The Happy Couple: An absolutely unputdownable and gripping psychological thriller

by Samantha Hayes

  ‘I wanted him, Jo. And I wanted him to be with me forever, just the two of us. I’d got it all planned out, our new lives together. I visited as often as I could but Archie was getting suspicious, sensing something was up. And Will was getting… difficult about it.’

  I clamp my teeth together, glancing at my watch again. I know the minute is up, but I want to hear Louise out. Want to feel the full pain of the betrayal in order to finally let go.

  ‘And then… then I found out I was pregnant. It was about three months after he’d left you. I swear he’d only intended on going away for a weekend at first, to clear his head. But then that turned into a week, which turned into longer when I found out his story. And then the baby… I blackmailed him, Jo. Me, a solicitor. A fucking family solicitor.’

  I swallow, allowing her to carry on. I couldn’t speak if I wanted to.

  ‘When I told Will I was pregnant, he went mental. And of course, Archie thought it was his. We’d been trying, after all.’

  So had we… I think, saying nothing.

  ‘Truth is, I didn’t know whose baby it was. It was fifty-fifty. But it was going to be pretty obvious if it was Will’s. And when I realised where you were, Jo, when I told Will everything about Suzanne, what was going on down here, it all fell into place. I’d had enough and couldn’t live with myself any longer. I had to tell you everything, do the right thing.’

  ‘Do the right thing?’ I say, almost laughing as I take a step closer to Louise. ‘Bit late for that by then, wasn’t it?’ I slip my arm out of Simon’s, balling my fists.

  ‘That’s why Will was in the car with me. He wanted to see you, to explain everything from his side. I told him I’d go in first, see how things were, talk it over with you and then he would come in too. We’d got it all planned out, how we were going to tell you. I never expected that I’d give birth while I was inside. I had two weeks left to go.’

  ‘Whether he or you wanted to “do the right thing”, Will is now dead because of your selfishness and…’ I look down at the baby. ‘And this little boy doesn’t have a father any more.’ I fight the tears. Refuse to allow them, digging my nails into my palms.

  ‘Which is why I want you to take him,’ Louise says. ‘I’m not fit to be a mother. I’m broken. I can’t work, Archie’s left me and I can barely make up a bottle for Jack, let alone look after myself. Which is why I’m here. I saw the funeral notice in the paper. I knew where you’d be.’

  Louise picks up the baby carrier again and holds it out to me, her forearms tensing under the weight.

  We stare at each other for what seems like forever.

  Finally, I look down at the baby – his dark eyes gazing up at me, his fist pushing against his lips as though he’s hungry.

  He’s beautiful, Will, I say to myself. I’ll give you that – you make good babies. But what do I do? Tell me…

  I turn away, partly to hide the tears that are welling and partly because I don’t trust myself to look at the baby for a moment longer.

  And then I see him. Walking around the side of the crematorium building towards the garden of remembrance. He stops, turns my way and looks directly at me – his shoulders broad within his dark suit, his black tie lying flat against his crisp white shirt, his face cleanly shaven.

  Our eyes lock for what seems like eternity, yet it’s only a few seconds. In my head, I beg him to say something – anything – but Will remains silent.

  Instead, he smiles – just a small one but enough for the corners of his eyes to crease, for the dimple to appear in his left cheek. And then he nods. I swear I see him give me a little nod before he finally walks away, disappearing around the corner.

  I take a deep breath, turning back to Louise. And, in turn, I give her a small nod too, so small I wonder if she’s even noticed.

  Then my hands reach out, my fingers spreading to take hold of the handle, my skin brushing against Louise’s for just a moment as she grips on, the baby making a snuffling sound between us as I pull the carrier towards me.

  If Jo’s story took you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and kept you reading late into the night, The Reunion is your perfect next read. Packed full of suspense, twists and turns, you’ll never see the ending coming.

  Order NOW!

  The Reunion

  ORDER NOW!

  They were all there the day your sister went missing… Who is lying? Who is next?

  THEN – In charge of her little sister at the beach, Claire allowed Eleanor to walk to the shop alone to buy an ice cream. Placing a coin into her hand, Claire told her to be quick, knowing how much she wanted the freedom.

