The Breakdown(102)

Would I have driven straight to the house, taking Jane with me, to confront Matthew, passing Rachel’s car on The Breakdown





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the way? Or would she have arrived as I was trying to


come to terms with the devastating news, and killed us both? It’s something I will never know.

‘I can’t believe it,’ I mumble numbly. ‘I still can’t believe that Rachel would do such a thing. Even if Jane had told me, so what? Their affair would have been out in the open and Rachel would have got what she wanted, which was Matthew.’

PC Lawson shakes her head. ‘As you know from the

text messages, this wasn’t just about Matthew, it was also about money, your money. She felt very strongly that your father should have made some kind of provision for her in his will – she kept saying that your parents used to call her their second daughter – so she felt cheated when everything was left to you.’

‘I didn’t know about the money, not until Mum died.’

‘Yes, Rachel said. And while you remained single,

she felt that she would be able to have some sort of share of it. When you got married, and she could see she wasn’t your top priority any more, the resentment towards you built up and she decided that the only way to get her hands on what she felt was her due was through Matthew. She set out to have an affair with him and once he was in love with her, they concocted their plan to have you certified as mentally unstable so that Matthew could get control of your money. The day Jane confronted her, they were about to start their campaign against you – it was bad timing, if you like. If Jane had





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b a paris


told you about her and Matthew, all her carefully laid plans would have been for nothing.’

Tears spill from my eyes. ‘I bought her the house

in France. As soon as she told me about it, I bought it for her. I was going to give it to her for her fortieth birthday, it was to be a surprise. I didn’t tell Matthew about it because I thought he would disapprove, as he didn’t really like Rachel – at least, that’s what I believed back then. If only she had waited – her birthday is at the end of the month.’

I should have understood how devastated Rachel felt at being left out of Dad’s will. How could I have been so insensitive? Yes, I had bought her the cottage but only because I’d been there when she’d fallen in love with it. Would I have thought of gifting her some of the money Dad left to me if she hadn’t seen the cottage?

Maybe. I hope so.

And why hadn’t I given her the cottage straight away, the minute I bought it, instead of keeping it for her birthday so that I could make a big thing out of it? For the last eighteen months, the cottage has stood empty, unused. If I had given it to her, she would have been so happy. I might still have Matthew and Jane would still be alive. At the very least, I should have told Matthew about the cottage. If I had, and he and Rachel had already embarked on their affair, he would have told her about it, she would have waited patiently for her fortieth birthday, and then, once she had her cottage, Matthew would have divorced me and, more likely than The Breakdown





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not, tried to get some money out of me in settlement. I


would have lost Matthew – but Jane would still be alive.

*

It’s almost another hour before PC Lawson stands up to leave.

‘Does Matthew know?’ I ask, as we walk to the front door together. ‘About Rachel?’

‘No, not yet. But he soon will.’ She turns on the

doorstep. ‘Will you be all right?’

‘Yes, thanks, I’ll be fine.’

As I close the front door behind her, I know I won’t be, not yet. But one day, I will be. Unlike Jane, I have my whole life ahead of me.

Acknowledgements to follow

Title: The Breakdown ARC, Format: 126x198, v1, Output date:08/11/16