Anna

Anna’s limited but consequential appearances trace a shift from anxious rivalry with Rachel Watson to practical alliance with her in the aftermath of Tom’s death. Her suspicion first turns Rachel Watson into a threat to her relationship with Tom; later, Anna helps manage the emergency and tells the police that Rachel Watson acted in self-defence.

Identity and Relationships

Anna’s life is entangled with Tom and Rachel Watson, whose shared history remains a source of conflict in Anna’s relationship with Tom. On the evening of 17 August 2013, she is exhausted and upset after another argument with Tom about Rachel Watson. Tom has lied to her about meeting Rachel Watson, and Anna cannot shake the suspicion that something continues between them. She compares herself with Rachel Watson and insists to herself that no man would choose Rachel Watson over her, while also acknowledging that people with a history together may struggle to let one another go.

Anna’s account of Tom’s family is corrected during her later conversation with Rachel Watson. Anna says that Tom’s parents stopped speaking to him when he left with her. Rachel Watson replies that she has never met them either and that they do not even know her. The exchange unsettles Anna: the explanation she has relied on for the family’s silence does not hold, and the darkness she has been trying to keep at bay begins to swell.

Suspicion and Recognition

Anna’s jealousy is sharpened by her belief that Tom may still be emotionally involved with Rachel Watson, despite what Rachel Watson previously did to him and to their relationship. She tries to dismiss her own suspicion as foolish, but Tom’s lie keeps it alive. Her thoughts move between indignation and a bleak recognition that attachment to a former partner can persist even when someone tries to break free.

In the later confrontation, Anna has Evie with her and moves closer to Rachel Watson while insisting that Tom could not have done what Rachel Watson fears. Rachel Watson answers that they both loved a man capable of it. Anna then sees Tom watching them from the kitchen window. The moment changes the force of the exchange: the danger they have been discussing is no longer abstract, and Anna’s attention turns toward the man standing behind her.

Response and Aftermath

After Tom is fatally injured, Anna calls for help and the police, handles the immediate arrangements, and remains with Rachel Watson. The two women sit together while waiting for the ambulance. When Detective Inspector Gaskill and Detective Sergeant Riley arrive with uniformed officers, Anna speaks calmly on Rachel Watson’s behalf, saying that she witnessed the incident from the window and that Rachel Watson had acted in self-defence. Anna falters only when describing her unsuccessful attempt to stop the bleeding.

At the police station, Anna and Rachel Watson are interviewed separately. Rachel Watson struggles to answer questions and says that Tom attacked her and came at her with a corkscrew, which she used to defend herself. Anna’s composure and intervention make her an important witness in the immediate aftermath, while her presence beside Rachel Watson marks a sharp contrast with the jealousy and suspicion that had earlier defined her account of their relationship.