But, whatever she may have told you, I promise that from the moment you were born, I loved you. I know that you will grow up into a lovely young woman. I’m certain you will be as beautiful as your mother – maybe even more so. I hope you will be a good person and that one day you will be able to find it in your heart to forgive me and understand that every single one of us is flawed and anything I did, I did out of a father’s love for his child.

Love always,

Dad

Prologue

‘She seems perfect.’ Jo waved one last time, as her son drove his new girlfriend away from the house, the wheels of his black, open-top Mercedes spitting up the gravel on the driveway behind them as they departed, before she swung the heavy front door shut and looked up at Peter. ‘Don’t you agree? Don’t you think she seems like the perfect girl for him?’

Peter exhaled loudly and his eyes crinkled with tiredness. She could sense his irritability and there was a slight sheen of sweat on his tanned, lined forehead. ‘You said that about the last one.’ His words came out in one long sigh.

‘Well, Charlotte was perfect at the time.’ Jo couldn’t keep the defensive tone out of her voice, even though she knew he was right.

‘Hmmm …’ Peter pursed his lips disapprovingly, before turning and walking with a laboured stride along the cool, dark, flag-stoned hallway towards the sprawling, open-plan kitchen, which was suffused in a pale pink glow from the setting sun. ‘Except for the small matter that she dumped Ben and broke his heart.’

Jo hesitated, thinking, before following her husband. ‘You know, now that things have worked out the way they have, maybe it was for the best. Maybe she did him a favour?’

Peter picked up his half-finished glass of red wine from the pale granite worktop, and took it out onto the vast, sandstone terrace, which was now pleasantly warm after the searing heat of the late July day. He sat at the large glass table and looked out over the velvety green lawn, sweeping down towards the azure swimming pool, which looked like it was twinkling with a thousand dancing diamonds in the early evening sun.

Jo watched him for a few moments, letting him walk ahead, before picking up her own glass and heading out to join him. He seemed jittery and upset, which was out of character. She sat down at the table beside him. ‘Are you OK, darling? You seem a bit … uptight.’

Peter didn’t answer but gave a slight shrug.

‘You’re not sure about her, are you?’ Jo watched him closely, as she took a sip of her wine, which tasted slightly metallic after drinking several glasses of it.

‘No.’

The speed of his answer took her by surprise. ‘Why? She was perfectly charming.’

Peter pursed his lips again. It was as if he was trying to stop the words escaping. ‘Yes. Very.’ His tone was dry. Sardonic.