Showing results by author "Nicole Trope" in All Categories

I gaze at my husband’s once handsome face, so still and pale in the hospital bed. The doctors say I should keep talking. He might be able to hear me even after the terrible accident that left him fighting for his life. But all I have to whisper to my husband is this: "I know what you did."

Caroline twitches aside her curtains to see the new family moving in. A mother – beautifully dressed in expensive clothes – and two young children. Where is her husband, she wonders? And why are they moving in to the smallest house on the street? They really don’t seem the type. But Caroline believes it’s important to be welcoming. It’s important to know everything that’s happening on West Street.

Katelyn smiles around at her husband and friends, gathered to celebrate her 36th birthday in their beautiful home decorated with fairy lights. But the next day Katelyn wakes up shaken and terrified in a hospital bed. She doesn’t remember the sweet taste of birthday cake icing, or how angry her best friend was at midnight, or the terrible things her husband said. She doesn’t remember the party at all. When she asks her husband what happened the night of the party he says "nothing". But her blood runs cold at the way his voice lilts slightly. The way it always does when he is lying.

"Your son is missing," they say, and life as I know it is over. "Where would he go?" the police ask. "Where would he be?" my daughter begs. My heart races as images flash in my mind. The cabin we rent every autumn, surrounded by fiery-red maple trees. Voices raised. Tears falling. A marriage falling apart. And worst of all my husband telling our child, Theo, to run. The rest is a blank in my memory. If I close my eyes I can almost see it. A betrayal that has left me alone, in tatters, grieving for what we had.

Tout le monde veut vivre sur Hogarth Street, une jolie avenue bordée d'arbres avec ses maisons blanches. La famille qui vient d'emménager est parfaite : Katherine et Josh West semblent vraiment amoureux et leurs magnifiques jumeaux de 5 ans courent en poussant des cris de joie autour de leur belle pelouse fraîchement tondue. Mais tout à coup, les voisins s'étonnent. Pourquoi, lorsque vous frappez à la porte, se débarrassent-ils de vous au lieu de vous inviter à entrer ? Chaque famille a des secrets, et au moment le plus chaud de l'année, la vérité est sur le point d'éclater.

There was so much anger brewing in the child that sometimes Alicia feared for all of them. And now she had gone and done this terrible thing. This terrible, terrible thing. Tara has lost her voice. She knows there was pain and fear, but she cannot remember anything else. Now she can answer the questions only with silence. Minnie has buried her voice for years, losing herself in silence and isolation, keeping her secrets safe and her broken heart concealed. Liam finds refuge in silence; it is a place to go to when he cannot get the words out.

Birdy thought she would have to wait until she was free again to see Rose, but now Rose has been convicted of a shocking crime and she and Birdy will be together. Birdy has been saving all her anger for Rose. It is Rose who should have protected her and kept her safe. Birdy was little but Rose was big, and she knows Rose could have saved her. This is a story about monsters who hide in plain sight and about the secrets we keep from ourselves. It is about children who are betrayed and adults who fail them.

Once, so very long ago, she watched him like this when he came to pick her up from a date. Her stomach fluttered and burned with infatuation and desire. She would watch him walk up the path and think, 'This must be love.' But that was so very long ago. Now Liz is wary and afraid. She has made a terrible mistake, and it cannot be undone.

In ihrem Ferienhaus direkt am Strand, wählt Elizabeth mit zitternden Händen die Notrufnummer. »Mein kleiner Junge, er ist weg.«Elizabeth ist die Pflegemutter von Joe, aber sie liebt ihn wie ihren eigenen Sohn. Der Fünfjährige ist das Kind, von dem sie immer geträumt hat. Beim Blick in den leeren Garten, wo er gerade eben noch gespielt hat, fühlt sich ihr Herz an, als würde es ihr aus der Brust gerissen. Sie sollte Joe vor seiner leiblichen Mutter retten, die ihm beinahe die Chance auf ein Leben genommen hätte. Die Frau, die verzweifelt versucht, ihn zurückzubekommen.

Die dreijährige Millie Everleigh verschwindet an einem kalten Wintertag, und nichts ist, wie es scheint ... Es ist der Anruf, vor dem sich jede Mutter fürchtet. Ich steige nach dem Einkaufen ins Auto als mein Handy klingelt. Es ist meine Stieftochter Shelby, die auf meine dreijährige kleine Tochter Millie aufpasst. »Ich bin nur kurz nach oben gegangen«, sagt sie mit schluchzender Stimme. »Sie ist weg.« Ich rase nach Hause und stelle fest, dass mein kleines Mädchen tatsächlich verschwunden ist, und spüre, wie mir mein Herz aus der Brust gerissen wird.

A short story for fans of Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve. Step into the fragile domestic world of Roar and discover the unforgettable voice of Nicole Trope, best-selling author of The Secrets in Silence, Three Hours Late and The Boy Under the Table. The baby sleeps peacefully, filled with milk and contentment. The man on the bed breathes his way into the darkness, filled with rage. Was there ever really a choice?

