Ezra wriggled out of Sara’s grasp, sliding down her body until his feet reached the floor. ‘We made cakes. I made you a special one.’ He grabbed her hand, and led her to the kitchen, Hailey following. On the table, centre stage, was a plate full of cupcakes, and sitting on its own was the one he’d made for her, decorated with skittles and sprinkles and lots of icing. Her heart squeezed with love. Her shoulders tensed with guilt.

‘That’s just wonderful,’ she said, choking on the ball of emotion that blocked her throat. ‘Wonderful.’

Hailey packed the cakes into a Tupperware container, and after a brief chat, Sara headed home. Fiona had said she’d drop the girls off, as they were going on a shopping trip to Leeds, which they had been beyond excited about. It was something Sara could rarely bring herself to do these days; it wasn’t just the cost of such an excursion, but Ezra was a reluctant shopper and the girls liked to take their time, which created way too much stress for the day to be enjoyed by any of them. The girls both had some birthday money to spend, so Sara was sure they’d come back laden with bags, and she was excited to see what they’d bought.

Matt was in the lounge, watching TV, when she finally got home. He looked up when she came in, and she smiled at him, a little wary of his response, given the way he’d been acting before she went away. But he surprised her by smiling back before turning his attention to their son, who’d jumped on his lap and was telling him what he’d been doing.

Half an hour later, the girls arrived, faces flushed with excitement, and Sara was swept up in the bustle of getting a meal ready and looking at her daughters’ purchases, which they paraded for her like a fashion show. It was a busy, chatty afternoon and she couldn’t help feeling that they’d all benefited from a little time away from each other. Matt seemed especially cheerful, and that evening, when the children had gone to bed, she found out why.

She’d just returned to the living room with tea for both of them, the room feeling empty, the atmosphere charged with a sudden tension now they were alone. This is it. My chance to come clean, she decided as she carefully put the mugs on the coffee table, her hands shaking so much she was in danger of spilling scalding tea all over the place. But before she could say anything, Matt spoke.

‘I got paid yesterday.’ There was a triumphant gleam in his eye as he waited for her response.