The Stay-at-Home Mother

THE STAY-AT-HOME MOTHERA COMPLETELY ADDICTIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER PACKED WITH JAW-DROPPING TWISTSNICOLE TROPE BOOKS BY NICOLE TROPE The Stay-at-Home Mother The Foster Family His Other Wife The Stepchild The Mother’s Fault The Family Across the Street Bring Him Home The Girl Who Never Came Home The Life She Left Behind The Nowhere Girl The Boy in the Photo My Daughter’s Secret Available in Audio The Foster Family (Available in the UK and the US ) His Other Wife (Available in the UK and the US ) The Stepchild (Available in the UK and the US ) The Mother’s Fault (Available in the UK and the US ) The Family Across the Street (Available in the UK and the US ) Bring Him Home (Available in the UK and the US ) The Girl Who Never Came Home (Available in the UK and the US ) The Life She Left Behind (Available in the UK and the US ) The Nowhere Girl (Available in the UK and the US ) The Boy in the Photo (Available in the UK and the US ) My Daughter’s Secret (Available in the UK and the US ) CONTENTS Prologue 1. Andrea 2. Gabby 3. Andrea 4. Gabby 5. Andrea 6. Gabby 7. Andrea 8. Gabby 9. Andrea 10. Gabby 11. Andrea 12. Gabby 13. Andrea 14. Gabby 15. Andrea 16. Gabby 17. Andrea 18. Gabby 19. Andrea 20. Gabby 21. Andrea 22. Gabby 23. Andrea 24. Gabby 25. Andrea 26. Gabby 27. Andrea 28. Gabby 29. Andrea 30. Gabby 31. Andrea 32. Gabby 33. Andrea 34. Gabby Epilogue Epilogue The Family Across the Street Prologue Chapter One Hear More from Nicole Books by Nicole Trope A Letter from Nicole The Foster Family His Other Wife The Stepchild The Mother’s Fault Bring Him Home The Girl Who Never Came Home The Life She Left Behind The Nowhere Girl The Boy in the Photo My Daughter’s Secret Acknowledgements * For David, who says, ‘I bet that’s going to be a book,’ anytime anything remotely interesting happens. You’re right. PROLOGUE‘Hi, this is Andrea. I can’t take your call right now. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.’‘Hello, hello… Look, I am assuming that this is the Andrea Gately who is listed as a contact on the Missing Children of the World website. I know your post said to only contact the police with information, but I found you on Facebook – where you have your phone number. I have no idea why you would have your phone number on your Facebook page, but that’s not what this call is about. I know you’re in Australia and I am in the USA, so I’m not sure about the time difference, but I really don’t care. I’m calling to let you know I’ve given your number and contact details to the police over here and they have assured me they are going to look into this immediately.‘Why are you using a picture of my son on a missing children’s website, Andrea Gately? Why are you using it and where did you get it?’ ONEANDREANOWShe is standing at her front door, her keys in her hand, when the car screeches into the street, squealing to a stop in front of her house, filling the air with noise and the smell of burnt rubber. The streetlight flickers as if disturbed and she squeezes her keys in her hand, her heart racing.The wind whips around the house, scattering soggy brown leaves as the car idles in front of her house, the engine growling with menace in the dark. Andrea’s pulse pounds in her throat, making it hard to swallow.The back passenger door opens and she squints, trying to see inside, frozen where she is standing, her muscles tense.Terry emerges from the back seat, his body falling onto the street in a heap. With the door still open, the car roars off into the night, leaving behind the tortured tyre smell and her husband crumpled on the ground.She cannot move, cannot even think what to do, but inside her the baby kicks frantically.Terry doesn’t move and the words ‘he’s dead’ fill her mind. She starts towards him, holding the keys so tightly in her hand they are cutting into her skin. As she gets to where he is, he groans and uncurls, looking up at TWOGABBYNOWEven as she feels it buzzing in her hand continuously as she walks, trying to keep her steps slow enough and yet move quickly enough, she knows that she should not look at it, should not allow the messages to be read. She doesn’t want to know what they say, but, as if a magnet is pulling at her, she cannot resist, cannot stop herself from glancing down, from seeing the words.Are you crazy? Why THREEANDREAFIVE WEEKS AGOAndrea surveys the room, trying not to let the heaviness of despair stop her from doing what she needs to do. Which is everything.They moved into this house three days ago, and for three days she has been doing little except cleaning and unpacking. This morning it looks as though she hasn’t even begun the mammoth task. Over in one corner of the living room is a stack of boxes as tall as