‘That’s right, Eddie, because ye’re as bad as each other, and you thought you’d just move her into my flat, so you could have the best of both worlds. God, you really are hilarious. What do you think I am, a complete doormat? Anya’s not welcome in my flat and I very much doubt that Pete will want to see either of you within a ten-mile radius of his place either. It’s time to grow up, Eddie. You and Anya are more than welcome to each other.’ She turned on her heels, pushing past the open-mouthed Barbara, and made her way down the stairs and out the front door, banging it loudly behind her.

She was shaking by the time she got into the jeep again.

‘Okay?’ Maya said, although they both knew, she was nowhere near okay.

‘Fantastic.’ Liv tried to smile through her tears. It was a wobbly, noisy attempt, but it felt better than disintegrating into a wretched mess.

‘Well, did he deny it?’

‘No. Yes. I don’t know, sort of, but not really.’ She was glad to be sitting in the car next to Maya speeding away from the narrow street. ‘I think he was in shock that I turned up at the foot of his bed at this hour, more than anything else.’

‘So, you just had it out with him?’

Maya flicked on her indicator. Soon they’d be driving past the pier and on the road out to open fields and the soothing countryside. Liv craved the sight of fields, stone walls and endless blue-grey sky.

‘Not really. I just told him he wasn’t living at the flat anymore.’ She looked out the window at the sea opposite. ‘Oh God, can I do that, after he’s been living there for so long?’

‘Squatter’s rights?’ Maya laughed. ‘No, don’t worry, that would have taken him a little longer to establish. You’ve managed to get him out, just in time.’ They both started to laugh at that, even if it wasn’t funny, and Liv wasn’t sure what she felt at this stage – she knew it wasn’t happy, but at least it felt good to be here with Maya.

*

Liv’s phone rang just as she sat on the bus for work. She was doing split shifts all over the place, and there was no point hanging about the hospital, but still, she’d only had four hours away from the place and she was returning for another four; today it felt as if they were desperately trying to plug holes in the Titanic. She was just lucky not to be redeployed to a different ward.

She pulled the phone out of her bag and answered it. She didn’t recognise the number, but presumed it was probably the hospital. The switchboard there often came up as a private number depending on which extension was calling.