She dived down, deeper and deeper. She had to save the woman in the water. She had to find Pete. This was no time to give up, because now, with all that had happened since the first day of Christmas, she realised she had too much to live for – her family, Pete and now Finn, her job, her life – she was going to live enough for both her and Rachel. Wasn’t that what she’d promised herself only hours earlier?

And then, just as she felt she could swim no more, about to give up and head for the surface, she saw them. Standing on the water’s edge. But they couldn’t be, because they were deeper than she’d imagined the canal bed could possibly lie. It was Rachel. Rachel and Pete together, as if standing in some magical snow globe. And she was watching them from outside. Oh, they looked so happy, Liv felt as if she might burst with the overwhelming feeling of happiness and sadness that welled up in her heart to see them both together again.

She started to walk towards them, half afraid that by moving she might spoil this moment of perfection, even though some part of her knew that this was not right.

They were calling her. Liv. Liv knew, she had to go to them. Rachel. She whispered her sister’s name, felt it dry up on her lips. It was so sweet just to feel she could say that name and know that Rachel might be here.

Yes. It’s okay, Liv. It’s me. Everything is going to work out perfectly, for both of us. She imagined her saying the words. It was in her imagination, wasn’t it? But then Rachel looked at her, a sudden deadening panic in her eyes. She couldn’t catch her breath. Was she drowning, here in the darkness, just when it seemed she had so much to live for?