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A Wife. A Mother. A Liar. Claire Kensington has the perfect life—until a single note shatters everything. "I know what you did." For ten years, Claire has buried a deadly secret. But when her children disappear, a body is found in the lake, and a ghost from her past resurfaces, she realizes the past never stays buried. As her husband, Daniel, starts uncovering the cracks in her carefully constructed world, Claire is forced into a dangerous game of deception and survival. Someone is watching. Someone knows the truth. And they won’t stop until Claire loses everything. But Daniel has secrets of his own. And when the final lie is exposed, one thing is certain—not everyone will make it out alive. A gripping psychological thriller packed with shocking twists, dark secrets, and an ending you won’t see coming, The Perfect Wife’s Lie will leave you breathless until the very last page. Can you trust the ones you love? Or are they the ones who will destroy you?
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Seitenzahl: 97
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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CLAIRE SMITH
The Perfect Wife’s Lie
A Wife. A Mother. A Liar.
Copyright © 2025 by CLAIRE SMITH
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
CLAIRE SMITH asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
First edition
This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com
To the ones who hide their secrets in plain sight.
To those who wear perfection like a mask, knowing it will crack.
And to the readers who love a good lie—
this one’s for you.
“We all have secrets. Some just bury them deeper than others.”
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Prologue
chapter-seperatorThe Lake
The lake is calm tonight. Too calm. The water stretches out like black glass, the moon casting a ghostly shimmer over its surface. A breeze rustles the trees along the shore, whispering through the pines, but the figure standing at the dock doesn’t move.
She grips the bracelet in her fist so tightly that the clasp digs into her palm, but she barely notices the pain. Her heart pounds against her ribs, drowning out the sounds of the night.
She shouldn’t be here. Not again.
The wind shifts, carrying with it the faint scent of pine and damp earth. A memory presses in, uninvited—the last time she stood in this very spot. The way the water churned. The gasping breaths. The struggle. The silence that followed.
No. Don’t think about that.
She kneels, dipping her hand into the icy water. The shock of it stings her skin, but she forces herself to stay still. A moment later, she lets go.
The delicate gold bracelet sinks, swallowed by darkness. Gone. Just like before.
A snap of a twig makes her freeze.
She jerks her head toward the trees, breath catching in her throat. The woods loom beyond the shoreline, dense and impenetrable, shifting shadows between the trees. Is someone there? Watching?
She listens. Nothing but the soft lapping of water against the dock.
Still, the sensation lingers—that unsettling prickle at the base of her neck, the instinctual knowledge that she’s not alone. She pushes to her feet, wiping her damp hand against her coat.
This was a mistake. She shouldn’t have come back here.
Turning, she walks swiftly toward the path leading up to the house. She tells herself not to look back.
But just before she disappears into the trees, she does.
And in the moonlight, on the water’s smooth surface, something moves.
Not a ripple.
Not the wind.
Something else.
Something watching.
Waiting.
Chapter 1
chapter-seperatorThe Perfect Life
Claire Kensington had spent years perfecting the art of deception. It was in the way she smiled at the school drop-off—effortlessly warm, confident, but never too inviting. It was in the way she greeted the other mothers, with just the right amount of friendliness—enough to be liked, but never so much that they got too close. It was in the way she prepared dinner each night, setting the table with delicate white plates and polished silverware, as if their family meals were effortless, unshakable.
It was in the way she made her life look perfect.
And for a long time, it had been.
But lately, Claire felt it slipping.
Something was shifting beneath the surface of her carefully constructed world, something she couldn’t quite name but could feel—like the first ominous tremors before an earthquake.
That feeling was with her now as she stood at the kitchen island, a glass of Chardonnay in her manicured fingers. The house was quiet except for the occasional laugh from upstairs, where Lily and Jacob were playing before bed. Their voices rose and fell in playful shrieks, the kind of sound that would normally bring a small, satisfied smile to Claire’s lips. Tonight, though, she barely heard them over the static hum of her own thoughts. Daniel was still in his study, the soft, rhythmic clack of his keyboard proof that he was buried in work again.
Everything should have felt normal.
But it didn’t.
Claire exhaled slowly, glancing at the back door. The floor-to-ceiling windows framed the backyard, where the pool shimmered under the glow of the garden lights. Beyond it, the dark treeline loomed like a silent wall, cutting them off from the rest of the world. Something about the trees unnerved her tonight. Maybe it was the way the wind had died, leaving them eerily still. Or maybe it was the feeling—the unshakable sensation that she was being watched. Her fingers tightened around the stem of her wineglass. It was stupid, she knew that. Paranoia was an ugly thing, and she had spent years making sure it had no place in her life.
Still, the unease coiled in her stomach like a living thing.
She turned away sharply, scolding herself for being ridiculous.
