Lucy stood in the doorway awkwardly. ‘Would you rather I leave?’ she asked timidly.

It was as though Jason had only just registered she was there. ‘What were you doing, Lucy?’ he asked, his voice unfriendly, accusatory.

‘I was going to yoga, when Aisha called me,’ she replied. ‘I was going to help her find—’

‘Not right now, I mean what were you doing in The Baby Group?’ he interrupted, sternly.

She paused, taking time to draw breath and consider her response. ‘The same as you,’ she replied. ‘Learning how to have a baby.’

‘What the fuck, Lucy?’ Jason was fidgety now, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He put a hand to his head and ran it through his hair nervously. ‘It’s not a time for sarcasm. Seriously – why did you have to mess everything up?’

Lucy scoffed loudly in response. ‘Are you joking?’

I took a second to gather my thoughts. I hadn’t planned for this moment to happen like this, in our kitchen. It was still so raw; for all of us.

‘Stop!’ I yelled. I lifted my head a little to study Jason’s face, to look into his wide, panic-stricken eyes. ‘If anyone should be angry right now, it’s me. Let’s go into the living room and talk like adults, while I feed Joni.’

Jason and I sat on the sofa, Lucy took the armchair and with Joni feeding in my arms, I took a deep breath and began. ‘Lucy, I need you to tell me everything,’ I said calmly.

‘Half of me wanted you to guess that Jason and I knew each other, to give you enough clues that you might realize something. And so many times I was on the verge of telling you. But then I panicked and backed off,’ she said. ‘I wanted it all to be out in the open, but I was terrified at the same time. I knew you would be devastated and I didn’t know what to do.’

‘But why did you spin me a story about Albie being an IVF baby?’

‘Because it’s true.’ She paused briefly to look at the side of Jason’s face, to see if he understood what she was saying. He was still scowling, but he was quiet; at least listening. Then she continued as if he was not in the room: ‘It was a really complicated time for me. I’ve never been able to fall pregnant, except for that time twenty years ago, when I aborted a baby at university. I suppose you know that part of the story.’ She paused and I nodded sagely as she continued. ‘Jason only told me that night – the night last September – that he knew about the abortion I’d had all that time ago. It hurt so much. Anyway, I underwent planned IVF the day after Jason and I spent the night together,’ she continued. ‘Using an embryo fertilised by an anonymous sperm donor.’ She glanced across at me. ‘Oscar and I were split up at the time. And that’s why I genuinely don’t know who Albie’s father is – the sperm donor, or Jason. Aisha, I want you to know that I had not seen Jason prior to that night, or after.’ Lucy continued; though her eyes were red, she was doing a good job of holding things together: ‘There was no affair. We were both drunk. I was in a bad place. You don’t deserve this and I am so sorry. Whatever happens with the result, I won’t be bothering you again.’