‘No! I’m not doing this again. This is all water under the bridge so can we let it go – please?’

‘You’re renowned for a lot of things, Callie, but a forgiving nature isn’t one of them. You could give a masterclass on bearing a grudge.’

‘So your inability to keep your trousers zipped up is my fault?’ Indignation gripped me.

Tobey sighed. ‘No. I take full responsibility for my actions. But, if you could’ve forgiven me for what I did, I would’ve been your slave for life.’

‘I did forgive you. I forgave you at the time.’

‘Yeah? You know what? Your forgiveness has a real bitter aftertaste to it.’

‘I forgave you, Tobey. That doesn’t mean it was easy to forget what you did. You slept with Misty at my birthday party to spite me.’

‘It wasn’t to spite you. Not everything is about you.’

‘That was. You deliberately set out to hurt me and you succeeded.’

‘And I’ve apologized – more than once. You threw away everything we had and could’ve had over something that meant nothing, Callie. Less than nothing.’

‘Don’t you get it? It meant something to me. And it meant something to Misty because she became pregnant with Libby.’ I slow-clapped. ‘Congratulations. You got to walk away with the fewest scars.’

‘You couldn’t be more wrong,’ Tobey said. ‘You broke up with me to punish me at the time and, by cutting me out of your life, you’ve been punishing me ever since. Callie, you once told me you hoped my child would die. Well, congratulations – you might just get your wish.’

Every part of me froze – except the unbidden tears that immediately flowed over my cheeks. Stricken, I looked at Tobey, scarcely able to believe what he’d just said to me.

‘Hellsake. I’m sorry, Callie,’ Tobey said, running unsteady fingers through his hair again.

‘Y-you really believe that of me?’ I whispered.

‘No. Of course not. I’m sorry.’ He hugged me to him and I didn’t push him off. Instead, I buried my face in his shoulder and cried my heart out – for the hurt then and the pain now and all the lost years in between. Tobey stroked my back, whispering words of apology over and over.

It took too long, but I finally heard them.

When at last the stream of tears ceased, I wiped my face with the back of my hand, noting how one side of Tobey’s burgundy T-shirt was now considerably darker.

‘You’re going to have to change your shirt,’ I said, embarrassed.

‘Not until you say I’m forgiven,’ said Tobey.

I looked him in the eyes. ‘I forgive you, Tobey.’

He smiled. I smiled back, feeling strangely lighter, but then I had just cried half a bucket of tears all over him.

‘I’ll wash my face while you change your top,’ I told him.