‘My dad has been having an affair for decades. But it’s worse than an affair. They have a home and children together. He basically lived for years juggling two families,’ Jake said, holding on to me tightly. I held him close, feeling his need for comfort.

‘Oh my God, Jake. I’m so sorry,’ I said. ‘How did you find out?’

‘He sat us down and told us because he’s decided now he’s due for retirement that he wants to retire with them, not us,’ Jake said, shaking his head. ‘It all felt like my whole life has been a lie. That their love story and marriage was just all bullshit, you know?’

I couldn’t even imagine how it would feel to have everything come crashing down around me like that. His parents’ love story hadn’t been the one he had thought it was. Now I understood why he had fought against romance after that. ‘No wonder you haven’t been yourself the past six months. What about your mum?’

‘Devastated. After forty years of marriage, she’s now living alone. He’s broken her heart. He’s living with his other family. She is so strong but it’s changed everything. I still can’t get my head around it all, to be honest. I admired him so much. Now I realise I never really knew my father at all.’

‘I can’t believe that he did what he did to the two of you. It’s just… shit.’

He smiled faintly. ‘Shit is right.’

We lapsed into silence for a moment, wrapped around each other still, the only sound the beating of our hearts and the noise of New York floors below us.

‘Have I completely ruined the mood?’ Jake said then.

I smiled. ‘No. I’m glad you trusted me with your secret.’

Jake leaned in to kiss me. ‘I’m glad I did too.’

‘Why did you feel that telling Davis Mulberry you didn’t like romance books was preferable to him finding out about your father?’ I asked him then.

‘God, you love to ask me difficult questions, don’t you?’

I shrugged. ‘I want to get to know the real you.’

‘I want that too,’ he replied softly. ‘You’ve made me want to be honest.’

My heart soared at his words.

Jake thought for a moment about my question. ‘Well, I suppose it felt like my romance writing career had all been a lie because it had been inspired by my own parents’ love story. And that had been as fictional as romance novels. I wasn’t sure if I believed in love any more, let alone want to write about it. But also because Mulberry is the biggest gossip and I didn’t want to admit what my father had done; I was ashamed and angry and hurt. And I kind of felt stupid.’

‘Stupid?’ I asked, confused as to why he would think that.