Showing results by author "Nicole Trope" in All Categories

They find her just as the sun is beginning to rise in the early morning mist. They had begun at dawn, the group of searchers keen to get going. A missing child spurred everyone on. In the end, it was a flash of color, a bright neon pink that caught her eye. They had been looking for pink. Nothing tests your faith like being a mother. The first time your children walk to school alone, their first sleepover, when they finally fly the nest. As a parent, you have to believe that everything will be ok.

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.

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.

Her chest tightens, her heart speeding up. The kitchen is chaos. She steps on something hard, and looks down. Toy dinosaurs are scattered everywhere. But her son is nowhere–her baby boy is gone.

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.

"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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

DOCIERA DO NIEJ PRZECIĄGAJĄCA SIĘ PO DRUGIEJ STRONIE SŁUCHAWKI CISZA. SERCE ZACZYNA JEJ SZYBCIEJ BIĆ. – KOGO ZNALEŹLI? – PYTA, POWOLI, OSTROŻNIE, Z UWAGĄ WYPOWIADAJĄC SŁOWA. – ZNALEŹLI DANIELA. Megan czeka przed bramą szkoły na swojego sześcioletniego syna, Daniela. Gdy plac pustoszeje, zaczyna panikować. Nigdzie nie może go znaleźć. Jej syn zaginął. Po latach nieprzespanych nocy i tęsknoty za synem, Megan w końcu odbiera telefon, o którym marzyła. Odnaleźli Daniela.

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.

Kærlig mor. Trofast hustru. Løgner. Det strammer i hendes bryst, hendes hjerte banker. Køkkenet er kaos. Hun træder på noget hårdt og kigger ned. Legetøjsdinosaurer ud over det hele. Men hendes søn er ingen steder – hendes elskede dreng er væk. Politiet ankommer. Hun kan ikke se på sin mand. I stedet studerer hun linjerne i sine rystende hænder. Så bipper telefonen med en voicemail. ”Afpil den på højtaler,” siger betjenten. En kvindes stemme fylder luften.

Selv de mest perfekte familier kan gemme på de frygteligste hemmeligheder. Hvor godt kender du dem, der bor inde ved siden af ...? Man ville aldrig gætte, hvilke hemmeligheder huset på Hogarth Street gemmer på – hvad der sker i dette øjeblik bag den lukkede dør. En smaragdgrøn græsplæne. Perfekt klippede hække. En havelåge omkranset af efeu og en duft af kaprifolier. I forhaven ligger to løbehjul, et blåt, et neonpink. De tilhører et sæt 5-årige tvillinger. Men hvis man kigger nærmere efter, vil man se, at gardinerne er trukket for, selvom det er årets varmeste dag.

Der er tre sider af denne historie. Hendes. Min. Og sandheden. Jeg stirrer på min mands engang så smukke ansigt, så tavst og blegt i hospitalssengen. Lægerne siger, jeg skal blive ved med at tale til ham. Selv efter den frygtelige ulykke, selv nu hvor han kæmper for sit liv, kan han måske stadig høre mig. Men det eneste, jeg har at hviske til min mand, er dette: Jeg ved, hvad du har gjort. Hver eneste dag kysser jeg min mand Damon farvel med et smil, kører vores elskede børn i skole og sørger for at vores hus er pletfrit, inden jeg forbereder et lækkert måltid.