She was about to delete it all when a small green light caught her eye and she saw, with a jolt, that Marc was also online. Her finger hovered over ‘Post’. She erased the last line about family – that was going too far after tonight’s shenanigans – and sent the post winging its way into the ether, watching as the photos began to upload on her Facebook and Insta pages.

Marie-Claire studied them critically. She looked brighteyed and happy, she thought with satisfaction, and pretty glam too. She’d wound her hair up, little tendrils escaping to frame her face, which had got thinner because she’d lost a couple of pounds having been too busy to eat while she was making preparations to leave Canada, and then with all the travelling she’d done since.

The image on her iPad changed to an image of Marc and a little tinkling ringtone made her swallow and sit up straight. Accept or reject the FaceTime call? The choice was hers.

She saw her own image reflected in a small square at the top of the screen. She looked fine, Marie-Claire assured herself. Taking a deep breath, she accepted the call and felt a deep pang of heartache when Marc’s handsome face settled into view. ‘Hi’ she said lightly, admiring the studied nonchalance of her tone.

‘Chérie, I saw you online and I so longed to speak to you,’ Marc said huskily. Hearing his voice almost undid her.

‘How are you?’ she asked, determined that she would not show by one flicker of her face the turmoil she was feeling. But a piece of her longed to be in his arms, in his big bed, his body warm and firm against hers.

‘I’m missing you, that’s how I am. I’m in New York and you should be with me. Please get on a flight and come back to me,’ he urged. ‘Look, it’s snowing.’ He panned around to show her the view of Central Park. ‘We could be having such fun – please come back to me, Marie-Claire,’ he entreated again.

How tempted she was to fly back to him and leave the family drama behind her. She longed to feel her lover’s mouth on hers, and pretend that nothing had happened to ruin their relationship.

But it had happened, she reminded herself, and she suddenly wanted to ask him if he had taken Amelia to Niagara Falls, and hear him stammer and stutter. But then he’d know the reason why she’d left him, and she wouldn’t give him that satisfaction . . . ever!