‘I honestly felt like you knew that was where I stood.’ Hugh runs a hand through his hair. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you,’ he says quietly. ‘I thought we were having a good time together.’

‘We were,’ I say, emphasising the past tense. I don’t want to be in this tiny room with him. It smells like his cologne, which makes me want to wrap my arms around him, but my head wants to rip him to pieces. The tension inside me makes me want to explode.

‘And now it’s just ruined? For the rest of the trip?’

‘I mean . . .’ I trail off. I shrug my shoulders. ‘I have to focus on finding this fish.’

‘I could help you do that,’ Hugh says, his voice bordering on pleading.

‘I don’t know how or why you would.’ I cross my arms over my chest. ‘Entertaining this at all was a bad idea.’

Hugh’s eyelashes flutter. ‘Got it,’ he says quietly.

‘Excuse me.’ I sidestep him and exit our room, suddenly desperate for some fresh air.

I fidget restlessly until I eventually doze off on the platform in the sun, with Pippa swaying on the hammock above me. Our next dive is in a couple of hours, then we’ll eat lunch and prep for our final late afternoon dive. I know I should be doing everything I can, reviewing Millie’s notes or looking at the pictures I’ve taken so far, but I can’t bring myself to look at my camera. I know I won’t find what I’m looking for. Instead, I drift in and out of sleep as the boat gently rocks back and forth.

I am just about to drop back to sleep when I hear the words ‘butterfly wrasse’. For a moment, I’m not sure if I’m already dreaming. I open my eyes a crack to figure out where the conversation is coming from. It’s Vanessa’s voice talking about the wrasse, but I can’t see her from my vantage point. I’m about to get up when I realise why – Vanessa is in the crew’s cabin, the one whose windows point out onto the platform. I’m right next to her, just on the other side of the glass. Whoever is inside can probably see me, but I’m not sure if they know I can hear.

I close my eyes and lie perfectly still.

‘Haven’t seen one,’ I hear Vanessa say.

‘You’re sure?’ asks Hugh.