In their old house, memories had lurked in every corner, many of them painful. She’d walk into the kitchen and be reminded of the moment Richard had told her about the affair. In the small garden she’d be hijacked by a memory of seeing him taking phone calls from his lover while trying to hide behind the hedge. Instead of being a safe haven, the house felt like a stage where a dramatic ending had played out.

But the boathouse was a haven, and it was hers. Richard had no presence here. He’d never set foot inside the place, and on the rare occasion he remembered to come and pick up Zoe, Milly was careful not to invite him in.

This was her space, and she protected it fiercely. She’d learned over the past few months how important it was to have something that was hers and not a leftover of what had been theirs.

She leaned on the balcony rail and stared across the water.

She rarely had a chance to savor the view from her new home because she was always in a rush to make breakfast and get ready for the day, but with Zoe staying at her mother’s, she had a little time, and she allowed herself a rare moment of indulgence.

The surface of the lake was still, the reflection of the trees that surrounded it stretching across the water. Behind were the fells that she loved so much, their contours accentuated by the bright morning sunlight.

Her eyes were gritty from lack of sleep, and she took a sip of coffee.

It took a moment, and a prickle of instinct, to tell her that she wasn’t alone.

She turned and saw Nicole curled up asleep on the porch swing that had been a housewarming gift from her mother.

Her face was scrubbed clean of makeup, her hair loose around her shoulders.

She looked young and vulnerable and not so far from the girl Milly had befriended on her first day at school.

Milly still remembered the intensity of that connection and the bond that had only deepened over time. The strength of their friendship had felt like a superpower, an invisible layer of protection from everything life might throw at them. They’d been invincible, and yet here they were behaving like two polite strangers.

How had they reached this point?

They’d both had hopes and dreams, and some of those had come true. Milly had gained the family and stability she’d wanted, and Nicole had achieved fame and success. But neither of them had expected things to turn out the way they had.

A divorced woman and a fugitive.

Was it possible to get back what they’d lost?

And how was she supposed to conceal the fact that Nicole was staying with her?

No matter how careful they were, eventually someone would discover she was here, and then what?