She tossed the teaspoon towards the sink. It bounced off the rim and skidded along the worktop. Shaking her head at it, she left it where it was and joined me in the lounge area.

‘So, your mum and the twat. Tell me more. I take it he hasn’t been in touch.’

‘No, although unless he’s checking his work emails while he’s on paternity leave, he won’t know he’s been rumbled.’

‘And you’ve kept your promise not to get in touch on his real Facebook account? Because it won’t come to any good if you do.’

‘I know. And, yes, I’ve kept my promise.’ I’d discussed it with my three flatmates and we’d collectively decided there was no point contacting him because he’d likely ignore my messages considering he’d already ghosted me. But my resolve was weakening.

‘I still can’t believe he lied to you like that.’

‘Neither can I. I keep going back over conversations we’ve had, wondering if there were clues that he was living a double life but I can’t think of anything. I’m so confused, Tiff. He seemed so genuine. I’m sure he loved me. There must be an explanation. I know we said he’d probably ignore me if I contact him on his real Facebook page but it’s so tempting to try. I can’t stand not knowing. Maybe he—’

‘Jemma! Stop it!’

I flinched at Tiff’s sharp tone.

‘Sorry, but you seriously need to stop it. I know you loved him so this is going to sound really harsh but it has to be said. Scott or Adam or whatever his name is lied to you for eighteen months. He lied about his identity, he lied about where he lived, he lied about his wife, and he lied about her pregnancy. He seemed like the genuine article, but he wasn’t. Stop trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. He lied to you about who he was, Jem, and he was good at it because he had us all fooled. And, much as I hate to say this, if he’s that good an actor, it’s highly possible that he lied to you about his feelings too.’

‘Then why ask me to marry him?’

‘Why not? In all likelihood, a proposal was a continuation of the fake world that he’d created. He was never going to leave his wife and twins for you. I’ve seen the photos. I’ve seen how happy they are together.’

I opened my laptop and clicked onto the slideshow, thrusting it into her eyeline. ‘Are you saying we’re not happy in these photos? That’s not fake. It’s real!’