Susan will get her key back, and I’ll make sure I’ve covered all bases with Rhys.

It takes me ten minutes to finish getting ready, run out the door and jump on a tram down to the station. I wait amongst the commuters as people rush past me in all directions on their way to work, meetings, to catch trains up and down the country.

Rhys pulls into the car park and up beside me, winding his window down as he pulls up the handbrake. He thrusts the key out towards me. ‘There. One key. Okay?’

‘Thanks,’ I say. He nods, eyes forward, but doesn’t go anywhere. ‘Rhys, I’ve been worried about you,’ I say. ‘Last night, you… You left in such a rush, Rhys. You seemed so… Is everything okay?’

‘Sure, never better. Life is dandy.’

‘Rhys.’

He looks at me for the first time since he pulled up. His eyes are red-rimmed. His stubble is thicker. He looks terrible and I feel wholly and entirely responsible. ‘Do I owe you an apology?’ I ask.

‘For what?’

‘Calling you. Encouraging you to visit Susan. Letting you go into her house.’

‘You didn’t let me do anything,’ he says. ‘I was there to help her. I just didn’t expect it to turn out the way it did.’

‘No. No. Me neither.’

He rubs at his chin. ‘Look, I’m sorry if I freaked you out. I can’t really explain, it’s just…’

‘Yes?’

‘It’s complicated.’

‘What is?’ I ask, but Rhys doesn’t answer and I’m not really sure where to go next. He lets out a long and laboured sigh that starts and finishes with a groan. ‘Look, I should go. You don’t owe me an apology. I’ll be fine.’

He goes to put his car in gear and I panic. ‘Rhys…’ He looks at me and I see how vulnerable he really is. I jog around the front of the car and climb into the passenger seat before he can move away.

‘What are you doing?’ he demands.

‘I’m not entirely sure,’ I answer, truthfully. ‘But I feel that you need my help and as we wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for me, I can’t just ignore that. You have two choices: park up and talk, or drive and talk. But you need to tell me at least some of what’s going on so I can work out how to fix this mess for you.’

Rhys looks at me, incredulous. ‘You think you can fix this!’ He laughs unkindly. ‘You think you can jump into my car, demand I talk, and I’ll offload my darkest secrets to you for you to wave a magic wand and make everything better? You’re a nurse, Kat. Not my fairy godmother!’

I stare at him, my stomach dropping to my toes.

‘Okay then, here, have this. I was adopted.’ The penny begins to drop. ‘Both me and David were. You remember David, the brother who killed himself a few months ago. Of course you do, I’ve told you that much already.’ He stops talking, but his breath is heavy and I’m beginning to realise what went off back at Susan’s house.