Samantha Hayes

I sit little Mila down at my kitchen table with a glass of milk and a plate of cookies. She smiles shyly at me and I reach out to ruffle her hair. Leaving her alone for a moment, I dash upstairs, closing my eyes as I take a deep breath. What have I done? Mila isn’t my child.

She told me she was the housekeeper, and who was I to question? Our stay in this perfectly renovated Victorian house on the rich side of Hastings was a favour from an old school friend while the fire damage to our own little place was being fixed.

January 1992. A baby girl is left alone for a moment. Long enough for a mother to dash into a shop. Long enough for a child to be taken....

Me and Will. Will and Me. A perfect match. He said he would always be there for me, but it’s been a year since he drained his coffee, walked out the front door and vanished....

Returning early from a disastrous date night with my husband, I know something is wrong the moment the wheels crunch the gravel drive of our home. Inside, the TV is on and a half-eaten meal waits on the table....

Fiona Fisher lives a quiet and contented existence. A former nurse who married Jason, the doctor of her dreams, she is now a mother to his two daughters and living in the sort of cosy village home she’d always wished for.

My mother is obsessed with every detail of my wedding–controlling my dress, my ring, my happiness. But when the day finally comes, will she really let me go?

"There’s someone I want you to meet," Belle says, as a man draws up to her side. He’s tall with dark hair and stubble on his square jaw. He’s not exactly smiling, but the corner of his mouth curls upwards as he slides his hand around my daughter’s waist....

This is not the happy family you think. The fire crackles, my son smiles, the man jokes whilst I pour drinks. But my husband has disappeared. The man is a stranger. My skin crawls every time he brushes my hand. He says if I don’t play along, he has photos that will destroy my family....

I nearly threw the letter about the inheritance away with the recycling. Late for work, worrying about how I would afford new school shoes for Kate, I just assumed it was a mistake. But perhaps moving to a new home in a quiet seaside town would be the fresh start we both need....

In the wake of my darling husband’s death, I am so lucky to have my three beautiful, grown-up daughters by my side at our holiday home in Scotland. We need some time together to recover from the shock. But I also need to set some things straight about their beloved father....

Everything in Lorna’s life runs like clockwork, from her six a.m. run to the strict 60 minute counselling sessions she gives. It’s the only way she can deal with the terrible secret she carries....

In charge of her little sister at the beach, Claire allowed Eleanor to walk to the shop alone to buy an ice cream. Placing a coin into her hand, Claire told her to be quick, knowing how much she wanted the freedom. Eleanor never came back....

When Ella wakes up in a hospital following a hit-and-run incident, she is scared and confused. Close to tears, her eyes fall on a get-well-soon card on the window sill, and the nurse reassures her that her loving husband will be back soon. But Ella has never been married....

Mary Marshall would do anything for her daughter, Julia. A devoted grandmother to Julia's children, she's always been the rock her family can rely on. Until now. Mary has a past Julia knows nothing about, and it's come back to haunt her....

I haven’t lived here long. The house is small and a little run-down, but each piece of faded floral wallpaper I peel away feels like unwrapping the second chance I never thought I’d get....

Als ihr Haus abbrennt, wird Ginas Leben und das ihrer Familie auf den Kopf gestellt. Gina nimmt das Angebot dankend an.

Laissez-la entrer chez vous ; elle vous mettra dehors. Si Gina savait qui je suis, elle ne m'aurait jamais confié ses enfants. J'imagine que bientôt, elle ressentira une pointe d'angoisse et enverra un message à son amie, pour que celle-ci confirme que je suis une employée de maison digne de...

Es hätte ein perfekter Abend werden sollen. Eine Chance, unsere Ehe zu retten. Stattdessen hat es unsere Familie zerstört. Sobald ich die Haustür aufschließe, spüre ich, dass etwas nicht stimmt.

Creía que había escapado de él. Hasta que le pidió matrimonio a su hija. —Hay alguien a quien quiero que conozcáis —dice Belle. Un hombre se acerca...