Annie’s parents had died far too young. Although she had a family of her own, their deaths left Annie feeling like she’d been orphaned; she felt cheated by the lack of time she’d had with them. Her mum was only sixty-five when she died suddenly from an aneurysm, and her dad died soon after of a broken heart. Annie was more determined than ever to do her parents proud. She used her inheritance to buy the Pomegranate Seed building and poured her heart and her classical chef’s training into creating seasonal à la carte menus using fresh, locally sourced produce, which won Good Food Awards at the county and national level. They lived in the flat above and built up the restaurant below, with Max managing front of house and Annie running the kitchen and doing the lion’s share of the childcare.

There were times when she would cry from sheer fatigue, but then Max would steal her away to the stockroom and sweep her into a Hollywood embrace, and she would be restored. Max could do that; he could make her feel like she was his entire world and they were on an amazing adventure together. But Max’s powers worked in reverse too; just as easily as his words could build her up, so too they could knock her down, so that she felt small and worthless, and afraid of what she would be without him.

A restaurant critic for the Guardian had once described her and Max as “A Dream Team,” and in many ways they were. While Max schmoozed the patrons out front, Annie excited and delighted them on the plate. Glossy magazines ran features on them, and Annie was frequently asked to share recipes for special holiday issues. They had a lot going for them, far too much for Annie to throw it all away over a little thing like infidelity. Relationships are messy, she would tell herself. No marriage is perfect.

When the boys grew up and left home after university, Annie took on more work. They converted the upstairs rooms (their old flat) of the Pomegranate Seed into a coffee lounge. The restaurant opened for lunch and dinner, and the coffee lounge opened from breakfast till teatime. Annie was busier than ever, more successful than ever! She never had a moment to herself. All these things helped her swim against the current of self-doubt and kept her too tired to address the notion that her marriage had been failing almost from the time it began.