“You’re bringing that up now? Daniel, that’s so unfair.”

They stared at one another and it was as if all the things they had never dared speak of were weeping silently in the space between them.

“For God’s sake. Can you two stop arguing for five minutes before Dad leaves?”

Lily whipped her head up to where Phoebe was standing at the top of the stairs, glowering at them both, dark kohl framing her eyes, bright red burnishing her lips.

“You know I can hear every word you’re saying? Do you ever think I might have had enough of listening to your arguments?”

“We’re not arguing, darling. We’re just—”

Daniel’s phone bleeped loudly and Lily watched him glance down at it, grimace, return it to the pocket of his jeans. “My cab’s here. I’ve got to go.” He ran up the stairs, put his arms around Phoebe, and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll come back for a weekend soon, OK, sweetheart? And, remember, I’m on email or Skype or WhatsApp or even the good old-fashioned telephone whenever you need me. I love you.”

He kissed her again before racing back down the stairs, then took a deep breath and turned to Lily. “I’ll message you when I get to the apartment, but it’ll be late so I’ll call you tomorrow. And, Lily, please let’s see the positives in this. It might do us good, honestly.”

His lips grazed her cheek, his fingers gently squeezing her arm just above the elbow. Then the front door was open and he was loading suitcases into the cab, turning to wave and smile one last time. And then he was gone.

Lily stood by the open front door, watching the cab until it reached the crossroads at the end, pulled out onto the main road, and disappeared.

“Can you close the door, Mum? It’s bloody freezing in here.” Phoebe was still standing at the top of the stairs, eyebrows raised, the sharp contours of her sleek dark bob jutting across her cheeks.

Pushing the door shut, Lily caught sight of her own reflection in the hallway mirror and was startled by how pale she looked. Footsteps stomped across the landing overhead and she heard the decisive slam of Phoebe’s bedroom door.

She stood still in the silence, glancing down at her watch: a quarter to five. Hours until bedtime, yet she was overcome by a powerful urge to lie down and sleep. She thought about knocking on Phoebe’s door, checking she was OK, seeing if she wanted a drink or a snack. But Lily knew that when Phoebe was angry, the best thing she could give her was space.

Walking up the stairs and into her bedroom, she closed the door and lay down on the bed. Curling onto her side, she pulled one of Daniel’s pillows toward her and clutched it to her chest. And as she shut her eyes she found herself back there, in a bed she was never supposed to have slept in.