I remembered something from the wedding photos.

‘You were her bridesmaid, weren’t you?’

Mel nodded, head bowed.

‘Maid of honour.’

The irony of that seemed particularly black in the circumstances.

‘Did you fancy him, even back then?’

‘No, of course not.’

‘Why, of course not?’

‘I just didn’t. It was fifteen years ago.’

‘Because he didn’t have four cars and a six-bedroom house in Hampstead?’ It was a cheap shot but I couldn’t resist it.

‘It wasn’t that.’

‘What was it, then?’

‘Don’t do this to me, Joe. I can’t cope with it. If you want me to go, I’ll go, but don’t torture me.’

‘What about Beth?’

She looked up, suddenly.

‘Oh my God, you’re not going to tell her all this, are you?’

‘I don’t know yet. I don’t think so. But you’re going to tell Ben again. Tell him you’re done, that it’s over. For good.’

She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

‘Now?’

‘Now.’

She blew her nose again, then took her mobile from her pocket and tapped the touchscreen.

‘No,’ I said. ‘Show me.’

‘Pardon?’

‘Show me.’ I gestured to her phone. ‘The number.’

She terminated the call, started again with the phone held out in front of her so that I could see. I watched as she selected ‘Ben moby’ from her address book, and called the number. She put the phone to her ear again.

‘No,’ I said. ‘Put it on loudspeaker.’

She touched the screen again and the tinny metallic ringing filled the bedroom as the call went through. I watched Mel’s face as it rang. She seemed drained, exhausted. But also relieved, as if she was glad to have finally got all of it off her chest.

The call connected and she sat up a little straighter on the bed, holding her head up a little higher. In the stillness of our bedroom, I heard a male voice answer.

‘Hello?’

It was him.

25

‘Ben?’ Mel said, her voice tight.

There was a pause.

‘Yeah?’ He sounded instantly impatient, or angry. Or both.

I moved a little closer so I could hear better.

‘It’s Melissa.’

Melissa, not Mel. She was Melissa to him, then.

A pause on the other end of the line. One beat, two. I thought I heard an intake of breath.

‘What do you want?’

‘Ben, I’ve got Joe with me. He’s here with me now. I’ve told him everything. And I’ve told him it’s over between you and me, it can’t carry on. Like I said the other night –’

There was a click from the other end of the line and her phone beeped.

‘Ben?’ Mel said, leaning a bit nearer to the mobile.

She checked the display.

‘He hung up,’ she said, a flicker of sadness in her voice.

‘Try him again.’

She redialled, and it rang just once before going to voicemail.

This time she hung up before dialling again. It rang six times before the voicemail message started.

‘This is Ben Delaney. Leave a message.’