Page 55 of My Husband’s Wife

Fifty-Four

Eva

I’m all cried out and what good did that do me?

I’m buried alive, and panicking makes everything worse.

Soon I won’t be able to breathe. I’ll suffocate.

I begin to hyperventilate, then I remember that if I keep on like this, the air will run out faster.

Running my hands through my hair, I reach for the back of my head and begin to pick.

If nothing else, my horrible compulsion helps me to think.

Maybe Mum was right about Zach. My current situation could actually be down to Zach and Nicole.

Theo, Hugo – whoever he is, might not be the reason I’m in this box.

If Zach has been having an affair with Nicole, it stands to reason they might want me out of the way.

All my money in the house would belong to Zach if I went missing and was eventually presumed dead.

Is he playing his part nicely in the outside world?

Maybe he’s reported me missing, and he and Mum are pacing around the house – him pretending to be worried.

I kick and punch the sides of the box again.

Is it Theo? Is it Zach? Which one of them is Nicole helping?

What will happen to my son if I never come home?

That’s the question that tears me apart.

I don’t care about the house or any of them.

If I survive this, I’m taking Caiden away from here to stay with Mum.

Is Caiden safe with me? I need Mum and I need to tell her how much I love her.

That day in the car keeps flashing into my mind, and all I can hear are Caiden’s cries. Why has that come back to haunt me now?

‘Help,’ I cry as I kick out at the end of the box.

That’s when I hear an almighty break, and I yelp in pain.

My ankle has gone right through the end, getting caught in wood.

I can’t help but laugh manically. There’s nothing at the end of the box.

No soil, at least. I fling my legs out again and again, ignoring the searing pain every time the wood gashes my skin.

One final kick and the end is out. I lean up a little but I can’t see anything.

I’m not outside, as there isn’t a breeze.

I’m in darkness. There’s a slight tapping sound, so I withdraw my foot and hold my breath.

It’s the sound of rain pattering against a roof and maybe there’s an electrical hum in the background.

I can’t hear anyone around, so I begin to shuffle on my back until my feet kick a wall.

There’s not enough room for me to get out.

I beat the sides of the box again but the rest of it is sturdier than the end.

I stop when I hear a cough. My breaths quicken and cold sweat starts gathering on my forehead.

Someone is out there and they’re watching my every move.

‘Eva?’

‘Nicole?’