My Little Girl

by Shalini Boland

This is our new after-supper routine – a family walk up the hill. It’s great while the weather’s good. I only hope we can keep it going in the cold and rain. Oliver’s already bought us some wellies and thick socks in anticipation of winter.

  The fallout from Beatrice’s abduction has been varied. Laurel and Philip were released from police custody without charge. Both Philip and his mother, Sue, have avoided all communication and eye contact with us. Sue’s been as good as her word and has planted a large ‘For Sale’ sign in her front garden. Laurel hasn’t been in touch with either me or Oliver, although Jill’s met up with her a few times and says she seems to have taken it all very personally. I don’t suppose I can blame her. We did accuse her and her boyfriend of child abduction, after all.

  Gavin Holloway the choirmaster had been nothing but a red herring planted by Freya to send us all looking in the wrong direction. The police informed him that he was no longer a suspect.

  My client, Stephen Lang, had simply been an overenthusiastic amateur sleuth. I suspect he did have a little crush on me and wanted to help out. He had a similar thought to me that perhaps Beatrice had been taken by a fairground worker, and so he decided to stake out the Wimborne showground with a packed lunch and a pair of binoculars. But he panicked when he saw me there, and drove off, worried I would think he’d been overstepping his bounds. Together, Oliver and I reassured him that we were grateful for his concern.

  Monty Burridge got his caravan back and I never once mentioned Kai’s name to anyone. He did, after all, contribute to getting my daughter back safely. I messaged Kai afterwards and said if he ever needed me to return the favour, I’d be happy to help him however I could. I received a brief text back saying thanks, and that he was glad we’d got our daughter back.

  ‘You okay?’ I ask my husband.

  He smiles and slings an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. Oliver’s found it harder to recover from the ordeal than I have. He’s scarred from that week when he had to deal with those threatening anonymous messages alone. When he was terrified that one wrong move would result in the abductor harming our daughter. He was trembling with rage when he discovered that it had been our so-called friend who had put him through the wringer.

  After he calmed down and heard the whole sordid story of why she’d done it, Oliver was devastated to learn that Freya had gone through an abortion back when she was only seventeen. That she’d done it alone, and hadn’t felt that she could confide in him about it. That he wasn’t able to help her at the time. Jill was also upset, especially as she knows Freya’s parents and is sure that they would have been supportive if only they’d known.

  It’s hard not to imagine that if Freya had chosen to confide in her parents, perhaps all our lives would have followed very different paths. What if she’d told Oliver at the time, or kept the baby…? But I don’t suppose there’s any point in thinking along those lines. Things happened the way they did, and that’s that.

  Along with the rest of us, Oliver had no idea that Freya had been secretly wreaking havoc in his life for over a decade. I’ve persuaded Ollie to get some counselling about everything and he’s got his first session next week, so we’ll see how it goes.

  And, of course, we still have the whole court case ahead of us. DS Gayle Hobart remains a fixture in our lives, keeping us informed of how everything’s progressing, and of what’s still needed from us. So I guess we won’t be able to properly relax until Freya’s been found guilty and sentenced, and this whole sorry mess is tied up. Right now, Freya’s locked up, awaiting trial. Gayle says the case is cut and dried. That the evidence is overwhelming, so there’s no doubt. Gayle confirmed that Freya will be pleading guilty to child abduction.

  As for me, this whole episode has made me take a good look at myself and my relationships. I realise that I’ve treated Jill, Oliver and even Laurel unfairly. They were all victims of Freya Collins. If I’d trusted them more, I might have found Beatrice sooner. My biggest regret is the way I’ve treated Jill these past few years. She’s only ever been kind to me. I think, if I’m honest with myself, I was jealous that she clicked more with Laurel than with me. But that’s probably because I never really gave her a chance to get close. I had a chip on my shoulder and gave myself the role of inferior second wife – Jill never did.

  So I’m making up for lost time, starting with trusting my mother-in-law to look after her granddaughter again. Jill has now started picking Beatrice up from school twice a week and taking her back home on the bus for tea. I’m also going to make sure that I see Jill at least a few times a month, either for lunch, or coffee, or a dog walk. We need to look after one another. We’re family. And she did save my life after all.

  It also dawned on me that Oliver and Laurel’s marriage might never have ended if Freya hadn’t sabotaged it. This gave me a few sleepless nights, but Oliver reassured me that he and Laurel were a mistake, that their relationship was too rocky and unpredictable. He said that of course he had loved her at one time, but they were completely incompatible as a couple. He told me that I’m the real love of his life. No one else.

  The four of us finally reach the summit of the hill. No matter how many times we climb to the top, this view of the Avon Valley always takes my breath away. Especially on an evening like this where the sun spreads orange and golden across a pale mauve sky. We sit on what has now become our bench. Me, Oliver and Beatrice, with Winnie snuffling around the vicinity for rabbits.

