The Bone House - Brian Freeman [150]
Mark's head bobbed in surprise. 'Seriously?'
'Looks that way. Do you want it?'
'After everything that's happened?' He hesitated, and she assumed he was about to say no. Not ever. Not again. He surprised her.
'Actually, yeah,' he continued. 'I do. All I ever wanted was the life we had before.'
She smiled at her husband. He was the idealist between them. He thought things could be the way they were again, as if the horrors had never happened, as if the injustices had never been perpetrated. She wasn't so blindly optimistic. Life didn't go backwards. She prayed that she could look in the mirror one day and see the same two people who had come to this place to escape, that she could live in peace among the neighbors who had wronged them, that she could find a way to heal the wounds in her soul.
Something had been taken from her, and she didn't know how to get it back. She would never admit it to him or anyone else, but when she was alone, she still heard Katie taunting her. You're like every wife, loyal and stupid. Do I need to spell it out for you?
She saw Mark and Glory. On the beach. No one will ever know.
Hilary told herself for the thousandth time that nothing had happened between them. Mark was an honorable man, and Katie was a sociopath playing with her head. And yet she wondered. She was human. It was a seedling of doubt she wouldn't water, in the hope that it would wither and die. That was all she could do. You push aside your fears and hope there are no monsters waiting behind them. You live your life. You trust. You have faith.
'So do you want to stay here?' she asked.
'I do,' Mark said. 'Don't you?'
Hilary nodded. What they had, what they wanted, was worth fighting for.
'I don't want to be anywhere else,' she said.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I lost a dear friend during the writing of this book. Gail Foster sent me my very first 'fan' letter in 2005 before the release of my debut novel, Immoral. As we got to know each other, she became a sounding board and advance reader for my manuscripts, and I always looked forward to her feedback and reflections on my work. Marcia and I had the good fortune to meet Gail several times and to become friends with her and her family. We miss her greatly.
This book is in your hands because of the efforts of many people around the world. I am grateful to everyone in the publishing industry who has been so supportive of my career throughout the past six books. A special thanks to my agents, Ali Gunn, Deborah Schneider, and Diana Mackay - and the agents in many countries who work with them.
Of course, I'm particularly grateful to my readers. I grew up enjoying entertainment from many wonderful authors, and it is an honor to play the same role for readers around the world. Keep writing to me and sharing your stories. I always appreciate it.
This would be a lonely business without the support of family and friends. My own family in California has been with me every step of the way, even when we are separated by long distances. I'm also blessed with wonderful friends close to home, across the country, and around the world. Many thanks to people like Barb and Jerry, Matt and Paula, and Keith and Katie, for the ways you enrich our lives.
Every book is dedicated to my wife, Marcia. Those of you who have met her know that she is (as one bookseller described her), 'the icing on the cake' at book events. Actually, that's not true - she's the cake, too! Whenever I get invited back to a bookstore or library, I can count on hearing the question, 'You will be bringing your wife, too, won't you?' So the biggest thanks of all