From the outside, my life appears normal, boring even – but in that way you treasure when you once had nothing. These days, I have a loving new husband, a polite and intelligent teenage son. Everything seems perfect, but beneath the surface, I feel afraid. My son, the child I’ve sacrificed everything for, is scaring me. When he looks at me, his gaze is dark and calculating. In public he’s as sweet as always, but the things he says to me at home make my neck prickle with fear. I'm a mother – I've learned to trust my instincts, and right now, they're screaming that something is very wrong.

I’ve been on edge the whole time because 15 years ago when we were living in this city my husband Jack did something that ripped our lives apart. I swore I would never come back here, but Jack insisted. One afternoon, in the blur of a crowd, I lose sight of my son. I can’t find him anywhere. Frantic, I call my husband. But what he tells me next shakes me to the core....

Slamming the door shut behind her, Stephanie takes one last look at the party where her best friends are busy celebrating. As the drinks are poured and music blasts, she disappears into the darkness alone. Some say she was crying. Others think they heard an argument that night. But we never saw her alive again…

As he packs my things, the nurses tell me Freddie hasn’t left my bedside since the accident I was in days ago. They tell me I’m lucky. We seem like the perfect couple, and together we’ll figure out what happened. So I go home to a beautiful house with a fancy marble kitchen and manicured garden that is supposedly ours. But deep down I know something isn’t right. Even though my memories are gone, this doesn’t feel like my life.

It feels like all the air has been knocked out of me. My best friend is dead, killed at her own daughter’s birthday party. All I want to do is run into my husband’s loving arms. But he’s in handcuffs, covered in her blood. His voice quivers, almost sobbing as officers put him in the police car. ‘You don’t think I did this, do you? I was trying to save her.’ At first, I’m sure he couldn’t have done it. The man I love wouldn’t hurt anyone. But as I try to prove that he didn’t murder Lucy, secrets begin unravelling…

On a sunny Friday afternoon, beloved teacher Mrs Walker and her eight-year-old son wave goodbye to their friends in the school playground. But they never make it home. It’s only been a week, but the bright little faces at the picture-perfect school I’ve stepped into have captured my heart. Their big doe eyes, their paint-covered fingers and clinging hugs. They’ve been through so much, with their favourite teacher and classmate still missing. I’m doing all I can to help them adjust, but I can’t avoid the rumours that say Cate Walker’s charismatic husband is involved in her disappearance.

I know Benjamin’s new business is in trouble, that he desperately needs your money. I saw the way Gwyn looked at him at your wedding reception, finding any excuse to be close, to laugh too loudly at his jokes. After all, she always wanted your perfect life. But don’t worry, Madeline. I won’t let it end like this. I can see everything from my place in the shadows between the trees. With their house lit up, they are on display. I’ll bide my time and worm my way into their home, their lives. They will never know the truth about who I am.

Neil’s life is in freefall. He and wife, Sacha can’t conceive, and he’s losing the fight against drinking and depression. His December days feel dark enough but the reality of spending Christmas with the in-laws from hell, including his terminally ill father in law, threaten to send him right over the edge. Christy, Sacha’s sister ultimately has to pick up the pieces of their fractured family. Will she ever be able to put them back together?

My partner José and I have poured everything into opening this rustic farmhouse retreat nestled high in the Spanish mountains. Finally we’re ready to welcome our first guests. But a cold chill comes over me when I recognize Saskia. She’s part of my old life, the one I made sure to leave behind, and that José knows nothing about. Saskia knows everything about me—even the terrible secret I’ve carried for so long. She’s exposed me once before. Is she here to do it again?

It’s so kind of our neighbours to throw this party welcoming us to our new home. My husband and I finally moved to the right place. A happy, safe street where nobody knows about my mistakes. But I soon learn their smiling faces hide even deadlier secrets… As I take in the little plates of sandwiches arranged over checked tablecloths, the lavish cocktails, and children playing, I finally feel happy in my new home with Owen. I love hearing the gossip from the local families; the whispers about which wives I should avoid, and which husbands sneak out at night.

When I first walked into Jake and Megan’s immaculate home, I felt totally at ease. Sitting in the crisp white living room, they held hands and talked lovingly about their baby girl, Fern. As the weeks passed, I began to think I’d made a mistake in taking the job. Jake was overly friendly from the start, watching my every move and always offering to drop me home, even though it was out of his way. And Megan seemed to take pleasure in telling me off in front of her husband, blaming me for things I hadn’t done.

Everything my husband and I have always dreamt of has finally come true. Our new home with its open-plan kitchen and marble countertops couldn’t be further from the small, damp flat where we lived only months ago. I’d hoped this would be our fresh start, an escape from my past, but the handwritten note that arrived on our doorstep makes my blood run cold – you don’t deserve this life.

I’m out on an early morning dog walk when I find the body. It’s Harry, the man I was dating. It should be the worst thing that has ever happened to me.... But it has happened to me before. Six months ago I found the body of Ash, another man I’d been seeing. The police arrested me, and the trauma nearly destroyed me. I moved back home and changed my life. Now, it’s a bright sunny morning, the air is fresh, and I’m finally feeling like I can move on. I can’t wait for my second date with Harry....

Long blonde hair. Sparkling dark eyes. Perfect pearly white teeth. I’ve never met her before, but I know exactly who she is as I spot her through the crowds of the terminal. Because our new guest is the spitting image of the daughter we lost. And that’s exactly why I chose her.

When I step into the elevator that sweltering morning, I barely notice the woman standing next to me. She seems out of place, with her floaty linen clothes in a building full of suits. But that’s none of my business. A minute later, there’s a sudden jerk. The elevator stops. The lights go out.