Sara woke suddenly, a loud bang making her sit up, wondering where she was for a moment. Then she remembered she was at Hailey’s house. A child’s clock sat on the bedside table, with big numbers and a picture of SpongeBob SquarePants on the dial. It was seven o’clock, and Sara knew that Hailey went out jogging every morning, whatever the weather. Had that been the door banging?

She covered her head with the duvet, not ready to face the day, but memories of the previous evening crowded into her mind, jabbering at her, filling her head with shouting and images she didn’t want to see. Today was going to be a make-or-break sort of a day. A day to find out exactly what was going on with James and persuade Matt that she was the victim of a crime rather than a cheating wife.

Take control, she told herself as she threw back the duvet and went for a shower. You can’t let the bastards win.

With her pep talk in mind, she dressed in yesterday’s clothes and went down to the kitchen to get the coffee on, thinking that she’d have to borrow an outfit off Hailey for work, including a pair of shoes. They were a similar height, and although Hailey was slimmer, she favoured stretchy sports clothes, which made her feel more approachable to the youngsters she worked with. Sara was sure there’d be something she could squeeze into.

‘You’re looking a little casual today,’ Fiona said when Sara reached the office and found her sitting behind the desk looking at something on the computer. She didn’t usually appear this early, and never on a Monday, due to other work commitments, and it caught Sara by surprise. She blushed as Fiona looked her up and down, the expression on her face an indication that she didn’t approve.

‘Long story,’ she said, adjusting the oversized T-shirt that Hailey used as a nightshirt. It was the only top she had that was big enough and Sara was wearing it over black leggings, with trainers that were a size too big. From a distance, it didn’t look too bad, and was the sort of ensemble a lot of the young mums wore. Not to work, though.

She was hoping to go home at lunchtime, when Matt wouldn’t be expecting her, and see if she could have a sensible conversation with him. She’d decided that she would have to make a complete confession if he was going to believe she wasn’t having an affair and allow her back home. It would be a relief, she thought, to tell him about her failed investment and her debt to James. Once everything was out in the open, maybe it would encourage him to be more honest about his own business dealings.