  Eleanor never came back.

  NOW – The time has finally come to sell the family farm and Claire is organising a reunion of her dearest friends, the same friends who were present the day her sister went missing.

  When another girl disappears, long-buried secrets begin to surface. One of the group hides the darkest secret of them all…

  If you love Sue Fortin, Gillian Flynn and The Girl on the Train, this psychological thriller packed full of twists and turns will be impossible to put down.

  Hear More From Samantha

  Want to keep up to date with Samantha’s latest releases?

  Sign up here!

  We promise to never share your email with anyone else, and we’ll only contact you when there’s a new book out.

  Books by Samantha Hayes

  The Happy Couple

  Date Night

  The Liar’s Wife

  Tell Me A Secret

  The Reunion

  Available in Audio

  Date Night (Available in the UK and the US)

  The Liar’s Wife (Available in the UK and the US)

  Tell Me A Secret (Available in the UK and the US)

  The Reunion (Available in the UK and the US)

  A Letter from Samantha

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for reading The Happy Couple – I do hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it! I’m already busy working away on my next book and would love to share my news about upcoming titles with you, so please do sign up at the link below to get all the up-to-date info sent directly to your inbox.

  Sign up here!

  The idea for The Happy Couple came to me in several parts, as is often the way when I’m starting out with a new book. I have so many ideas filling my mind at any one time (often in the middle of the night!) and I always jot them down in case they come in handy.

  In recent months, apart from writing, I’ve been preoccupied with finding a new home. Suffice it to say, I’m very familiar with Rightmove and other property websites. Of course, being a writer, I’m instinctively ‘nosy’ (although I prefer ‘fascinated’!) and, aside from the house-hunting, I find it intriguing to glimpse inside other people’s homes. I can’t help imagining who lives there, what their jobs are, why they are moving, what family, friends and interests they have. What their story is.

  Occasionally, I’ve seen furniture or decor similar to my own, and on a couple of occasions, I’ve spotted family photographs on the wall or in the background. And this has set my mind whirring! What if someone saw a picture of someone they knew on a property listing – but, more than that, someone who shouldn’t be there in the first place… perhaps a missing person. You can probably guess the path my mind then took.

  At the time of planning The Happy Couple, I’d also been searching for a last-minute holiday. I’d not had one in a long while and really needed a break. Not only that, but around that time I’d been chatting to a group of lovely crime writers and we got on to the subject of house-sitting and how taking care of someone’s property while they were away could be a cheap alternative to a holiday. That was the spark that lit the touchpaper.

  I did a little investigating and my mind went into overdrive, marrying up the two ideas. I already had my main character, Jo, fleshed out in my mind, along with her story: that her beloved husband had seemingly vanished into thin air
– leaving his life behind and no clue to his whereabouts. Fast-forward a year on and Jo is in need of a holiday, convinced by her best friend to try house-sitting. And you know the rest – especially her shock when she sees Will’s photos in Suzanne’s house online. It was the perfect way to bring Jo’s story to life through unrelated things that had happened to me.

  For me, that’s the best part of writing, and I suppose it’s a little like knitting. One length of wool, made up of several different strands, weaves together to make a whole garment. Combine various colours, textures, patterns and shapes and the wool becomes a three-dimensional entity. Character, story, tension, setting, background, subplots, narrative arc… these are some of the knitting pattern equivalents to writing a book.

  So that’s the essence of how The Happy Couple came about. If you enjoyed reading it, it would mean the world to me if you left a quick online review. Reader feedback is so very much appreciated and I love reading your comments – and it also helps other readers when they’re looking for their next book.

  And if you want to keep in touch, please do join me over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram – the links are below. Plus I have a website with a bit about me and details of all my other books.

  Thanks so much again for reading The Happy Couple, and I can’t wait to share my next book with you.

  Sam x

  www.samanthahayes.co.uk

  Date Night

  ORDER NOW!

  Returning early from a disastrous date night with my husband, I know something is wrong the moment the wheels crunch the gravel drive of our home. Inside, the TV is on and a half-eaten meal waits on the table. My heart stops when I find our little girl is alone in the house and our babysitter, Sasha, is missing…

  Days later, when I’m arrested for Sasha’s murder and torn away from my perfect little family, I’ll wish I had told someone about the threatening note I received that morning.