Megan wartet vor der Schule auf ihren sechsjährigen Sohn. Der Schulhof leert sich und Panik macht sich in ihr breit, als sie Daniel nirgendwo finden kann. Ihr geliebtes Kind ist spurlos verschwunden. Sechs Jahre später: Nach Jahren voller Selbstvorwürfe und schlafloser Nächte bekommt Megan den Anruf, an den sie selbst kaum noch geglaubt hat: Ihr Sohn kommt endlich nach Hause.

Corro a casa e scopro la mia bambina dagli occhi azzurri scomparsa e il mio cuore strappato dal petto. Quando arrivano gli agenti di polizia, la storia di Shelby comincia a disfarsi. Poi ricevo un messaggio che dice: "Tuo marito non è chi pensi che sia." All'improvviso, la mia famiglia sembra composta da estranei. Ognuno ha un segreto, persino io. Quando la verità verrà a galla e tutte le nostre bugie saranno svelate, sarà troppo tardi per salvare la mia preziosa bambina?

Tutti vogliono vivere in Hogarth Street con il suo bel viale alberato e le case bianche. La famiglia West è la quintessenza della perfezione: Katherine e Josh sembrano la coppia perfetta, i loro splendidi gemelli riempiono di allegria il verde prato di casa. Ma qualcosa non quadra. Perché non invitano nessuno ad entrare, rifiutano le offerte di babysitting e i bambini non si sono ancora visti? La curiosità degli abitanti di Hogarth Street aumenta e, nel giorno più torrido dell'anno, una tragedia scuote le loro vite tranquille.

Arriva la polizia. Non riesce a guardare il marito. Studia invece l'intreccio di linee sulle sue mani tremanti. Poi il suo telefono suona con un messaggio vocale. "Ascoltalo in vivavoce", dice il detective. Una voce di donna riempie l'aria. "Presumo che si tratti di Andrea Gately indicata come contatto sul sito web dei bambini scomparsi nel mondo. La chiamo per dirle che ho fornito i suoi dati alla polizia. Perché state usando una foto di mio figlio su un sito web di bambini scomparsi? Perché la state usando e dove l'avete presa?

Alle wollen in der der hübschen, von Bäumen gesäumten Hogarth Street wohnen. Die frisch zugezogene Familie West passt perfekt hierhin. Katherine und John wirken wie ein harmonisches und verliebtes Paar, und ihre fünfjährigen Zwillinge spielen ständig lachend in ihrem makellosen Vorgarten.

CZASAMI NAJBARDZIEJ IDEALNE RODZINY SKRYWAJĄ NAJOKROPNIEJSZE SEKRETY. Wszyscy chcą żyć na Hogarth, ładnej, wysadzanej drzewami ulicy z białymi domami. Nowa rodzina, Westowie, pasują tam idealnie. Katherine oraz Josh wyglądają na niesamowicie zakochanych, a ich śliczne pięcioletnie bliźniaki biegają po zielonym trawniku, krzycząc wesoło.

Vorrei poterla stringere forte. Sentire se indossa ancora lo stesso profumo di sempre. Ma mia figlia mi incolpa per la morte di suo padre. Non vuole nemmeno parlarmi… So solo che non è davvero al sicuro con il suo fidanzato, Garth. Starò a distanza e la osserverò. Per ora. Ma tremo di paura quando la polizia bussa alla sua porta. Garth è scomparso. E mia figlia è accusata del suo omicidio. Non ci sono prove che io abbia mai fatto del male a qualcuno… o sì? La polizia sa del mio passato – e di cosa ho fatto veramente? Solo una cosa è certa. La mia bellissima bambina è in grave pericolo.

Ava Green ha un lavoro di successo, due splendidi bambini e un marito che fa arrossire le altre donne. Ma ora che sto lavorando nella sua casa impeccabile, so che non tutto è così perfetto… Sento le discussioni sussurrate a tarda notte. Finn riceve telefonate a orari strani – e quando parlo con i bambini, è chiaro che il loro papà sta mantenendo dei segreti. Ora che so cosa si nasconde in questa casa, sono solo felice che Ava non abbia controllato troppo accuratamente le mie referenze. Perché Ava pensa di aver scelto me. Ma sono stata io a scegliere lei.

THEO SOMERTON MA JEDENAŚCIE LAT I JEST DZIECKIEM ZE SPEKTRUM AUTYZMU. NIE MÓWI, MOŻE TEŻ NIE WIEDZIEĆ, ŻE SIĘ ZGUBIŁ. NIE ZAREAGUJE NA SWOJE IMIĘ. – Twój syn zaginął – mówią, a życie, które znałam, właśnie skończyło się. – Dokąd mógł pójść? – pyta policja. – Gdzie może być? – pyta z błaganiem w głosie moja córka. Serce łomocze mi w piersi, gdy w mojej głowie pojawiają się obrazy. Domek, który wynajmujemy każdej jesieni. Podniesione głosy. Łzy. Rozpadające się małżeństwo. I najgorsze z tego wszystkiego – mój mąż, mówiący naszemu synowi, Theo, żeby uciekał.