It was too risky to hold onto two phone handsets now that she was permanently at Ivan’s, where her belongings were relegated to a single chest of drawers, constantly exposed to Polina’s attentive gaze. So she had started to make do with rotating two SIM cards with one handset, switching between the two numbers, telling Tom she was caught up and unable to have her phone switched on, on the occasions when he rang and it reached her voicemail. Not that he had ever questioned it.

She hadn’t spoken to Callum and Sadie in days and her nerves twitched with excitement as she drew the phone from her pocket and removed the back of it. Taking out the original SIM card and slipping it into the pocket of her dressing gown, she inserted the other, waiting for the screen to light up.

It took a few seconds for the voicemail sign to flash, followed by two texts.

‘Hi love, the kids are desperate to talk to you. Give us a call when you have a second.’

And then, ‘Me again. Everything OK?’

It took half an hour to feed Layla to sleep, her resistance in the face of such pressing time limitations making Gabriela tense with frustration.

When she finally drifted off, Gabriela laid her on the bed and closed the door before pulling out her mobile.

Tom answered after two rings. ‘Hey, bloody hell, we’d begun to think you’d been abducted by aliens.’

‘Is that Mum?’ It was Sadie’s voice in the background and the tears stung at Gabriela’s eyes but she forced them back.

‘Hi darling!’ she called out as if it was the most natural conversation in the world, and Sadie took the receiver.

‘Mum, where were you? We were trying to call.’

Pressing her eyes shut, she replied, ‘God, I’m sorry, baby, it’s been so busy here. I’ve missed you so much, but I’m going to be home in a few weeks.’ The thought was so sweet and so terrifying. ‘Is Callum getting excited about his birthday?’

‘Yes,’ Sadie replied, and Gabriela could tell from her tone that she was trying to protect her from something.

In the background, she could hear crying and Tom’s hushed voice.

‘Is that him? Why is he crying?’

Panic rose in her chest, her breasts tingling with pain.

‘He just misses you,’ Sadie said quietly.

‘Oh, baby,’ she said, pressing her hands against the window. ‘Can I talk to him?’

There was a brief rustling at the end of the phone and then a sniffing sound.

‘Callum?’

He didn’t answer at first.

‘Callum, it’s Mummy. Hello, baby, I miss you too. I was just saying to Sadie, you’re going to be five soon – can you believe it? Such a big boy.’

His voice broke into tears again. ‘I want you, Mummy.’

‘I know, darling.’

‘Why can’t I see you?’