Chapter One

       Present Day

      Grace Sumner steeled herself against the bar, her fingers splayed against the cool, polished wood as though it could ground her somehow. It was the moment she’d been expecting for a long time and finally there he was – Nathan Conlon, or Nate as she’d once affectionately called him. The pub was as busy as usual for a Friday night in Liverpool; but from the moment she saw his face, it was as though there was no one else in the room but the two of them. The constant chatter, the laughter – the incessant din of the place – faded into the background, until she could hear nothing but the blood rushing in her ears. She knew he’d make his way back into her life one day. His arrival was no surprise. She’d thought about nothing else for days.

      But nothing could have prepared her for seeing that man’s face again.

      He scanned the room quickly as he entered. Was he looking for her? For a moment, she thought their eyes met, but perhaps she’d imagined it? There was no recognition from him if they did. She took a moment to appraise him; he still had those incredible blue eyes and that smile that could make you forget your own name. He had a beard now too, and not one of those ridiculous hipster ones which seemed to be in fashion, but a neat one, which framed his strong jawline. It looked good on him. The dark grey suit he was wearing fitted him perfectly. He’d always looked good in a suit. He was bigger than she remembered. No doubt all that free time he’d had to work out in the gym.

      It had been a long time since she’d seen him, but the image of him was burned into her retinas like the negative of a photograph. He was still the best-looking man she had ever seen. Gliding through the crowded bar effortlessly, he smiled at everyone. Friends, acquaintances or strangers – it didn’t matter to Nathan, who was always equally comfortable in anyone’s presence. He was one of those people that everybody loved to be around – well almost everybody.

      He was the first man she’d ever loved, the first man she’d ever made love to. The irony of that didn’t escape her. Because he was also the man who’d given her nightmares for the past nineteen years, the man she feared more than anyone or anything else in the world: her ex-husband, and the father of her only child. A shudder ran down the length of Grace’s spine as she remembered what he was capable of and what he would do if he ever found out about the things she’d done.

      ‘Another pint please, Grace,’ one of the regulars piped up, and the world around her came back into focus. She poured the drink as if on autopilot and smiled as the next customer signalled for some service, but her thoughts returned to Nathan. Released on licence from prison the week before, he was