Trust Me - Sheryl Browne Page 0,82

celebrate as far as Jake could see. He looked at her askance. ‘What news?’

‘You know, the text you received,’ Emily answered, glancing at him with a short smile. ‘Sally told me herself earlier. I imagine you’re both ecstatic, though I can’t imagine Dave will be. I take it you’ll be moving out?’

What the …? Jake almost dropped through the floor. She was talking about Sally’s news that she was pregnant? Imagining the baby was his because of some text that had quite obviously been sent by someone aiming to cause trouble?

‘Jesus Christ, Emily, can you hear yourself?’ He’d spent the time after the police had gone looking at discreet treatment programmes for her. He cared about her. How the hell was he supposed to convince her of it?

‘I was reasonably civil to Sally, you’ll be pleased to know. I even congratulated her, although I did feel like killing her, obviously,’ Emily went on, busying herself wiping work surfaces that were perfectly clean and completely oblivious to the implication of what she’d just said.

‘For Christ’s sake! It’s nothing to do with me!’ he yelled, making her start. ‘That text was sent as part of the cruel, manipulative communications that are destroying so many people’s lives, can you not see that?’

‘All of which are based on information that’s true,’ Emily pointed out.

Jake nodded, watching her carefully.

‘Like the email,’ she added, looking him over scornfully.

Jake felt his temper dangerously close to the surface. ‘What fucking email?’ he challenged her. ‘The one you deleted? The one sent by … who? Sally? Natasha?’

‘Don’t make me say it, Jake.’ Emily dropped her gaze. ‘This is humiliating enough without you—’

‘Did you get it into your head I was having an affair with Zoe Miller and Jennifer Wheeler as well?’ His jaw tight with anger, he ignored her. ‘Is that why Zoe ended up plummeting from her balcony and Jennifer had her stomach pumped?’ He’d told himself it couldn’t be her sending the letters; that he knew her. But now, with the discovery that drugs were being taken from the surgery, he was beginning to think he didn’t know her at all.

Emily paled visibly. ‘That’s a wicked thing to say, Jake,’ she said shakily. ‘I don’t know what you’re trying to do to me, but it won’t work.’

Jake studied her. There was no point even trying to answer that. ‘There are drugs missing from the safe,’ he said bluntly. He couldn’t do this, skirt around it. He didn’t know what the hell was going on, but he clearly couldn’t contemplate doing nothing. ‘Did you take them?’

Emily baulked. ‘You really are serious, aren’t you?’ Searching his face, she laughed bewilderedly. ‘Is this part of the plan too? This evil game you’re playing to … what? Drive me away? Drive me mad, so that everyone says, Oh dear, poor Jake, having to put up with his deranged wife. It’s no wonder he had an affair?’

Jake pressed a hand to his forehead. He felt like weeping. ‘This is ridiculous, Emily,’ he said throatily. ‘You’re wrong about Sally. She’s—’

‘I think you should go,’ Emily stopped him angrily.

She was looking at him now with something close to hatred, he noticed, feeling sick to his soul. ‘I’m not going anywhere, Emily,’ he said quietly. ‘Do you honestly think I would leave my children to this?’

Thirty-Two

Emily

Hearing no sound from Millie’s room, Emily pressed the handle down and inched the door open, then breathed out a sigh of relief when, clearly disgruntled at being disturbed, Millie burrowed further under her duvet.

‘You’ll be late,’ Emily warned her.

‘I have a free period,’ Millie mumbled and dug herself further in.

Emily didn’t think she did have a free period, but she decided not to push it. On top of the devastating argument she’d had with Jake, she couldn’t face another one with her daughter. She would have to try to have another talk with her. Apologise for seeming to not trust her. Jake was right: she would have to allow her to make her own mistakes. She couldn’t wrap her up in cotton wool. Millie was feisty, strong-headed – a teenager with her own views and her own life to lead. All Emily could do was pray she would stay safe and be happy. That was all she wanted for her.

Closing the door quietly, she went downstairs in search of Ben, worrying about him as she always did. He’d clearly overheard the row she and Jake had had, judging by his sullen expression when she’d passed him on the landing