It was infuriating. Why were women so stupid? You didn’t have to be Einstein to work out that, if your husband was dead, you’d better make a good impression on the man who was willing to take his place. But that didn’t seem to have penetrated her thick skull. He’d left her in peace all night so she could get Marco out of her system and get used to her new reality, but he might as well not have bothered.

He’d set his alarm especially early so he could provide her with her first lesson before he set about the business of the day. But when he opened the lid of the freezer, she barely reacted. No panic, no terror, no offer of obedience. She remained huddled at one end of the freezer, knees against her chest, arms wrapped around her head. He shouted at her but she didn’t flinch. It didn’t seem to register at all. He’d heard about catatonic states, but he couldn’t believe he was seeing one for real. He was convinced she was putting on an act, so he slapped her a couple of times to snap her out of it. But all he achieved was to sting the palm of his hand. She made no attempt to protect herself or to fight back.

He tried tasering her and throwing her on the floor of the garage but she remained where he dropped her, sprawled in an ungainly way across the concrete. He shouted at her to get up, but she stayed where she was. He booted her in the midriff; she rose and fell like a sack of meat. She made no protest, not even a whimper.

He didn’t have time for this. Not now. So he tasered her again and threw her into the freezer. ‘You need to buck up your ideas,’ he said. ‘You could have a great life with me. Or you could end up in the mortuary like the other ones. It’s your choice. When I get home tonight, I expect you to have had an attitude readjustment. Marco’s dead. Get used to it. You can join him or you can join me. I’d say it’s a no-brainer. But people make shitty choices all the time. Still, you’re supposed to be a clever bitch. Show me how smart you really are. Choose life, bitch. Or pay the price.’

Then he’d slammed the freezer shut. Rage burned like acid in his throat. Who the fuck did she think she was? Failure was one thing, but defiance was another. That’s where the first one, the original, had gone wrong. When things came to a head between them and he made it clear her behaviour was unacceptable, she’d flouted his instructions to improve herself. She’d thought she could go against him. Take his children and walk out the door. She’d thought she was escaping.