‘Dee doesn’t resent me. She just … She had to be a mother to me, is all. At a young age. It’s a lot to ask of a kid. She never said she resented anything. That’s just me, filling in the blanks.’

‘She resents you, Lorna. You know she does. She’s jealous. What fat girl doesn’t hate her skinny little sister? Still. She won’t be jealous soon, will she? Because you’re getting fat too.’

‘I’m not fat,’ I said, hating how desperate I sounded. ‘I’ve lost weight on this tour. Look.’ I pulled my jeans from my stomach to show they were looser – which they were.

Michael turned to look at rows and rows of blue seats. ‘You know, this place will be full tonight. And then the tour will be over. What will we do with you then? I can’t very well send you back to that sister of yours, can I? Maybe I’ll keep a hold of you. What do you think?’

I swallowed. I hadn’t dared ask what might happen when the tour ended. To tell the truth, I’d been worried Michael was getting sick of me. All he ever wanted me for recently was soulless sex, and even that was less frequent than it had been.

‘I don’t know,’ I said.

Michael’s eyes burned. ‘You don’t know? You don’t know? I’m asking if I should keep a hold of you and that’s your answer? Who do you think you are? You’re an arrogant bitch, that’s what you are.’

Like an idiot, I started crying. I’d been doing that more recently. Most days, actually. ‘I just didn’t understand the question,’ I sniffled. ‘Please. It didn’t come out right, that’s all.’

‘You’re nobody, Lorna. Nobody. You don’t deserve to be here. I was going to ask you to live with me. Do you get that? I was going to ask you to move in. But now it’s all messed up.’

‘You want me to move in with you?’ I asked, eyes big and incredulous.

‘I did. But you can forget that now. You can pack your bags and go back to your family.’ Then he added a sneery, ‘I don’t know.’

‘Please, Michael.’ I got onto my knees, hands together, literally begging. ‘I didn’t mean it like that. Of course I want to move in with you. There’s nothing I want more in the world. I love you so much, Michael. Please.’

Michael stood up and paced around, toying with me. He bossed around some men in hi-vis jackets. He shouted at the stage manager about the mic. After twenty minutes of torture, he returned, hands on hips, standing over me.

‘If you want to live with me, you’ve got to make me a promise.’

‘What?’