Had everyone in my life gone bonkers?

A knock sounded on my door half an hour later.

‘Big night?’ Hayley smirked as she entered carrying a tray of buttered toast and steaming coffee. ‘I saw the empty bottle of wine on the bench.’

‘Not as big as yours. How old is Wei?’

She shrugged, put the tray on my lap and sat down on the bed beside me. ‘Who cares about age when he has a body like that? Did you see his six-pack?’

‘I was trying not to look.’

She winked. ‘Well, you’ll have to trust me because I did a lot more than just look.’

I picked up the coffee and took a sip.

‘You’re not usually such a big drinker,’ she went on. ‘Just a bad day or did something particular set you off?’

‘I saw the kids yesterday.’

‘I thought you weren’t going to see them during your weeks here, except for Payton’s soccer games.’

‘Yes, that’s the agreement, but … I’m going crazy cooped up in here—no offence to your lovely apartment.’

Hayley snorted. ‘I can barely recognise my apartment and you’ve only been here a week. I’m guessing if you stay any longer, it’ll be getting a complete revamp.’

‘Sorry,’ I said, not admitting that I’d already had ideas about giving her lounge room a facelift. There was little I liked better than interior design and DIY and both had always been therapeutic for me.

‘Don’t be silly. I’m getting used to the cleanliness. I’m glad Wei doesn’t know yet what a slob I can be.’

‘Yet? Does that mean we’ll be seeing more of the young pilot?’

‘He’s thirty, so only nine years younger than us. If the age difference was the other way around, nobody would even blink. But enough about my sex life, how are the kids?’

‘They seem fine.’ I couldn’t hold back a sob.

‘Seem?’

I told her how I’d staked out the school and then my house. ‘Adrian has a drug-addicted hooker taking care of our daughter.’

Hayley laughed as she shook her head, then squeezed my hand. ‘Look, I know this wasn’t your idea and that you’re feeling lost without Adrian and the kids, but if you want him to realise what he’s giving up, then maybe you need to show him how much of a life you can have without him.’

‘Life?’ It was my turn to laugh. ‘I don’t have a life without Adrian and the kids. I don’t even know who I am without them.’

‘Then maybe it’s time you find out.’

‘What do you mean?’ I asked eventually, not at all sure I really wanted the answer.

Hayley reached across me to grab my phone off the bedside table.

‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m downloading some dating apps.’

‘What? No!’ I tried to grab my phone, but Hayley was quick and sprung from the bed.

‘Relax, we can take this slow, but why should Adrian be the one having all the fun? You have seven full nights of freedom in a row now, you should—’