Is that all she wanted? For him to somehow become a version (albeit, in hindsight, not a great version) of the husband and future she’d always dreamed of? She could see now, through her tears and her sobbing words, it would never have happened. All right, so she might have eventually pushed him and dragged him towards the altar, but he’d only have been there because he thought there was nothing better anywhere else. That was the truth of it – she could see it now.

By the time breakfast was over – not that she’d been able to eat anything – she knew it was time to go and get herself tidied up and ready for battle. And that was what it felt like. Maya offered to drive her down to Barbara Quirke’s bright and early, well before Eddie was likely to have surfaced, or Barbara would have boiled his two soft eggs and made soldiers.

Sure enough, the Quirke house looked as if it hadn’t yet woken up when Liv rang the front doorbell. The sitting room curtains were pulled tight and a wad of junk mail hung from the letter box. Liv didn’t doubt that Barbara would have snapped that through the door as she’d passed it on the way to the kitchen from her bedroom when she got up for the day. She rang the bell again, knowing only too well that Eddie could bury himself under the quilt all day long and ignore the outside world. She had a feeling that Barbara wouldn’t be quite so resilient; her curiosity would bring her to the door, if nothing else. And then sure enough, she heard the shrill voice from within, ‘I’m coming, for goodness’ sake; keep your hair on, I’m coming.’ Barbara was making her way down the stairs and not sounding exactly pleased at having her beauty sleep interrupted.

‘Oh, it’s you.’

‘Yes,’ Liv said, but this time, Barbara’s severe stare didn’t make her flinch. ‘I’m here to see Eddie.’

‘Eddie? My Eddie? But he isn’t…’ Barbara put a hand to pat down her hair and suddenly, Liv knew, she’d been lying all along. She’d known that Eddie had been up to no good behind Liv’s back. Even if she didn’t know about Anya Hegarty, she’d been complicit in covering his tracks. Had she known when Liv had spent an hour getting her shopping from the supermarket? Or when she’d gotten from her bed just to close a shed door that useless Eddie had probably left open? Liv couldn’t think about that now; it would make her much too mad and she needed a clear head to deal with Eddie.