She left without waiting for an answer, knowing exactly where she’d find Matt. He was in the garage, which sat on the other side of a covered walkway next to the house. His man cave, as he liked to call it. Not long after they’d moved in to the house, when the twins were still infants, he’d divided the garage in two, making a room for himself in one half and a storeroom in the other. Gradually, as finances allowed, he’d installed electricity, then heating and a bit of furniture, and now this was where he came with his mates to watch football and play on the Xbox. It meant they could be as rowdy as they liked and not disturb the kids.

He was sitting on the sofa, staring at the blank TV screen, his face wet with tears.

Sara’s heart stuttered and she stopped in the doorway. Matt never, ever cried and a horrible uneasiness settled in her stomach. She was in uncharted territory with a storm brewing and no shelter in sight. The sound of her pulse filled her ears.

She hesitated, just for a moment, before she rushed over and sat beside him. ‘Bloody hell, Matt. What’s wrong?’ She put an arm round his shoulders and gently wiped his tears away, but he didn’t look at her. His empty beer bottle hung from his fingers, swinging backwards and forwards, like the pendulum of a clock, as he stared straight ahead.

He can’t tell me. Oh my God, this is it. This is where he says he’s leaving. She couldn’t bear it, couldn’t stand the not knowing. Her hand tightened on his shoulder and she held him close, breathed in the spicy scent of him as if it was the last time. ‘Tell me, Matt. You’ve got to tell me.’

Seconds turned into minutes, his body shaking with the force of his heartbeat. He heaved in a deep breath and let out the longest sigh before he finally spoke.

‘I’ve been laid off. Made redundant.’

His words hit her hard, like she’d just run into a wall. Her jaw dropped as she processed what he’d said. Oh God, I got it wrong, so wrong. The relief slackened the muscles that had been holding her rigid, but after a few moments, she realised this news was just as bad, but in a different way.

She gulped, hoping she might have misheard. Misunderstood. ‘What? They can’t have. They were taking on staff not long ago. Talking to you about promotion.’