Page 110 of The First Mistake

Alice leans her head back resignedly onto the headrest and closes her eyes.

‘So what is Nathan going to do now?’ she asks. ‘Now that he knows it’s you.’

‘He’s told me he’ll have the money ready by tomorrow.’

Alice laughs sarcastically. ‘We’ll have less money then than we’ve got now. Japan completes this afternoon.’

‘Are you still going ahead with that? After everything I’ve told you?’

‘Doing the Japan deal isn’t dependent on Nathan,’ says Alice, matter-of-factly. ‘It depends on me – whetherIwant to do it or not – and right now, I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t. In fact, what you’ve said only makes me want to do it more.’

‘Is Nathan doing it with you?’ asks Beth.

‘Financially, you mean?’

Beth nods.

‘No, this is all on me – I’ve taken a loan out for it.’

‘Good,’ says Beth. ‘Don’t let him anywhere near it.’

‘And what areyougoing to do?’ asks Alice. ‘Now that I know everything. Now that you can no longer blackmail him.’

Beth turns to look at her imploringly. ‘Don’t tell him, Alice.’

‘What?’ she says, exasperated. ‘After everything you’ve done, you honestly expect me to do you a favour?’

‘Please,’ begs Beth.

‘What if everything you’ve told me is a lie?’ says Alice, looking directly at Beth for the first time. ‘What if you’ve made this all up? And even if you haven’t, why should I do anything you say? Look at what you’ve done to me, to my family. Right now, Nathan doesn’t look like he’s actually done anything wrong, at least not by me. So why would I show you loyalty over him?’

‘Because he pretended to beyourdead husband,’ blurts out Beth, stopping Alice in her tracks. ‘Please – if for no other reason – do it for that.’

Alice feels a jolt.Tom.

‘So, Nathan told you that his name was Thomas Evans?’

Beth nods. ‘Born on twenty-first of May, 1976.’

‘So regardless, you’ve known for ages that your Thomas and my Tom were two entirely different people. Yet you still implied that he was one and the same person.’

‘Yes,’ whispers Beth.

‘So ... so you never actually knewmyTom?’ Alice asks tentatively. ‘YourThomas Evans was Nathan.’

Beth nods.

A rush of relief floods through Alice, reigniting every tiny flame that she’d bequeathed to Tom over the past ten years. ‘So Tomwasthe man I thought he was?’ she asks, with tears streaming down her cheeks. ‘He was never the man you made me think he was.’

‘No.’

Alice lambasts herself for ever believing otherwise. She knew her Tom hadn’t been capable of what Beth was accusing him of. She steels herself before asking the next question, unsure of the answer she wants to hear, unsure of what her best friend is truly capable of.

‘He’s on Facebook ...’ she starts. ‘My Tom is on Facebook living a new life ...’ She can’t bear to look at Beth, knowing that her expression will tell her all she needs to know.

‘I’m so sorry,’ Beth chokes. ‘I wanted you to think that he might still be out there. That he’d left you because hewantedto. Just like Nathan had left me.’

Alice closes her eyes tightly, willing her heart not to break all over again. ‘But the photos?’

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