‘Why are you still standing there?’ Marie asked, walking out of the kitchen with a can of beer in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. ‘Thinking of taking off again?’

‘No, of course not,’ Evan said, his gaze dipping to her backside as he followed her into the living room. She was wearing pyjamas he’d seen her in a million times before, but they didn’t seem to be as tightly stretched as usual. ‘Have you lost weight?’

‘Half a stone,’ she said, shoving the can into his hand before sinking down on her chair. ‘It’s a side effect of not knowing where your husband is – or who he’s with,’ she added, flashing him an accusing look.

‘I’m sorry,’ Evan apologized, perching on the sofa. ‘But I honestly wasn’t with another woman.’

‘Yeah, well, you probably did me a favour,’ Marie sniffed. ‘I’ve been having a great time without you. I can watch what I want, go where I want, and see who I want without you pulling your face and making me feel like shit.’

‘I’m not that bad,’ Evan protested, tearing the tab off his can and taking a swig of ice-cold beer before resting his elbows on his knees.

‘Yeah, you are,’ Marie countered, holding her glass up in the air so the wine didn’t spill when the dog clambered onto her lap. ‘So what now?’ she asked. ‘You come back with your tail between your legs, and I’m supposed to forgive and forget, am I?’

‘I haven’t done anything,’ Evan said wearily.

‘You’re obviously forgetting that I caught you with that tart,’ said Marie. ‘And you lied about taking Billy Hicks to see his wife in hospital, when he reckoned he hadn’t seen you in weeks.’

‘I was telling the truth about the woman,’ Evan insisted. ‘But I admit I was lying about Billy.’

‘I knew it! So, go on, then . . . where were you really?’

‘The pub.’

‘With that slapper?’

‘No, on my own.’

‘Yeah, right.’

‘It’s true. You can ask the landlord if you don’t believe me.’

‘Why would you do that?’ Marie frowned. ‘Sit in a pub on your own, when you could have stopped in with me and had a few cans?’

‘I needed time out.’

‘From what?’

‘You,’ Evan said bluntly. ‘Us,’ he added to soften the blow. ‘And that . . .’ He nodded at the dog, which was on its back licking the underside of her chin. ‘I know you don’t mind it, but it makes me heave.’

Shoving the dog’s head away, as if she hadn’t even noticed what it was doing until then, Marie said, ‘They’ve got antiseptic tongues.’

‘They eat shit and lick their own arses,’ Evan countered. ‘Can’t you see how disgusting that is?’

‘It’s only as disgusting as you scratching your sweaty balls when you think no one’s looking.’