  I’ll hate myself for not finding out who the gift hidden inside my husband’s wardrobe was for.

  I’ll scream from the rooftops that I’m innocent – but no one will listen.

  I will realise I was completely wrong about everything that happened that night…

  But will you believe me?

  Twisted and absolutely unputdownable, Date Night exposes what goes on behind the closed doors of a happy home and the dangerous truths we ignore to protect the ones we love. Perfect reading for anyone totally gripped by The Wife Between Us, Friend Request or Gone Girl.

  The Liar’s Wife

  ORDER NOW!

  When Ella wakes up in hospital following a hit and run incident, she is scared and confused. Close to tears, her eyes fall on a get-well-soon card on the window sill and the nurse reassures her that her loving husband will be back soon.

  But Ella has never been married…

  Absolutely love twisty and unputdownable psychological thrillers like Girl on the Train, The Wife Between Us and Gone Girl? Then you will be totally hooked by this jaw-dropping novel about the dangerous secrets behind a perfect marriage.

  Tell Me A Secret

  ORDER NOW!

  Tell her all your secrets and she’ll tell you all her lies…

  Everything in Lorna’s life runs like clockwork, from her 6 a.m. morning run to the strict 60-minute counselling sessions she gives. It’s the only way she can deal with the terrible secret she carries.

  When a new client arrives for his first appointment, Lorna feels her perfect life unravel in a matter of seconds. It’s Andrew, the man she’s spent the last year desperately trying to forget. It seems he can’t forget her either…

  Against her better judgement she anonymously contacts him on a dating site. Messaging him could mean the end of her marriage and her career, but she needs to know if his motives are genuine.

  When Andrew is found dead in his home, grief quickly turns to fear when messages from him continue to arrive on Lorna’s phone. Somebody knows her secret and wants to use it to destroy everything she has.

  Will she risk her family and her sanity to keep her secret? Will she risk her life…?

  If you love twisty psychological thrillers that get under your skin, like The Girl on the Train, I Let You Go or anything by Louise Jensen, you’ll be utterly blown away by the jaw-dropping lies in Tell Me A Secret.

  Acknowledgements

  I say it every time, but only because it’s one hundred per cent true – my huge thanks and gratitude to my wonderful editor Jessie Botterill for all her hard work and sparkling input. An editor makes a book shine, seeing things the author can’t, and Jessie’s passion for making my books the very best they can be is like a secret ingredient! The same goes for the entire team at Bookouture – it’s a delight to work with such a lovely, talented group of people. And of course, huge thanks to Noelle Holten, Kim Nash and Sarah Hardy for all your hard work getting my books ‘out there’ – it’s so very much appreciated. As is the hard work of Seán, my eagle-eyed copyeditor, who sees things I can’t, and likewise Jenny my proof reader, and Lauren for keeping the process running so smoothly! Thank you, all.

  Again, big love and thanks to Oli Munson, my agent extraordinaire, and likewise everyone at A. M. Heath… the dream team!

  To all the bloggers and reviewers who take the time to read, review, comment and spread the word about my (and many other) books – thank you, thank you, thank you. I love hearing what you think – and I especially love the very creative pictures I’m often tagged in on Instagram! I really appreciate every social media shout-out.

  And of course, thanks to you, lovely readers, for taking the time to read this book. I couldn’t do what I do without you. I hope you enjoy my work and that my next one will keep you entertained too.

  A special thank you to Colin Smith for all your support and laughs. As ever, much love to my dear family, Ben, Polly and Lucy, Avril and Paul, Graham and Marina, and Joe, who have all been such a great support – and are no doubt sick of my house-hunting by now! And last but not least, love and thanks to my dear friend, Deb – maybe it’s time we didn’t ‘stop it’ after all!

  Sam xx

  Published by Bookouture in 2020

  An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

  Carmelite House

  50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  www.bookouture.com

  Copyright © Samantha Hayes, 2020

  Samantha Hayes has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-83888-746-9

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.