Enter the Dead: A Supernatural Thriller by Mark White

you laughing
and joking together. He was kissing you, for fuck’s sake.’
    ‘As I said, I did it
because I thought it would get you your job back. It was only going to be the
once, I promise. One last time and then I would have nothing more to do with him
ever again. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I swear I’m telling you the truth.
I love you Sam. I love you so much. Please believe me.’
    ‘No you don’t,’ Sam
said, rising to his feet and straightening his jacket. ‘How could you do
something like this and in the same breath tell me that you love me?’
    ‘It’s true. I swear
it’s true.’
    ‘I’m going now, Sarah,’
Sam said, his voice unsteady. ‘I’m going to go home and collect my things.’
    ‘Sam, no! Please, just
listen to-’
    ‘It’s too late for that
now. Don’t you realise what you’ve done? Four years. FOUR  FUCKING YEARS! Jesus
Christ, how the fuck did you manage to deceive me for so long? And Tom? Oh my
God. How can this be possible? How can this be possible? Jesus Christ…I can’t
believe this.’
    ‘Sam, please! Don’t go.
I’m begging you. Let’s talk this through properly, work a way around it. I
promise you, it’s over between Tom and me. Forg-’
    ‘Answer me one
question,’ he said, ignoring her. ‘Imagine the situation was reversed and it
was me who’d been having an affair with one of your friends for four years.
Close your eyes and pretend that the shoe was on the other foot. Okay? Got that
image in your head? Good. Now tell me how you’d be reacting right now. You’ve
just seen me kissing your friend outside some posh hotel, so you know what
we’ve been up to. You’re then told that it’s been going on for four years, and
the only explanation I can give you is because I want your friend – the friend
who’s just fired you – to give you your old job back. And then, to top it all
off, I tell you that the reason I began screwing your friend in the first place
is because you weren’t paying me enough attention. Now if you can look me in
the eye and swear to me that you’d take me back if the shoe was on the other
foot, then I promise you I’ll go home with you right now and talk this over
some more. Well?’
    Sarah forced herself to
look up at him, but that was all she could manage. She knew he was right, knew
full well how she’d react if he’d been the one having the affair. She had to
accept that for the time being, whatever Sam decided to do was well and truly
out of her control. She only hoped that once he’d calmed down he’d perhaps give
her another chance to explain herself and convince him how much she cared about
him.
    Sam stared back at her,
enjoying neither the shallow victory nor the hurt on his wife’s face. In spite
of everything, part of him wanted to stay and talk some more; wanted to
understand and maybe even forgive. He didn’t want to leave his home, his
family, his life. He wanted everything to return to how it was before…before…
    ‘Don’t worry about
Max,’ he said, matter-of-factly. ‘Tell him that I’m going away for a while to visit
my mother.’
    ‘Is that really where
you’re going?’
    ‘Maybe…I don’t know. I
think so. I need some time.’
    ‘I understand. I’m so
sorry, Sam. Please don’t leave me.’
    Sam began walking away,
leaving her alone on the park bench. As he neared the gates to Regent's Park,
he turned and looked at her one final time. He tried to smile but failed.
Instead he tilted his head to the side and frowned, suddenly unsure as to whom
this woman was; who she really was. He felt the tears once more rising
to the surface. Not wanting to share them with her, he turned back around and
walked away.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
     
    Sam
barely registered the driver’s voice as he announced that the train would
shortly be arriving at Durham Station. The three hour journey had given him
time to think, resulting in a long list of burning questions that desperately needed
answering. There were the obvious