At that moment, I passed a petrol station and an idea flashed into my mind. I turned the car around and parked on the forecourt, before heading into the shop. I could pretend that I went out to buy Ben something to thank him for coming home to look after me. Scanning the shelves, I picked up a packet of sweets for Elodie and a bottle of champagne for Ben. He didn’t really like champagne but there was nothing else suitable, so it would have to do.

Feeling more confident, I drove the final five minutes of the journey towards home, rehearsing what I was going to say when I arrived. By the time I pulled into the driveway, I was calm and prepared.

I parked beside Ben’s car and got out, reaching back into the passenger seat for the champagne and sweets. The house seemed to be in darkness as I approached the front door and I frowned, as a prickle of unease caused me to stop in my tracks. Why would he have turned all the lights out?

‘Hello, Bella,’ said a voice behind me, making me yelp in shock and drop the champagne. The bottle smashed and the fizzy liquid pooled out over the block paving. I swung around to find Ben staring at me with a strange, slightly crazed look in his eye.

‘Ben!’ I cried, clutching my hand to my chest. ‘You scared the shit out of me!’

Ben didn’t answer. He was standing very still and his face was rigid.

‘Thank you so much for coming home, darling,’ I gushed, recovering my composure and approaching him with a grateful smile. ‘I felt so ill but I took some paracetamol and had a sleep and felt a bit better, so I went to the petrol station to get you something.’ I motioned to the remains of the champagne bottle strewn across the drive behind me. ‘Sorry I dropped it …’

‘Shut up!’ he hissed, his eyes narrowing. I could see a faint sheen of sweat on his upper lip.

I stopped and frowned. ‘Ben! Come on! Don’t be like this. You’re being ridiculous.’ I moved a bit closer to him, starting to feel more irritated than alarmed. He was acting like some kind of big-time gangster, instead of the pathetic wimp I knew he was.

‘Don’t. Come. Any. Closer.’ Ben had one hand hidden behind his back and I somehow knew what he was going to do before he did it. With a fluid movement, he pulled his arm forward and the blade of the kitchen knife he was holding glinted as the moonlight caught it.

I stopped dead, my eyes fixed on the knife. Gradually, I began to step backwards with my hands up in a gesture of surrender. ‘OK, Ben, calm down. Don’t do anything stupid …’ I knew damn well that he didn’t have the guts to use it and was just trying to freak me out, but I thought I would play along to keep him calm.