  Oliver takes a packet of mini Jammy Dodgers from his pocket and Beatrice squeals her approval. Even Winnie is tempted away from her rabbit-chasing to sit prettily in front of us in the hope that we’ll share.

  ‘Can we bring Granny up the hill with us tomorrow?’ Beatrice asks. ‘I think she’d like to throw sticks for Winnie, and see the view too.’

  I bend to kiss my daughter’s warm cheek. ‘That’s a lovely idea. We’ll ring her when we get home, see if she’d like to come for tea first.’

  We lean into one another, the three of us, quietly munching our biscuits and watching the fiery sky. These are the moments we have to cherish, I think to myself, trying to inhale every second, every molecule, every breath. To truly savour the here and now.

  Because we never know how long this fragile happiness of ours will last.

  Epilogue

  The weather has finally turned. I sit in my favourite seat, in my favourite café on Bridge Street, nursing a caramel latte while the rain pummels the pavement, along with any poor pedestrian who happens to be out in it right now. The café is only a quarter full today. There are too few people willing to brave the storm. Not me. I don’t mind a bit of rain. I revel in it. It’s good for the soul.

  I’m not one to moan, but actually this whole situation is grossly unfair. Claire and Oliver get their happily ever after with Beatrice, Jill gets to be the heroine of the day and Freya gets her well-deserved punishment.

  But what about me?

  According to Claire, Freya confessed that she tricked Oliver into believing I was unfaithful to him. That’s the reason my husband lost trust in me and why we always ended up fighting. Why ultimately he wanted a divorce, due to ‘irreconcilable differences’.

  Freya Collins ruined my life in her quest to get Oliver. But instead of making him fall for her, the stupid bitch cleared the way for Claire to steal him. Where’s the justice in that? Nobody seems to care that Freya broke up my marriage. That I’m left with my emotions still in tatters, without the love of my life. Instead I’m making do with Philip Aintree and his bloody mother who, it would seem, loathes me for putting her son through a police investigation that wasn’t even my fault!

  Dark thoughts plague me as I sip my coffee, while outside, sheets of rain bounce off the road and deep thunder rolls through the town. The café’s staff and customers murmur and exclaim as a jag of lightning illuminates the dark sky. Even this dramatic display of nature isn’t enough to distract me from my worries.

  The only reason I set my sights on Phil in the first
place is because he’s Oliver’s neighbour. It gave me a way to get close to Ollie again. To see Claire Nolan close up. You get a pretty good view from Phil’s shed into Oliver and Claire’s kitchen… not to mention their bedroom. But it was hard to watch them together. Torturous. Some people might question why I put myself through it, but you don’t get what you want by sitting around wishing for it. You have to put a little work in. Suffer, even.

  It wounds me to think of Claire with the surname that should have remained mine. I’ve hated being Laurel Palmer again, but I knew it would be weird if I kept his name after the divorce. Jill wouldn’t have liked that either. And I had to keep her on side. Jill always preferred me to Claire. If it were down to her, Ollie and I would never have parted. Although lately she’s grown cooler towards me, which is annoying.

  It’s just not fair. None of it. I’m the only innocent person who’s lost out here. I tried to tell Jill how I’m feeling, but she didn’t understand at all. She’s grown closer to Claire these past few weeks. All that stress and drama had the unfortunate effect of bonding them.

  Jill was sympathetic towards me to a degree – she always is – but I could tell by her pinched lips and the way she shifted her shoulders that she’d rather I hadn’t spoken about my feelings. Well, tough shit. Because I’m not going to step aside and compromise my happiness just because someone else has crapped all over my dreams.

  Why should I have to make way for everyone else’s happiness, while I live a shadow life, watching them have their time in the sun? I always felt that events beyond my control split us up back then. So now that I know for a fact it was Freya – and Freya is out of the way – I can finally concentrate on living the life I deserve. On getting my husband back.

  I call the waitress over and order another caramel latte along with one of their sugary apple turnovers. I’m going to need the energy. I have a lot of planning to do…

  If you were totally gripped by My Little Girl, then you’ll love The Secret Mother, a completely addictive psychological thriller that will have you hooked until the final jaw-dropping twist.

  Get it here!

  The Secret Mother

  ‘Absolutely addictive and brilliant with an end I didn’t see coming. This is one book you have to read and it gets 5 huge stars from me!!!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

  ‘Are you my mummy?’

  Tessa Markham returns home to find a child in her kitchen. He thinks she’s his mother. But Tessa doesn’t have any children.

  Not anymore.

  She doesn’t know who the little boy is or how he got there.

