Unlike a lot of my student colleagues, I loved working in A&E. It operated in fifth gear all the time. No one knew what was going to come through the door and there were so many opportunities to learn something new.

The only thing I didn’t like was the hours. Sometimes, after doing ten hours on the clock, I would have to stay overnight in the sleeping quarters to remain on call. If my shift fell at the weekend, I might not get to the bed until the early morning when it was almost time to go home. This was one of those shifts.

I went to the public café, Costa, at the entrance to the hospital because I wanted a decent cup of coffee – something the staff canteen found difficult to provide. It was either bitter or cold and the room itself was dull and sparse with hard chairs and metal tables. Unlike Costa, which had a bit of colour and comfort.

With my flat white in my hand, I noticed an empty table in the corner of the café and kept my head down while I walked towards it. I remember not wanting to meet anyone. I was in no mood to chat. It had been a hard few days since Tara’s mam died and Andriu was in a strange mood which I couldn’t figure out. And on top of all that, earlier that day, I’d watched a young man die from injuries he’d sustained in a traffic accident.

The hospital entrance area was full of people coming and going. All I wanted was a few minutes of peace to enjoy my coffee.

When I sat down at the table, I took my phone from my pocket, hoping to have some news from Andriu.

When I left that morning, he was lying in bed. I kissed him on the lips and he kissed me back. I told him I was on a twenty-four shift and I’d see him tomorrow. I also asked him to check in on Tara because she was so sad but he didn’t say anything. He rolled over, turning away from me. I just presumed he was still half asleep. I walked out of the bedroom unaware of how my life would change when I walked back into it.

There was no message from Andriu on my phone. Just a missed call from Mam and a message from a number I didn’t recognise. At first I got a bit of a shock when I read it.

I can destroy you.

I clicked on it to see if there was a name attached. Nothing. So I put the phone on the table and lifted the hot coffee to my lips. At first I thought the message must have been sent to the wrong number.