‘All right.’ Hawkins sank into her chair, taking a moment to sculpt the truth into its least-destructive form. ‘It’s … there was so much … pressure. Working together, living, sleeping, eating in the same house.’ She glanced up, seeking empathy; finding none. ‘It was … damaging us. Does that make sense?’

Mike’s mouth opened, but he appeared to blink back his instinctive reaction, replaced it with a small shake of the head.

‘I think that’s why we’ve been arguing so much,’ she expanded, now even more worried that her feelings were not shared by him. ‘I needed some space.’

‘That’s it, isn’t it?’ His tone was more like sadness than anger. ‘You’re bailing on us.’

‘No. I was actually trying to save this relationship.’

‘By keeping us apart! You just don’t get it, do you? We spent the last few weeks planning a wedding, Toni, but you’re already working on the damn divorce.’

She snorted. ‘You’re being ridiculous.’

‘Am I? So you still wanna get married?’

‘Yes.’

Except there had been a pause before she answered; no more than a beat.

But enough.

‘Oh.’ He’d sensed her hesitation. ‘I get it now.’

‘Get what?’ Hawkins tried to cover, but he cut her off.

‘You know what hurts, Toni? When we hooked up, you were with Paul. You wanted to cash out straight off, make a new start, remember? But I knew you weren’t ready, so I backed off, took the gig in Manchester; let things run their natural course. And when I came back, the road was clear for us.’ He drew a deep breath, let it out. ‘Except you don’t do clear roads, do you? If there ain’t some sorta barrier to hide behind, you just go right off and find one for yourself.’

‘You know what? You’re absolutely right. I saw the opportunity to get myself stabbed, and I thought: carpe diem. Almost died, obviously, but at least I didn’t have to choose table decorations for another six months. You’ve decoded Antonia Hawkins. Well done.’

‘Wow.’ Mike pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. ‘That’s exactly what I mean. I’m trying to help you here, bring us closer together; create some understanding. But you just drench everything in your sarcastic bullshit, and hope the opposition bugs out before it gets too serious. Can’t you see how destructive that is?’

‘Sarcastic bullshit.’ She mimicked his accent. ‘How diplomatic.’

Mike crossed his arms. ‘It’s about keeping people away, right? I know you do it, Toni, and I accept that; I’m not expecting an easy ride here. But I also deserve a little more honesty than the average stranger, don’t you think?’

Hawkins held eye contact for a moment before her head dropped, the anger subsiding.