Then she heard it.
A faint creak.
Claire froze, her pulse stuttering.
The sound had come from the hallway—the one leading to the front door.
She wasn’t alone.
Her breath caught as she reached for the nearest knife, fingers wrapping around the cool metal handle. She listened, every muscle in her body taut.
Silence.
A long, empty silence.
Slowly, Claire exhaled and released the knife. Probably just the house settling.
Still, the uneasy feeling lingered as she grabbed her wineglass and made her way to Daniel’s study.
She found him where she expected—seated at his mahogany desk, bathed in the blue glow of his computer screen. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, his sleeves rolled up, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Claire leaned against the doorframe. “Long night?”
Daniel glanced up and smiled, his features softening. “Another investor meeting in the morning. You know how it is.”
She did. Daniel had been working more hours lately, always taking late-night calls, always distracted. But Claire knew better than to pry. Their marriage worked best when they stayed in their lanes—Daniel with his job, Claire with the household.
He leaned back in his chair, studying her. “You okay? You look… tense.”
“I’m fine,” she lied.
Lying was second nature by now.
Daniel gave a slow nod, as if deciding whether to believe her. He took a sip of his drink before asking, “Did something happen today?”
Claire hesitated.
Should she tell him? About the woman at the café? The way she had smiled, as if she knew something Claire didn’t?
Or worse—should she tell him about the footprint she had seen outside?
No.
Because that would lead to questions. And Claire wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answers.
She forced a smile, one she had perfected over years of practice. “Just a long day.”
Daniel studied her for a moment longer, then nodded. “Come here,” he murmured, holding out a hand.
She stepped closer, letting him pull her into his lap. His hands skimmed her waist, warm and familiar, and for a moment, the unease in her chest eased.
This was normal. This was safe.
And yet, as Daniel kissed her shoulder, Claire’s gaze flicked toward the window.
The trees were still there. Watching.
Waiting.
Later That Night Claire lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Daniel had fallen asleep an hour ago, his breathing deep and even beside her. But Claire couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. She turned onto her side, eyes drifting toward the window. The moon hung low, casting a pale glow over the lake behind their house. The water was still. Undisturbed.
Then she saw it.
A shadow. Just at the edge of the trees.
Her breath caught.
Slowly, she sat up, heart hammering. Was someone out there? Watching their house?
Claire slipped out of bed and padded toward the window, pressing a hand against the cold glass.
Nothing moved.
And yet…
The grass was damp from the evening mist, and just beyond the pool, near the back fence, something caught her eye.
A single footprint.
Claire stepped back, suddenly dizzy.
It wasn’t possible.
It wasn’t real.
Was it?
Her throat tightened as she turned away. She needed to clear her head. Get some water. Convince herself she was imagining things. But as she made her way downstairs, she hesitated. A small, white rectangle sat on the floor near the front door.
An envelope.
Claire’s pulse spiked.
She hadn’t seen it when she came in earlier. Hadn’t heard anyone approach the house.
Slowly, she swallowed and picked it up.
No postage. No return address.
Just her name.
Claire Kensington.
Her fingers trembled as she slid a nail beneath the flap and pulled out a single sheet of paper.
The message was simple.
I know what you did.
The air left her lungs. The room tilted.
This wasn’t happening.
This couldn’t be happening.
Claire’s hand tightened around the paper, crumpling it in her grip.
She forced herself to breathe, to think.
Who?
Who knew?
Her mind raced through the possibilities. A prank? A mistake? Or something worse?
A shadow flickered across the window.
Claire’s head snapped up, her body going rigid.
She wasn’t imagining it.
Someone had been here.
Someone knew.
And they weren’t finished yet.
The Next Morning, Claire moved through her morning routine in a daze. She dressed the kids, packed their lunches, kissed them goodbye as she dropped them off at school. She kept her movements steady, her expression composed. No one could know something was wrong. But the weight of the note burned in her pocket. By the time she returned home, her thoughts were racing. Maybe she should tell Daniel. Show him the note. But that meant explaining. And there were things about her past that Daniel could never know. She stepped out of the car, glancing at the front porch.
Empty.
No new messages. No lurking figures.
But the silence felt heavy, like the world was holding its breath.
Claire took a slow, deliberate step forward.
She had spent years burying the past, constructing a perfect life where no one would ever suspect the truth.
But now, someone was pulling at the seams.
And if she wasn’t careful, it would all come undone.
Chapter 2
chapter-seperatorThe Note
The note sat on the kitchen counter like a loaded gun. Claire stared at it, heart hammering against her ribs, the words I know what you did seared into her mind. She had read it a dozen times already, as if expecting the letters to rearrange themselves into something less terrifying. But they didn’t.
Someone knew.
The question was—who?
