Save Her by Abigail Osborne (i can read books .txt) 📕

tighter still, holding her in place. ‘It’s all right, Sophie, I’ve got it from here. You get yourself home.’

Sophie didn’t reply. There was an awkward pause and then Sam lowered his head so he was nuzzling Flora’s hair once more.

‘Call me if you need anything, Flora,’ said Sophie eventually, sounding put out. Flora heard the door slam shut behind her. But she could not bring herself to care, and she lost herself in the strong embrace of her husband, shutting herself off from the chaotic thoughts that were threatening to overwhelm her. Instead, she focused on Sam’s heartbeat thudding in his chest and his arms locked around her, strong and unbreakable. She wanted to stay here forever, safe and protected.

38

The next day, Flora felt brighter. Sam had taken the week off work and had insisted that they didn’t have to go anywhere, not even Friday Night Dinner if she was still feeling unsettled by then. It was a good job she had been sitting down when he said this. Those words meant more to her than Sam declaring his love for her. It was better than that, it was a demonstration to how much he put her first in this marriage. Only days before he said nothing would ever stop him from going to Friday Night Dinner. It was a testament to how much Cecelia had put her through over the years that she couldn’t say with certainty whether she’d rather be going through these awful things or spending another evening with her mother-in-law.

Sam doted on her every minute of the day, not leaving her side for more than a few minutes. It seemed he’d finally realised the gravity of the situation. He’d been away each time something had happened, and this appeared to have stopped him truly appreciating what she had been going through. But she’d never forget the way his face had drained of colour when he had read the note.

There was a tiny part of her grateful that her tormentor had stepped things up and sent the threatening note. It meant she could stop thinking she was going crazy and be taken seriously.

Instead of just saying someone had put worms in her bed and hidden her cards, she could say that she had been sent a threatening note in her bag. This note gave some credibility to her suffering. Even when Sam had seen the necklace she had found, he hadn’t appeared as scared as he was now. He’d even tried to rationalise it. It had been the same with the worms, he seemed to think it was someone’s idea of a joke and they would find out who it was and laugh about it later. It was only now that he was comprehending what she had known all along. Someone wanted to hurt her. Emotionally and possibly physically.

She remembered the force of the hand holding her under the water. If they’d held her down any longer, she could have drowned.

Since the threat had been made against her life, he had become a changed man and was acting the way that she had wanted him to since her cards had reappeared in her purse. She didn’t hold it against him. Everyone reacted to stress differently: she was drinking more than ever and crying all the time. He had been in denial. But now, they were finally on the same page. Even better, they were facing it together.

It was a glorious week. Sam had forbidden anyone from visiting, even Sophie. He was adamant that they needed to lay low together, at least until they had an update from the police. Sam was confident that they would find out any day now who the culprit was. Flora wondered how he would react if they confirmed her suspicions, that it had been Cecelia all along. Was Cecelia at home now, terrified that they were going to work out what she had done?

As the week drew on, it became hard for Flora to feel scared anymore. Sam gave her no time to dwell on past events. He kept her constantly entertained with slushy rom-coms, cuddling under the blankets together, safe and protected from the wind howling outside. When they ran out of films, they played endless games of Monopoly and Cluedo. She had not laughed so much in a long time. Full blown belly laughs that made her face ache from smiling. It reminded her of why they were such a good match, that they had the same sense of humour and craved affection. It was impossible to get fed up of being around each other as they both revelled in being held and loved. Essentially, they were both as soppy as each other.

We should spend more time together like this, thought Flora. She cringed slightly when she realised that that was most likely her fault. She was so used to spending all her time with Sophie that she inadvertently neglected Sam. It was a hard habit to break when Sophie had been the only person in her world for over twenty years.

Luckily, Sam didn’t seem to harbour any grudges as he slowly rubbed her back with soapy water in the bath. She vowed to devote more time to him. That was one positive to come out of this horrible experience, she supposed. The water was no longer scaring her like it had just after she had been half-drowned. How could it be when she was sat between the legs of a very handsome man? Instead of reliving a nightmare, all she could think about was the feel of her naked husband’s body against hers. There was no better therapy.

They spent Friday night having a Domino’s pizza in front of the fire, watching Monster-in-Law. It was a nod to Cecelia, who would be spitting with rage at the fact they had disobeyed the laws she had instituted. It was a blissful evening and Flora couldn’t remember being so happy. They even talked about their future. Sam wanted to start trying