‘I thought you’d support me in this.’ His stare hardened, his voice sharpening. ‘I’ve done everything I could to support our family, and now I’m asking you to do for two months what I’ve done for years and you’re making a fuss.’

Sara shook her head, a tinge of desperation in her voice. ‘I’m not making a fuss. I’m just exhausted.’

He gave a frustrated sigh. ‘You wanted to work full-time. It’s what you’ve wanted ever since you started that job.’

‘I know, but I’ve got all the other jobs to do as well. Me working full-time is not the same as you working full-time.’

His eyes widened and he reeled back in his chair, mouth gaping. ‘Are you saying I’m not pulling my weight?’

Sara looked at her mug, regretting her words. She wasn’t up to a fight, didn’t have the energy to go through all the things he took for granted. Things he didn’t even notice she did around the home.

He got up, pushed his chair back under the table. ‘I’m doing this for us.’ He leant forwards, hands on the back of the chair. ‘I’m doing my best. But it’s never bloody good enough for you, is it? You always want more. Well, I don’t have any more to give. This is me doing the best I can, and if it’s not good enough, then maybe we need to think about a different future. One that better suits all of us.’

His words landed like a weight on her chest, sudden and shocking, taking her breath away.

He turned and stormed out of the back door, slamming it behind him. She heard the office door open and close. He didn’t mean it, she told herself with a shake of her head, as if that would put all her thoughts back to where they’d been before their conversation. But what if he did?

She arrived at work feeling flustered and definitely not equal to the myriad tasks she had lined up for the day, her mind fixated on her row with Matt and his final words. A couple of groups were booked in to the centre, and one was using the kitchen for a course about healthy eating for families. There was a lot to organise. And the board meeting was coming up, so she had reports to prepare for that, as well as a list of information Fiona wanted to have a look at for a new project that was under development.

By the time James arrived at noon to go through the board meeting papers, she was teetering on the edge of losing control. He gave her a warm smile and shrugged off his coat, hung it on the hook behind the office door.

‘Are you okay, Sara?’ He frowned. ‘You look a little… out of sorts.’