Rod Browning worked at a health food shop in the city. Situated in Colliergate, between Kings Square and the Shambles, it was a picturesque shop, in keeping with the surrounding area. Leaving her car nearby, Geraldine walked along Colliergate to her destination. It was a mild sunny afternoon and, as she walked along the street, she began to enjoy her brief respite from work. For a moment she pretended that she was a tourist enjoying the sights of York, oblivious to the darker side of the city’s life. More than anything, it was a relief to escape from the police station where she was at risk of seeing Ian, constantly aware that she was in the same building as him but unable to speak to him, except in a professional capacity. Their break-up would have been easier if they hadn’t worked together. The irony of their current situation was that she and Ian had discussed the pros and cons of embarking on a relationship with a colleague at work before he had moved in with her, and they had both felt confident their relationship was strong enough to cope with any of the potential disadvantages.

‘We’re not teenagers,’ Geraldine had said.

‘And it’s not as if we don’t know each other,’ Ian had agreed. ‘We’re hardly likely to surprise one other, after knowing each other for so long. What could possibly go wrong?’

As she walked, Geraldine tried not to think about those conversations, but by the time she arrived at the health food shop her good mood had evaporated. ‘Yes, what could possibly go wrong?’ she muttered to herself. It had never occurred to her back then to enquire what would happen if Ian’s wife ever decided to return to him. Along with Ian, Geraldine had believed that Bev was happily settled with her former boss, and their baby. Now any certainty about Geraldine’s own future with Ian had vanished. All she knew for certain was that the longer the situation continued, the less likely it became that Ian would ever ask Bev to leave. It was fair enough that he would want her back. She was his wife and he had loved her for a long time. There was no reason why he shouldn’t want her back. Except that he had led Geraldine to believe he loved her.