Michael turned to Jake. ‘You can go inside now, and spend the pound I gave you in the sweet shop. Wait in the reception and I’ll be there in a minute, OK?’

Jake nodded.

‘Say goodbye to Nana.’

Jake waved at her quickly and, running off, he called out ‘Goodbye’ over his shoulder.

Michael knew that the lad found Josephine a trial – as he did if he was honest. She was stranger than ever now, but it was all to the good, according to the doctors. Personally, he thought she was getting madder by the day.

‘Look, Josephine, I can’t control everything any more. This is a proper hospital – you can’t just buy the doctors here, and choose your own fucking meds. Look how far that got you. You need to do whatever the doctors tell you to do. For once in your life, Josephine, you can’t rely on me to bail you out. You were sectioned, for fuck’s sake! You can’t just fucking choose what you want to do any more. It’s out of our hands. The doctors decide when you can go home and, when that day comes, I have purchased a lovely little cottage for you. You will love it.’

‘I’ve already got a home.’

He sighed heavily; he was sick and tired of this. ‘Not any more you haven’t. Once we get the divorce, I will see you all right. But you will never come back to that house again. It’s in Jake’s name now anyway.’

Josephine grinned nastily. ‘You’re loving this, aren’t you? You dumped me, and then you put me away. Katie Rourk must be a blinding fuck, Michael. Got you right where she fucking wants you!’

Michael stood up slowly. ‘I’m not doing this, Josephine. I’ve told you before. It’s over between us. I will never forgive you for what happened to our Jessie. I will take care of you up to a point – I owe you that much. But don’t treat me like a fucking earhole, OK? I come here so you can see Jake, so I can see how you’re getting on. After all, I am the one footing the fucking bill for this, aren’t I? If I pull out, lady, you will end up in a local NHS nut ward somewhere, so don’t bite the hand that feeds you.’

Josephine couldn’t believe that her Michael couldn’t find it in his heart to forgive her; he had always forgiven her in the past, no matter what she had done. She grabbed his hands in hers, and she tried to pull him back into his seat, to make him sit down and talk with her.

‘Please, Michael, I promise you I will do anything . . . But don’t do this to me . . .’