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I had a perfect life.

The adoring husband,

beautiful children,

Everything most people can only dream about.

But, if you’re reading this,

It’s all over,

The mask has fallen,

I’ve been found out.

Secrets have a way of coming out,

They claw at you,

threaten you,

Hold you, prisoner, in your own mind.

They keep you looking over your shoulder.

How long can you remain Anonymous?

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At first, you try not to notice the obvious things. You lock the door and second guess yourself. You try to ignore the prickly sensation you get when the hairs at the back of your neck rise in caution. But you reach back and rub it, shake your shoulders and carry on. But you feel it, don’t you? That inkling that someone is watching you, maybe even following you as you walk down the street, on your way to the train station or to the grocery store. You smile and make small talk with the salesperson because you want to be seen, remembered. You check in on social media, I know, because I follow you there too. You capture the mundane because you want people to see where you are at all times. It always fascinates me how a confident person like you, Sin, can be so vulnerable in these moments.

You leave early, no matter where you’re off to, at least thirty minutes ahead of time, so you can sit in your favorite seat, the one at the window that lets you watch the world whizz by. The plateau of land, the clump of trees, until you’re engulfed in the underground. You clam up then, get lost in that head of yours. The dark makes you nervous. You wring your hands in your skirt.

Have you noticed how often you disregard the feeling in the pit of your stomach that eyes are on you as you scour the fresh produce aisle for the best potatoes, unblemished, so you can bake them with the skin on for supper? He likes it like that.

Are you aware that I’m tracing your every step, mimicking your every move? I want to know you, Sin. I want to know everything about you.

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Read the First Chapter HERE!

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Enter the Release Day Giveaway HERE!

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Jo-Anne Joseph is a USA Today Bestselling Author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and psychological fiction. Along with a passion for writing, she is an avid reader, wine lover and foodie. Her lifelong love affair with words started at a young age. She’s a business professional, and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa with her husband, their son and fur babies.

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