Save Her, Abigail Osborne [ebook reader for surface pro txt] 📗

to wonder why. She had let it go because she thought Sophie was happy. Or was it that she was so wrapped up in this fairy tale of marrying brothers and having her best friend as her sister-in-law that she closed her eyes to the reality. Maybe she should not have been so hard on Sam when she, too, had failed to see.

‘I’m in my car. I managed to get him off me and I just ran out and drove off.’

Flora shook her head, trying to clear her mind. The drink-induced haze was making it hard to think clearly. ‘I’ve had too much to drink, I can’t think straight. I’m sorry, Sophie. I shouldn’t have let myself drink so much.’ Flora’s anger rose again, this time aimed at herself. She held her head in her hand.

‘It’s okay,’ soothed Sophie. ‘Can you come and meet me?’

‘Yes. Where are you?’

‘If you just walk to the park I’ll be there.’

‘Okay.’ Flora stood too quickly, her stomach lurched, and her vision blurred as her head spun. She slumped back onto the bed, cradling her head in her hands.

‘Oh, and Flora…’

‘Yeah?’

‘Don’t tell anyone where you are going. If Greg finds out what I’m planning…’

Flora’s mind was instantly filled with images of a broken and beaten Sophie lying on the floor. It didn’t matter: she didn’t have anyone to tell anymore. Grabbing her coat, she shut the door and locked up with difficulty, struggling to get the key in the lock. She turned around and walked slowly down the drive, unsteady on her feet. She stopped, something was missing. She looked at her house. Looked at Sophie’s house. Something wasn’t right. Something, that if her brain wasn’t addled with drink, that would have rung alarm bells. It was only when she had been walking for five minutes, that it occurred to her what was missing. Greg’s car was not on the driveway. Before she could fully understand the relevance of this, she tripped on the kerb and landed face down. Slowly climbing to her feet, she leaned on a nearby lamp post, groaning as she rubbed the gravel from her hands and knees. Sophie better hurry up, thought Flora. I don’t know how much longer I can stay awake.

54

As she got in the car, there was a small part of Sophie that wondered if what she was doing was wrong. Lying to her best friend did not come easily or naturally to her. Lying through omission was a lot easier than lying directly to her face. Shaking her head, she put the car into drive and bolstered her courage. You can justify anything if what you are doing is for the greater good. Soon Flora would see that everything Sophie had done was to save her life. She practised what she was going to say all the way there.

Sophie was a planner. She needed to know exactly where she was going, what she was saying and how she would act in every eventuality. But the rug had well and truly been pulled out from under her and she was acting on instinct and trying to plan what she could in the brief time that she had.

Flora had ruined it all. By denying the natural order of things in the Cavendish world, she had put herself at risk. Only Sophie could see what Flora couldn’t or wouldn’t see. Cecelia and Alistair would not allow their son to move out of the family fold. He had to be exactly where they wanted them. How else would they ensure they had the ultimate control of him? Sophie had tried everything to help Flora save herself voluntarily, but nothing had worked. She now had no choice.

Slowing down as she reached the park, she saw Flora at the corner holding onto a lamp post like a lifeline.

This is going to be easier than I realised. As Sophie slowed down she glanced at her driver side compartment. The needle was still there, primed and ready to go.

55

Now she was sitting in the passenger seat, Flora turned to appraise Sophie. She seemed to be struggling for breath and hunched over in her seat, eyes creased in pain.

‘What happened?’

‘Same old.’ Sophie chuckled heartlessly. She would not look at Flora. She never looked at her when she talked about Greg. Just stared off into the distance as she described the fight that had happened when she had not ordered the right takeaway. ‘He just lost it. It was worse this time. Usually, he hits me once and then walks off. But tonight, once was not enough. His hands were around my throat. I thought it was the end.’ Sophie stroked her neck, her voice choked with tears, and then she winced and clutched her side.

Flora flicked on the car light and moved Sophie’s hand. Gently, she lifted her shirt and could just make out a large patch of red, swollen skin on Sophie’s side. Flora blenched. It spread around her hip bone, angry and large. It was going to be a very bad bruise. Sophie pulled her top back down. Flora gasped in horror as she saw nail marks gouged into the skin around Sophie’s neck.

‘I don’t think he broke anything this time. It was just the violence on his face.’ She looked at Flora with terror and tears in her eyes. ‘I was scared for my life.’

Flora tried her best to hold Sophie. But with the gear stick between them she couldn’t get a proper hold. Sophie let out a cry as Flora’s arm went around her shoulders. Flora pulled back, devastated to have caused more pain. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s okay. He just whacked me with something as I went to run away. I don’t even know what with. I just got up and ran out the house.’

‘We have to go to the police, Sophie. You’ve got evidence. Look at the state of you.’

Sophie shook her head emphatically. ‘We’ve been through this, Flora. It’s no use. Look what he did to me because