Chapter 5
NOW
Late August
Monday
I ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time as I fumbled in my pocket for my key. My toe caught on the top step and I lurched forwards, barely catching myself before I fell.
‘Idiot,’ I muttered under my breath.
I reached the door and tugged the key free, forcing my hand to steady as I lifted it to the lock.
It scraped harshly against the metal before sliding in.
I twisted it quickly and shoved the door open, stepping inside and pushing it shut behind me.
My hand flew to the latch, flicking it into place in one sharp movement.
Only then did I stop.
I leaned back against the door, my breath uneven.
This was ridiculous. Nothing had happened. I couldn’t even be sure she had recognised me. That look, that smile, might not have meant anything. Maybe she just liked my hair. Or my sunglasses.
I snorted, or maybe she was laughing at them.
She hadn’t stopped. She hadn’t spoken to me. She’d just looked.
I squeezed my eyes shut, replaying the moment. The way her eyes caught mine through her mirror. The slight twist of her mouth. Or maybe I’d imagined that.
You always read too much into things.
Janine’s voice slipped into my thoughts, quiet but certain.
Maybe she was right. Maybe Charlotte hadn’t recognised me at all. And yet I still couldn’t shake the doubt that had taken hold.
What had I been thinking, following her like that?
My stomach lurched and I pushed myself off the door and stumbled down the hall to the bathroom. I gripped the sink, bending over it as nausea surged. For a second, I thought I was going to be sick. But nothing came. Just a hollow shaky sickness that sat low in my stomach.
I lifted my head and froze as I caught my reflection in the mirror. The woman staring back wasn’t me. The oversized sunglasses were still perched on top of my head, tangled in the unfamiliar fringe of the wig.
My breath caught. How had I forgotten?
I shook my head. No wonder the guy at the hire car desk had given me a strange look. I’d thought it was just surprise that I was returning the car so soon after only collecting it early this morning. But no – it had been me. I looked different. Too different, at least to him.
Had Charlotte been so easy to confuse?
I reached up and tore the glasses and wig free, ripping them off in one sharp movement and flinging them across the room.
They hit the tiled floor with a clatter.
I turned the tap on and shoved my hands under the cold water before scrubbing at my face.
Foundation smeared beneath my fingers, streaking down the sink.
I didn’t even wait for the water to warm. I didn’t care. I just wanted it gone.
The disguise. The pretence. The version of me that had sat in that car and followed her like I was someone else. Someone confident. Defiant.
I looked up at the mirror again, water dripping from my chin, my skin flushed and bare. This time, it was just me.
Familiar.
Real.
And yet, somehow, that felt worse.