And the real clincher, of course, was the way Damian’s lies had used truths and then twisted them to make them work against her. That had always been the way it worked with him. Genuine, incontrovertible facts that he grossly, hideously misrepresented.

Jason had been putty in his hands.

I might have questioned it if it hadn’t explained so much. The fact that you claim to be busy so often in the evenings, and to like your own space. The fact that you’ve never introduced me to any friends, or suggested a visit to your home town. It must be exhausting keeping all the lies going, Juliette, and I feel sorry for you.

The sad fact was that Juliette had no real friends in Southampton. And Damian was the prime reason she now avoided going home to Birmingham. But her ex knew exactly how to retell it all.

And if Jason believed it, what was to stop Ben believing the rest of it, too?

But once he’d finished reading, Lightman lowered the phone and said, ‘Jesus. That’s … what a total manipulative bastard.’

She felt such a rush of gratitude that it made the tears worse, not better. But she managed to smile at him, shakily, and say, ‘Oh, he’s a real keeper.’

‘Which one?’ Lightman asked, with a raised eyebrow, and Hanson actually laughed slightly.

‘I can definitely pick ’em, can’t I?’

Ben took a gulp of tea, the phone held loosely in his other hand, and then said, ‘I take it this isn’t the first time Damian’s tried to wreck your life.’

Hanson shook her head, feeling the truth rush to make its way out. ‘He’s been messaging me. Constantly. All from anonymous accounts.’ She swallowed, feeling strangely all right about saying it now that she’d begun. ‘And turning up at my house. Sometimes watching me from his car. Never quite often enough to constitute harassment, and not always – not always close enough for me to be certain it’s him before he leaves.’ She gave another humourless smile. ‘He’s a clever bastard like that.’

Lightman nodded again, slowly. ‘Have you written it all down?’

Hanson started to nod, and then shrugged. ‘I started doing. More recently I’ve been – I’ve been a bit lax. It’s been getting to me.’ She took a large, steadying breath. ‘I wrote down some of the worst times, though. Like when I got outside and found all my tyres slashed. And the – the mutilated Barbie doll he left on the doorstep. And the smashed security light last night.’

Lightman shook his head. ‘The man has problems. You reported all of those?’