Water Under the Bridge: A Psychological Thriller | Book 1 | The Water Series (Ebook)
Water Under the Bridge: A Psychological Thriller | Book 1 | The Water Series (Ebook)
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Step into a world where Dexter collides with Mr. & Mrs. Smith, unveiling a mesmerizing tale of reinvention, hidden truths, and insatiable desires. Meet Kate Anderson - a woman haunted by her past, yearning for change as her biological clock ticks relentlessly.
About The Book
Book One | The Water Series
When a chance encounter with a captivating stranger ignites her determination to seize the life she craves, Kate embarks on an astonishing transformation. Lighter, bolder, and armed with a new identity, she's tantalizingly close to her self-crafted utopia.
But dark secrets lurk beneath the surface, and unbeknownst to her, the alluring stranger has his own share of skeletons in the closet.
Water Under the Bridge masterfully weaves an enthralling narrative that keeps you questioning your judgment and straddling the line between right and wrong. Inspired by gripping thrillers like Gone Girl and Behind Closed Doors, this riveting novel captivates readers until the very last page.
Read a sample
Read a sample
Chapter One
AFTER
Your face crumbles as the judge hands down our sentence. I am fascinated by the way your expression changes, as slowly, recognition takes over that unlike the rest of your affairs, this one isnât going to be a one-and-done deal. Turns out, lucky us, the great State of Texas is having a go at a pilot program designed to drop the stateâs divorce rate.Â
But you arenât feeling very lucky. Not at all. I can tell by the way you pinch the bridge of your nose. Youâve always hated not getting your way. It doesnât matter anyway. I want to tell youâwhatever political agenda bullshit this latest program entailsâI can assure you and the rest of Texas, it wonât save us. Even if I were the kind of man who believed in miracles, you and me, weâd need a miracle plus a Hail Mary. Youâve said it yourself, where we are concerned, there is no hope. And this is why you plead.
âExcuse me, your Honorâ,â you start, and you pause for effect, always the performer. âThis really isnât necessary,â you profess and then you swallow, and I like it when youâre unsure. You go on. âMy husâJude and Iâ,â you tell him, and you look over at me, and my god, Kate, youâve always done indifference so well. âI think we can both agree weâre ready to get on with our lives.âÂ
You refer to me as your husbandâor almost, anywayâand for a moment, I recall what it felt like before your words were laced with poison, back when there was nothing but hope.Â
I listen to you say your piece, and this time is no different than all the times before, only this time, we have witnesses, and you know how Iâve always hated that. You must know this because you sink back in your chair, proud.
Your pride doesnât last long because when the judge lists out the terms of our captivity, you glare at your attorney, willing her to save you, but she wonâtâshe canât. You almost choke when he orders six months of marriage counseling, which includes weekly appointments. Your hand flies to your throat, and I remember what thatâs like, holding you in place, having it all in the palm of my hand. Iâd give anythingâmaybe even your lifeâto know what that feels like again.Â
The good news here is the judge and I seem to be on the same page as he informs the two of us that a therapist of our choosing must sign off before the court will grant our divorce. You hold your breath as he speaks, and I remember what that felt like too.
