Though it would be less than a five-minute walk, a black Conservative Party car picks us up and drops us at the residence. Before we step outside onto the pavement, where several reporters and photographers await the arrival of politicians and various celebrities, Eirik gives me a reassuring smile. I lock my eyes on his confident, calm gaze, suddenly feeling nervous. This isn’t my world, but if Eirik wins the elections, it will be. I might even live here someday, I think to myself, glancing up at the dramatically lit, imposing residence. It’s still raining heavily, and a man swoops in with an umbrella and opens my door, ensuring not a single drop of rain touches me. Eirik and I pose for the photographers under an awning and I feel a deep thrill in my stomach at the surrealness of it; of waking up this morning, seeing clients all day, then coming here and being photographed for newspapers and gossip magazines because I’m married to one of Norway’s most popular politicians.

The dinner is exquisite, filet mignon and lobster, and as the last course is cleared away, the speeches begin. I allow myself to drift about on my thoughts, taking in my surroundings and the other guests, making sure to laugh when I hear laughter, and clap when everyone else does. A blonde woman at a table close to the row of windows catches my eye. I feel a sudden jolt – she looks so much like Elisabeth in profile that I lean forward to get a better view. She is craning her neck to see the woman speaking, so I have only a limited view of her face. Her eyes crease as she smiles and her hands are clasped together, as if poised for the next round of applause. Her hair is glinting beautifully; tiny glass beads are woven into her updo, catching the light from the enormous chandeliers overhead. I imagine the woman getting up and walking across the room to me, beaming, her arms outstretched, and for the briefest of moments it’s her, it really is her, Elisabeth, and none of the terrible things that have happened were real, it was just a dream. Just another bad dream.