‘Ivan is always trying to get me to move, but this is my home,’ Olga continued as Gabriela’s eyes ran over the framed photographs lining the bookshelf. In one of them, she saw a younger Ivan next to a woman with dark curls, between them a baby.

‘Wasn’t he handsome?’ Olga said, moving closer behind Gabriela.

‘He still is,’ she replied. ‘Is this …?’

She heard the old woman exhale quietly. ‘That was Masha.’

There was a flushing sound from the bathroom and then Ivan walked into the room. He stopped when he saw them by the photographs. ‘Shall I make tea, Mama? Please sit, you’ll be exhausted by the time we leave.’

Once Ivan had moved out of the room, Olga spoke again, conspiratorially. ‘It nearly broke him. If it wasn’t for his work … And now you, and dear Layla …’

There was a rattling of crockery against wood as Ivan returned into the room carrying a tray, and Gabriela turned away from the photographs, a wave of guilt kicking her in the back.

When Ivan woke Gabriela the following morning with a cup of coffee and a fresh croissant that had been delivered to the door while she slept, she took a moment to understand where she was.

‘I have to go out for a couple of hours, to meet a client for breakfast,’ he said. ‘You don’t mind, do you? I’ll leave money – and you have Victor’s number in case you need to be driven anywhere.’

‘It’s fine. I’m tired, I might just chill out here for a bit. Won’t we, hmm?’ She directed her final words at Layla, who was kicking her legs in the bed next to her mother.

‘Great. Well, I’ll come and pick you up at 1p.m. Be good.’

She watched Ivan disappear down the street, on foot, his phone clamped to his ear. It was another beautiful day and at the end of the street the spire on the Ministry glistened in the sunlight.

Once he was out of sight, she moved to the front door and applied the chain before moving quickly back through the apartment, into the bedroom where her handbag lay on the dressing table.

Calling out reassurances to Layla, whom she could hear fussing in the other room in a way that suggested she wouldn’t go straight back to sleep, she slipped her fingers inside the bag and pulled out the SIM card from within the tiny tear in the lining that you wouldn’t know was there unless you were looking for it.