I try, for you, though⊠I do. I wait for him to finish, and then I tell him that youâre right, weâve made our decision, and as I speak, you sulk, but isnât this what youâve always wanted, to be right? Itâs hard to look at you, sulking or otherwise, and it never used to be this way.Â
Youâre tanner than the last time I saw you. But then, I guess time away did you good. You said you needed your space, and I let you have it. But you have to know, Kate, it was hard not to follow. Maybe I should have. But it was all the same to youâyou made up your mind, and your decision settled mine.Â
Nevertheless, if there is such a thing as a clean break for you and me, it isnât looking good, and it certainly wonât be handed down today. This judge does not cease his interminable vendetta against your freedom. He does not relent. You arenât happy, and I canât recall the last time you were, even though I try. Itâll come to me, the memory of you, but this courtroom is too stuffy, and you know how Iâve always hated an audience.Â
The judge looks away, and you look on, defeated; itâs clear, even if you refuse to let it show. As he jots something down, you bite your lip, a tellâyou still believe thereâs hope. But I know better. When he looks up, holding a pen and our future in his hands, you tell him youâd be better off dead, and he looks surprised, as though heâs missed something. He has. A lot of somethings. He asks if thereâs a history of violence. No, you tell him, it was just an expression. Although a part of me wonders if youâre right about that too. Maybe thereâs truth in what you say. Maybe you would be better off dead, and I canât help but wonder if I have it in me.Â
* * *
You text, and thereâs something about seeing your name light up my phone that still gets me even after all this time. Youâre all business with your words, and I remember how much Iâve always liked this side of you. You write that our first therapy session is on Tuesday, and itâs so like you to take control, so like you to try and set the pace. But you are mistaken, Kate. Our first therapy session is Monday, and you seem to forget that Iâm always one step ahead. You cease with the texting and ring me instead because you like to be the one calling the shots. Youâre ready to pounce when I offer formalities I donât meanâmeanwhile, Iâm just happy to hear your voice. You sound exasperated, and I wish I could see your face. No one tells you how much you can miss a personâs face. You rattle off instructions, but we donât talk about things, not really, and I wonder when we stopped talking.Â
Weâre talking now, thatâs what youâd say. But I wonâtâ because no oneâs really saying anything. Nothing worth saying, anyway. Eventually, after Iâve refused to take the bait because I wonât give you my anger as freely as you give yours, you relent, and you agree to the Monday appointment. Youâd never admit it, but you like it when I put you in your place. Better to get it over with, you tell me with an edge. The sooner to see you, my dear, I think. But I donât say this. I give you what you want. I always have.
* * *
You sit cross-legged with your hands folded neatly in your lap, and I hate how pretty you look. Your hair is up, neat and orderly, different, and I study that spot on your neck, the one I know so well. Itâs your weak spot, and given the chance, Iâd dive right in. But weâre here, not there, in more ways than one, and I hate that this middle-aged doctor is checking you out. I donât know why you had to wear such a low-cut top, and I recognize the look he gives you. He has a weakness too. But he thinks heâs the one in charge hereâI can tell by the way he wears it via the chip on his shoulderâwhen, in reality, he lacks a real MD behind his name. Heâd better watch himself. Iâll kill him if I have to. He isnât old, the way Iâd imagined, and I silently curse myself for not doing more research on something so important.
âDr. C.â Thatâs how he introduces himself, and itâs clear heâs the kind of fellow who believes in make-believe. What a joke this isâwhat a joke he is. We would laugh about this, you and I, if things were different. If now were before. But it isnât, and no oneâs laughing.
âSoâŠwhy donât you tell me where things went wrongâŠ?â he urges, and I want to hate him, and I almost do, but I admire his directness. I, too, am eager to get to the point.Â
You shrug, and then I do the same because Iâm well-versed in the art of mirroring, but mostly because I want to know your answer. Iâm glad he starts here because he doesnât know us, Kate, this fake doctor. He doesnât know that other doctors (both real and fake) have told us weâre not capable of love. But we were capable, you and I. We were. We werenât make-believe like this guy. We didnât pretend we were something we werenât until we didâand that is the real reason weâre here, but I donât say this. I let you lead the way.Â
âIs there really any way to know, Docââ you start and then you stop. You donât call him âdoctor,â but you let him think heâs in charge, and I like that youâre on to him, too. You know his ability to ask a good question doesnât make him a real doctor, and this is a good start. Already, weâre getting somewhere, you and I, and Iâm starting to feel something that looks a lot like hope.
You are right, I tell him. Thereâs really no way of knowing where things went bad, no way to pinpoint exactly whoâs at fault, and yet here we are, sitting in these chairs, talking to him instead of each other, both wanting nothing more than to be anywhere else, getting on with our lives.Â
You nod, and weâre on the same page again, and all of a sudden the world seems less bleak.Â
He asks how we met, and you crinkle your nose.Â
âDoes it really matter?â I ask. âItâs over,â I say. âIsnât it best to let it be?â I add for good measure, showing that I, too, can ask good questions. You sit up a little straighter, but you drop your guard.Â
âPerhaps,â he says, even though he and I both know he doesnât mean it. Perhaps. Give me a break. He doesnât know how much I hate that word, but you do, and I see the corners of your lips turn upward as he says it. It doesnât matter, though. He isnât fooling me with his half-hearted response. âDr. Câ is a man used to being right. He likes control, he likes being in charge, he gets off on toying with peopleâs emotions, and perhaps I could show him the error of his ways.Â
âAnd yetâ,â he adds, as though heâs exasperated when he hardly knows what it means to lift a finger, âI want to go back to where it began.â He speaks to me as he looks at you, and I canât blame him. They say living well is the best form of revenge. They are right, and in this case, itâs pretty apparentâI am bad at revenge.
