There was another reason that I didn’t want Ben seeing his family or friends but I could barely admit it, even to myself. His appearance had changed so dramatically over the past year that I didn’t want them to start asking any awkward questions. He was like a balloon that had been popped. Everything about him seemed to sag inwards and his eyes had taken on a haunted, defeated look. Sometimes I would catch him staring into space with such a grief-stricken expression that I almost felt sorry for him. But then he would do something to annoy me and all sympathy was lost.

I arrived home that evening and parked on our sweeping driveway, looking up at the large, white, modern house we had bought with Peter’s money. It was what I had wanted for Elodie and it always gave me a surge of satisfaction knowing that her upbringing would be a damn sight more privileged than mine. That was one thing at least her father had provided for her.

I let myself into the house and listened for a while to Ben and Elodie, who were in the kitchen, chatting and giggling at CBeebies, which was blaring from the TV on the kitchen wall.

‘Haha, look, Daddy!’ Elodie said with the precision of a toddler who was still new to speaking.

I walked to the kitchen door, in time to see Elodie pointing to a character on the screen who was rolling his extra-long tongue around his mouth.

‘Daddy do it!’ she demanded bossily. She was certainly her mother’s daughter, I thought with a rueful grin.

Ben glanced at the screen, before copying the character and sticking his tongue out as far as possible, before rolling it around in a huge circle, eliciting squeals of delight from Elodie. Ben beamed and turned back to the worktop, where he was preparing a Jamie Oliver chicken dish that I had once mentioned was my favourite.

‘Hello, you two,’ I said, making them both jump with surprise. Elodie beamed and put her arms out from her high chair. ‘Mummy!’ she cried delightedly, agitating to be lifted out. I walked over and scooped her up into a hug, trying to avoid my hair making contact with her sticky little hands.

Ben eyed me nervously. ‘Hi, darling. You’re home early.’

‘I thought I’d get home in time to put Elodie to bed. Ooh, you smell gorgeous,’ I told her, kissing her chubby red cheeks, which were hot from where she was teething. I omitted to mention that I had been supposed to meet Leo tonight but he had had to cancel due to a work crisis of some sort.

Ben nodded, relief at my apparent good mood flooding his features. ‘That’s nice. Well, I’ll get dinner ready while you bath her and it’ll be ready by the time she’s in bed.’

‘Lovely,’ I said, taking Elodie upstairs. I ran the bath and sat on the floor while she splashed around with her toys and told me several nonsensical stories about her day. I wasn’t required to speak, so I scrolled through my phone and filled in any gaps with an obliging ‘Oooh’ or ‘Wow’.