  After contacting the police, Tessa is suspected of taking the mystery child. Her whole life is turned upside down. And then her husband reveals a secret of his own…

  Tessa isn’t sure what to believe or who to trust. Because someone is lying. To find out who, she must confront her painful past. But is the truth more dangerous than Tessa realises?

  An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller with a twist that will make you wonder if you can ever trust anyone again. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Sister this book will have you hooked.

  Get it here!

  Hear More from Shalini

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  Books by Shalini Boland

  My Little Girl

  The Wife

  One of Us Is Lying

  The Other Daughter

  The Marriage Betrayal

  The Girl from the Sea

  The Best Friend

  The Perfect Family

  The Silent Sister

  The Millionaire’s Wife

  The Child Next Door

  The Secret Mother

  Available in Audio

  The Wife (available in the UK and US)

  One of Us Is Lying (available in the UK and US)

  The Other Daughter (available in the UK and US)

  The Marriage Betrayal (available in the UK and US)

  The Perfect Family (available in the UK and US)

  The Silent Sister (available in the UK and US)

  The Child Next Door (available in the UK and US)

  The Secret Mother (available in the UK and US)

  A Letter from Shalini

  Thank you for reading my twelfth psychological thriller, My Little Girl. I do hope you enjoyed reading it.

  If you’d like to keep up to date with my latest releases, just sign up here and I’ll let you know when I have a new novel coming out.

  Sign up here!

  I love getting feedback on my books, so if you have a few moments, I’d be really grateful if you’d post a review online or tell your friends about it. A good review absolutely makes my day and I appreciate each and every one.

  When I’m not writing or spending time with my family, I adore hearing from readers, so please feel free to get in touch via my social media pages.

  Shalini x

  www.shaliniboland.co.uk

  The Wife

  Zoe fainted on her wedding day, and she never knew why.

  She’s always felt sure something bad happened. Ten years later, she’s going to find out what…

  It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Zoe was sitting in her hotel room, in her perfect white dress, looking forward to the moment when she would make kind, handsome Toby her husband.

  Then, there was a blank.

  They said she must have fainted, overcome with emotion. But nothing felt quite right afterwards. Did something happen in that missing time?

  Now, Toby and Zoe have two beautiful children and a perfect life. They’re planning their ten-year anniversary party for their family and friends. The invitations have been sent, the food ordered. They’re going back to the grand hotel where they got married.

  But as the anniversary gets closer, it becomes clear not everyone is looking forward to celebrating. She catches Toby lying about where he’s been. One of her best friends seems to be ignoring her. And someone is spreading stories that might stop the party from happening at all.

  Zoe is increasingly sure that she doesn’t have the full story. But does she want to know the truth, if it will destroy everything?

  From the million-copy bestselling author, this totally gripping psychological thriller will have you hooked from the first page to the last jaw-dropping twist. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us.

  Get it here!

  One of Us Is Lying

  Tia never harmed anyone. So why does someone want to destroy her?

  Tia is walking home with her children, along the lakeside of their quiet, safe town, when she realises something is wrong with her five-year-old daughter, Rosie. She seems troubled, not at all her usual happy self.

  But when Tia finally coaxes Rosie to open up, she wishes she hadn’t. Because her sweet daughter asks a question Tia never thought she’d hear.

  ‘Mummy, why did you kill someone?’

  Tia knows how rumours spread around her small town. She just can’t understand who would have shared such a horrible story. Or why.

  It can’t have anything to do with what happened. Only her two best friends really remember that…

  Tia thought she could trust Fiona and Kelly with her life. They’ve been through so much together. But when she’s sent photos of herself that could tear her whole world apart, she starts to wonder. Someone is determined to punish her. But who? And will her friends stand by her, or will the past destroy all of their lives?

  From the million-copy-bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Perfect Family, this absolutely addictive psychological thriller is guaranteed to make you gasp. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and Big Little Lies this book is for you.

  Get it here!

  The Other Daughter

  Nine ye
ars ago her daughter was taken. And now she’s back.

  Three-year-old Holly is playing happily in a pink plastic playhouse, while her mother Rachel sips coffee and chats with a friend nearby. It should be an ordinary day for all of them. But, in the blink of an eye, it turns into every family’s worst nightmare.

  Holly is taken by a stranger and never found.

  Nine years later, Rachel is living a quiet life in Dorset. She’s tried to keep things together since the traumatic day when she lost her eldest daughter. She has a new family, a loving partner and her secrets are locked away in her painful past.

  Until one afternoon when Rachel meets a new school parent Kate and her teenage daughter Bella. Rachel’s world is instantly turned upside down – she’s seen Bella before. She’d recognise that face anywhere – it’s her missing child.