Love and lies

Pippa is living the dream - handsome hubby Gabe, two sweet daughters and a stunning house perched on a beachside cliff. But then it all goes wrong and a web of secrets unravels in the thrilling new novel from bestselling Aussie author Sally Hepworth.

- Sally Hepworth

I’m standing at the kitchen sink, my hands plunged in warm soapy water. Gabe is beside me, supposedly drying dishes but mostly drinking red wine and singing to Édith Piaf. He made coq au vin for dinner using every pot in the house, but if there is one thing to be said for my husband it’s that he knows how to create a mood. He’s dimmed the lights, lit some candles, even trotted out his best French accent. If not for the kids and my older sister Kat – who is perched at my kitchen counter – it might have been romantic.

“Where?”

Gabe asks. I lift my gloved hand from the water and point through the window. It is a woman, I think, though it’s hard to be sure, with the sun setting behind her. In any case, I have a clear view of a fi gure, 20-odd metres away, beyond the edge of our property where the lawn gives way to a sandy walking path. On the other side of the walking path is a sheer drop down to the jagged rocks and the beach 30 metres below. It’s not uncommon for people to stop here and admire the view, particularly at sunset, but when they linger it always gives me pause.

“There.”

I keep my voice quiet, steady. I don’t have the privilege of hysteria given the proximity of the curious four-year-olds.

“Where are you going, Daddy?” Freya asks, as Gabe reaches for his coat.

“Going to catch frogs, poppet,” he says without breaking stride.

Gabe is entirely unflappable. He’s your classic run-towards-a-burning-building kind of guy. He might emerge a hero. He might not emerge at all.