‘Please don’t do this to him.’

‘I’ll do what I want. I’m his father.’ He is standing too close. ‘And what are you to him? Nothing. The woman who killed his mother.’ I’m unable to hide my shock. ‘Yeah, I know. But does Beau? You think he’ll like you so much when he does?’

I feel my knees weaken. ‘Please don’t hurt him to get to me. I know what we did was wrong but he’s already lost so much and he’s such a sweet –’

‘You know, I’ve had enough talking. I’ll let myself in.’

I walk after him, unsteady, shaking. ‘There’s no one in there. Go in if you want to, but he’s not here.’

He turns and scowls at me. ‘So what was your song-and-dance routine about? Where is he?’

I have no idea what to say. If I tell him the truth, he might come back again tomorrow. And if he got here early, Mark would be ambushed, with no idea of what he was coming home to. Finn looks stronger than him, able to scoop Beau up even if we both resisted. And how awful for Beau to go through that tussle. But what lie will work?

It seems he doesn’t believe me anyway. Finn goes inside the house and closes the door behind him. I hear the phone ringing. I run to the door but Finn has locked it. I hope one of my neighbours is witnessing this, can tell it’s hostile and calls the police. But I don’t see anyone out in their garden, or peering through their curtains.

After a few minutes, Finn walks outside and stands in front of me. ‘I reckon you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not here to take Beau back – we’re on the move. Won’t work for a kid. I’m here to say goodbye. But now I guess you’ll have to do that for me.’

And with the slam of a car door and a squeal of tyres, they’re gone.

I drop onto the grass, my legs jelly, my throat tight. I should feel relieved that Finn is gone and nothing bad happened. I should feel glad that he doesn’t want to take Beau. But, instead, I feel a gut punch of sadness. Beau has been abandoned. His father has driven away without him, as though he was nothing and no one. How can I ever explain this to him?

The phone rings again, and this time I run inside and answer it.

‘Not now, Abby.’ Charlie cuts me off the moment I speak, launching into the story of his supermarket encounter before I can get to the word ‘Finn’.

‘You need to get rid of the ring. Right now. Brisbane cops will be on their way to your house. I’m sure of it. If Roberts finds it, he has evidence we were at the accident and we’re cooked. No matter what Doyle wants.’

I run to the jewellery box, wrap the ring in a thick layer of tissues and hide it in my cleavage, well covered by my shirt.