The perfect HUSBAND

Anna suspected her marriage was in trouble – but did she really want to find out for sure?

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Martine leaned against the kitchen counter, her blue eyes unblinking. ‘Is everything all right, Anna? You don’t seem yourself.’

Anna opened a cupboard door, mainly to hide behind it. She’d invited Martine over because she wanted advice, but she was finding it hard to speak up. Once she’d put it into words, it would be real instead of a horrible, secret fear.

‘Why do you say that?’

‘You’ve made my coffee with cold water.’

Martine tipped the mixture into the sink. ‘What’s wrong?’

Anna sat at the table. She’d known Martine would interrogate her – that was why she’d invited her over. Anna was too much of a doormat to do anything about her suspicions. Martine was a police officer. She would insist on getting to the bottom of things.

‘I think Rory’s having an affair.’

‘You’re joking!’ Martine looked excited rather than shocked. She’d been divorced twice and was a self-declared expert on men. ‘He always seems like the perfect husband.’

‘Lately he’s been distant.’ Anna sniffed back tears. ‘He’s been spending lots of time on his computer, messaging people on Facebook. He keeps sitting in his car when he gets back from work, and I can see he’s on his phone.’

‘It sounds bad.’ Martine pursed her lips, considering it. ‘But it’s not a lot to go on.’

‘And there’s this.’ Anna handed Martine her phone, showing her a photo of a message on Rory’s phone. ‘I just happened to see it when it came in.’