To Craig’s credit, he didn’t say one word. Jim grabbed his hand like he was a little boy again and swerved his family away from the line of cameras, across the road, and out of sight.

And I have to admit I was jealous. Jealous of Craig, of all people. Jim would protect him now like fucking Batman, like he’d protected me when he thought I was carrying their grandchild. Craig could live his life now, free of jail. Free of me. He could probably sell his story. Get a bestseller, do the talk shows. But did I still want all that? Did I wish that was me? More fame? More adoration? The Pink Anorak screeching my name?

No. That was all frilly ribbon around the gift. The gift of being able to go home now. Having a normal life. That was the gift.

The lucky bastard.

‘What is it like to see him again?’

‘I dunno,’ I said as he licked away from the screen. ‘I’m glad he’s out.’

‘You are?’

‘Yeah. I only confessed for him.’

Tenoch sat back and stared me down – an expression I couldn’t read.

‘What?’

‘You never fail to surprise me, Rhiannon.’

‘I’m not Rhiannon anymore, remember?’

‘Oh yeah,’ he said. ‘I keep forgetting. Those brownies I smell cooking?’

‘Yeah. I’m making some for the Chipmunks. Trying to be a better man.’

‘That’s my girl.’ He smiled with an avuncular wink.

When the oven timer sounded, I scurried downstairs to find Paco taking the smaller tray out the oven.

‘These are ours, right?’

‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Save some for Tenoch.’

‘He won’t mind.’ He took all the brownies, piling them up high on the centre of a plate, into the living room for the boys. Some football game was on TV – they’d eaten the lot by the end of the first quarter.

Tenoch scuffed in from the office. He saw the trail of chocolate sludge left on the counter and baking tray. ‘They didn’t save me any?’

‘No,’ I said, removing a smaller tray from the top oven. ‘These are yours.’

‘Ah, you too good to us.’ He picked up one of the brownies but it was too hot so I wrapped it in kitchen roll for him. ‘Far too good to us. Thank you. Listen, we got to do our own cleaning for a little while – Celestina has left us.’

‘She’s left? Why?’

‘I don’t know. She left a note on my desk this morning, saying she had gone to work at one of the hotels in the town.’

‘Oh, right,’ I said, barely hiding my disappointment. ‘I guess that means the children won’t be coming anymore either?’

‘You guess right. I told you not to rely on them,’ said Tenoch, the brownie finally cool enough to nibble at. His face collapsed into ecstasy. ‘These are good. You are an excellent baker.’

‘Thanks,’ I said.