiful place. We had fun.’

Fiona looked Emma up and down. She had a lightness about her. A different energy. Glancing over towards the car, where Ethan was struggling with the suitcases, Fiona whispered to her, ‘Did anything happen with Mike? Did you contact him?’

‘It’s okay,’ Emma said, stepping out of her children’s earshot. ‘Ethan knows. And it’s all sorted. Seeing Mike made me realise there was no real connection between us. Not even friendship. Ethan and I had a really good talk and cleared the air.’

‘Oh. That’s great.’

Fiona glanced towards Ethan again and caught him looking at her, wearing a sheepish expression. He immediately looked away.

‘I guess I have to thank you for your advice,’ Emma said. ‘And thank you so much for looking after Lola.’

The dog was running around in circles now, whimpering with excitement, and Emma scooped her into her arms, turning to go.

‘Ethan will pop round later to pick up Lola’s stuff. That okay, Ethan?’

He had that rabbit-in-the-headlights look. ‘Huh? Oh yeah. Of course.’

‘Shall I pick Rose up at the usual time tomorrow morning?’ Fiona asked.

‘Oh, you don’t need to,’ Emma said. ‘I’ve taken the rest of the week off work.’

The whole family trooped into their house, Ethan avoiding her gaze, only Rose turning to look back at her. Their eyes meeting. It was clear she had changed, was fully out of the chrysalis now. But when was Fiona going to be able to spend time with her? It was frustrating as hell.

On top of that, Ethan and Emma had made up; and that had not been part of the plan. Right now, the broken-hearted Ethan – realising his marriage was over, full of hatred for his wife – should be running into Fiona’s arms.

As she closed the front door, a phone rang.

She went into the living room and grabbed her mobile. Except the ringing wasn’t coming from this phone. And she didn’t have alandline. Then she remembered: Lucy’s phone. God, no. Where had she put it?

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