For the first time since she had found out about his indiscretion, Amy wondered if perhaps she had overreacted. Did she really want to throw away her marriage because of one mistake that had happened years earlier? Did she want to raise the child growing inside of her alone? She thought about Toni and about the damage that her affair had done to her marriage. This was not the same. This was very different.

As she looked down at her husband’s name, Amy decided not to call him just yet. She still felt raw and needed more time before she could make a decision about their future. She returned the phone to her pocket and drained a glass of cool lemonade as the doorbell rang.

England was in the grip of a mini heatwave and she groaned at having to get up again. Her lower back was tender and she felt sweaty.

Opening the door, Amy was surprised to see a delivery man holding a huge bunch of irises. She signed for the bouquet and stepped indoors, closing the door behind her, knowing who had sent them.

‘I will not give up. I love you,’ the note read, and Amy smiled to herself as she returned to the kitchen to arrange the flowers in a vase. In that moment, Amy knew exactly what she was going to do.

Maggie stood in her kitchen fanning herself. The kitchen window was open but it made no difference to the heat. She couldn’t stop thinking about Janet’s son, Dean. It was true that she hadn’t been close to Janet, but as a mother she worried about the boy. She knew Janet had no family in the area and wondered what would become of him.

Rather than show up at Janet’s house unannounced, and interfere, she decided it would be best to call Kim to discuss her concerns. Normally she’d be on the phone to Amy, but she knew Amy had enough to deal with already.

She leant against the kitchen worktop, holding the phone to her ear and hoping that Kim would pick up.

‘Hello, chick,’ Kim said, in a voice that almost purred.

‘You alright?’ Maggie asked.

‘Yeah, you know, sitting in the garden with the kids. We got the paddling pool out and I’m seriously thinking about getting in myself,’ she chuckled.

‘Sounds like a good idea. If only my kids weren’t too old for paddling pools.’

‘I’d swap your kids for mine right now.’ Kim laughed again.

‘No, you wouldn’t.’

‘No, you’re right, it’s just in this heat they are finding it difficult to sleep. The house is so hot so they’re all pretty grouchy.’

‘I know the feeling!’ Maggie said.

‘Anyway, enough about the kids. How are you?’