âI think it would be a good idea for the two of you to tell each other the story of your coming togetherâin writing,â he says, looking from you to me and back, and I canât be mad at him for staring at your tits when he has such good ideas. âI find writing helps clients come to terms with the dissolution of their marriage in a way that merely talking doesnâtâŠâ he continues, pausing for added effect, and you cross your arms. âWriting can be reflective. I find it helps my clients to move on, and more importantly, it lends to healthier relationships in the future.âÂ
âI donât write,â you tell him, as you shift in your seatâyou little liar, you. You write all the time.Â
âYou wrote the text you sent me about this very appointment,â I say because he needs to know those tits heâs staring at are my tits and that we still talk. You give me that look, the one I know so well, and perhaps you are onto me.Â
âJust give it a try,â the fake doctor insists, adjusting his glasses on his nose, and Iâd pay money to prove they arenât even prescription. âTrust me,â he says, and I donât. I hope you donât either. âItâll save the two of you time talking to me,â he adds. Itâs a small offer of condolence, and thankfully, he says something I like. Only this guy doesnât know you like I do. He may have me convinced, but he hasnât convinced you, and you are not soothed. I can tell by the way you check your phone every two and a half seconds. Youâre distracted, and you donât trust him. You donât want to talk to him, and I hate that phone for getting more of you than you give to us.Â
âWhat happens if I just donât come back?â you ask, and this isnât a threatâyou genuinely want to know. You, always the stubborn one, always the one to test the limits, until suddenly, you just donât.
âWellââ he says, and I can tell youâve tested him. Heâs intrigued by your defiance, and I will squash him if he gets any ideasâŠjust like I will squash that phone of yours if you donât stop staring at it. âItâs mandatory if you want to wrap up your divorce,â he tells you, and I like the direction heâs going. I like that he plays hardball, so I donât have to. âFurthermore, youâd be violating a court order, and of course, thatâs not something Iâd advise.âÂ
You look over at me, and I smile, and you are so clever. Youâre not the kind of girl who enjoys being backed against the wallâuntil you are, and thatâs exactly what Iâm imagining doing right now. I think he is too, and perhaps Iâll let it slide, but only because I can tell by your expression you understand heâs forcing you to come back here, back to me.
âFine,â you say, and itâs too bad youâre not a mind reader.Â
âIâll give it a try,â you tell him, and you sigh. You check your phone again, and this is a new one, but then, youâve always surprised me with your intelligence. You look up, only this time not at me, and I get that familiar pain in my chest I know all too well. âNow, can I go?â you ask, raising your brow, and youâre ready to pounce if the answer that comes isnât the one you want.
âYes,â he says, and you stand. Youâre about to bolt when he stops you with the flick of a wrist, and I remember when I could do that. âThat isâif you agree, Jude. I need a commitment here that youâll both come prepared with something in hand by our next appointment,â he adds, and thereâs authority in his voice when he speaks. You wait, and you listen, and this isnât the girl I know. Heâs looking at me now as though he and I are on the same team. We arenât, and he canât know how much you both love and hate authority, and maybe this is the answer to his question about where it all went wrong.
âSure,â I tell him, offering my best smile. âIâll come up with something for you, Doc,â I offer as though Iâm his star student, when in fact, Iâm full of shit. But he buys it, and you are antsy because you know Iâve won. âIâll write you a whole book, if thatâs what it takes,â I add for good measure. He smiles. âIâll call it Water Under the Bridge,â I say, fucking with you. You shake your head at me. Then you roll your eyes and start for the door. Iâm pretty sure you know heâs checking out your ass, and heâd better watch himself. There was a time when this wouldnât have bothered me, a time when I believed in you⊠when I believed in us.Â
Now is not that time.Â
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