‘It was,’ she said, her voice catching on a sob. ‘While I was seeing him, but not any more. I forgot it was there in my bag. Should have taken it out, smashed it, thrown it away. Stupid.’

‘Is that the truth?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you promise?’

‘I promise.’

‘Do you swear on your life?’

‘Yes.’

‘On our son’s life?’

‘Yes, yes, yes.’ Not even a half second of hesitation. ‘Please, Joe. I swear. It was only while we were . . . while it was going on. Ben bought it for me when we first started seeing each other. If you’ve ever believed anything I’ve said to you, believe this: it’s finished between me and him. Finished. I’m so sorry that it ever started.’

‘So you haven’t used the phone since the weekend?’

‘No.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me about it on Sunday?’

She shrugged, sniffing.

‘I don’t know, I thought . . . I’d told you everything. Everything important. I was going to draw a line under my mistake, a line under everything, and I just forgot it was in there with all the other crap I have in my handbag.’ She looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘How did you even find it?’

‘Checked your bag last night when we got back. I was angry, confused, couldn’t believe we’d been so close to Ben and still missed him.’

‘You thought I warned him off.’

‘The thought did cross my mind, yes.’

‘Oh Joe, I promise you, swear to you, I didn’t warn him.’ She paused, desperation in her eyes. ‘You do believe me, don’t you?’

I looked at her for a long moment, trying to decide whether I was ready for my marriage to be over. For family life, as I knew it, to cease. To lose my wife, my best friend.

No. Not that.

Her face told me it was the truth.

‘Yes, Mel. I think I do.’

Chapter 54

54

She let out another sob and buried her head in my shoulder, crying harder now.

‘I love you, Joe. Always.’ Her voice was muffled in my coat.

‘Always,’ I repeated, holding her as her body was racked with sobs. A couple of elderly ladies passed by on the path, bundled up against the cold, looking at me accusingly as Mel cried into the shoulder of my jacket. I gave them a small smile in return.

‘Stupid phone,’ Mel said through her tears. ‘Can’t believe I’ve been carrying it around in my bag all week.’

‘It was very well hidden. In amongst the twenty-seven lipsticks and thirty-eight lip balms, not to mention the forty-nine biros.’

She gave a sad half-laugh.

‘That’s probably why I forgot about it.’

‘Probably.’

‘I’m so stupid and thoughtless. Why do you put up with me?’

‘Because I love you.’