Page 91 of The In-Laws

The two of them looked mortified now. ‘Well, you’requite the pair of detectives, aren’t you?’ Amanda said angrily. Then she grinned. ‘I wish you’d told me. I’d love to have been there too.’

Melanie laughed, looking relieved. ‘God, no, we’d never have put you in that position. Besides, we weren’t a hundred per cent sure what the full story was or how much you knew,’ she added. ‘We wanted to be sure so we could tell you the truth.’

‘Well, you’re sure now. Ross is about to be a daddy again. Whoopee!’

Katie slapped her hand against the rock. ‘How could he cheat on you – you’re the perfect wife – and then be thick enough to get this one pregnant? I mean, hello? What age is he? Fourteen? Has he not heard of condoms? Like, seriously?’

Amanda began to laugh. Once she started, she realized she couldn’t stop. It was as if a release valve had been opened. She laughed and laughed and soon the other two joined in.

Other early swimmers were staring as the three sisters-in-law cracked up.

Melanie wiped tears from her eyes. ‘I feel bad laughing about your awful situation.’

‘I don’t. It feels so good,’ Amanda admitted. ‘I’ve been so upset and low for months, and it feels wonderful to just let it all go.’

‘Nothing more healing than a good laugh,’ Katie said. ‘And a swim. Come on, I know it’s freezing but this will be brilliant for you, Amanda.’

They walked down the steps. Without hesitating, Amanda dived right under the water. The shock of the cold was liberating. She broke the surface. She felt free. Free from secrets and lies. She thought about all themonths of pain and loneliness. They were over now. She could breathe again.

‘Look at you, turning into a mermaid,’ Katie said.

‘God, it feels so good!’ Amanda beamed at her.

They got out and sat in their towels, facing the weak winter sun.

Amanda saw that Katie’s knees were cut and bruised. ‘Oh, Katie, what happened? Did you fall?’

Katie blushed. ‘Yes, I got a bit drunk at a dinner with Jamie and some Italian clients and fell over. Jamie was furious with me. I made a bit of a tit of myself, to be honest. I can’t seem to do anything right, these days.’

Melanie winced. ‘Yikes. With clients? Maybe cut back a bit on the wine when you’re at work events,’ she suggested.

‘I’m an idiot. I honestly didn’t think I’d drunk that much. Anyway, enough about me and my stupidity. What did Nancy say to you, Amanda?’ Katie turned the focus back to her sister-in-law.

‘She just said it was unfortunate, that we needed to control the narrative, and I was a very loyal wife.’

‘That’s it? Not “You’re amazing, you’re wonderful, you’re a rock”?’ Katie asked.

Amanda laughed. ‘It’s Nancy we’re talking about.’

‘Did Nancy say anything to you in the office?’ Amanda asked Melanie.

Melanie pulled on her socks. ‘Not much. She was quiet yesterday. I think she’s still processing it all. She just said we need to make sure we see Ruby’s social-media announcement before she posts it. She wants Ross to look as good as possible.’

‘What about Jamie?’ Amanda asked Katie.

‘He came home in total shock. He said he felt sorry for Ross being blindsided by Ruby in front of everyone, buthe really just feels bad for you and Theo. Theo knows, right?’

‘Yes, we didn’t realize that Theo knew all along.’ Amanda was happy to tell all now. She had grown to trust these women. They had her back. ‘He said he was upset about the affair and was messing about with cocaine and he brought some into school and got caught and expelled. So that was the cherry on the cake.’

‘You poor thing, that’s just so much to deal with,’ Melanie said.

‘It was. But he’s stopped now. It was just a cry for help. He was devastated about Ross’s affair and the baby.’

Katie cleared her throat. ‘I’ve got something I need to tell you and this is not easy. It’s about Theo.’

Amanda froze. All the good vibes from her swim drained out of her.

‘What is it?’

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