I allowed my eyes to widen in surprise. ‘Wow. That’s the first time anyone’s said that to me.’ The lie tripped off my tongue with a practised ease and I dropped my gaze demurely.

A shadow of concern passed over his face, causing a deep, vertical line between his eyebrows. ‘Well, I’m saying it now. And I’ll keep saying it until you believe it. I love you, Bella.’

I smiled uncertainly. ‘I … I think I love you, too.’

His look of unbridled joy at my words tugged at my insides. I didn’t love him but it was impossible not to be moved by his reaction. He wasn’t a bad person and actually I was even quite fond of him. I could tell myself that I was doing him a great service by helping him to recover from the heartbreak of his bitch of an ex-girlfriend dumping him. I had seen a few photos of her and he had definitely traded up with me – she was so average-looking. ‘I would love to meet your parents,’ I prompted, keen to return the conversation to his invitation.

Again, Ben’s face softened with tender adoration. ‘I’ll call them tomorrow to sort it. I can’t wait for them to meet you.’

I smiled to myself as I settled down to sleep. This was proving so much easier than I ever expected.

We went the following weekend. I had worked hard on my appearance. I was aiming for wife material, rather than stunning girlfriend, so I pulled my hair back into a pretty but unthreatening ponytail, toned down my make-up and opted for tight-fitting Capri pants with strappy nude sandals and a simple white T-shirt that clung in all the right places and was slightly transparent. Ben whistled as I emerged from the bedroom. ‘Oh my God, how do you manage to look so sexy without even trying?’

I almost laughed. If only he knew.

Nevertheless, my heart was pounding as we pulled up on the gravel driveway of his parents’ house in Suffolk. The house was pretty much as I expected – a handsome, Georgian sandstone, standing in vast, manicured grounds, with lakes and trees surrounding it. Ben looked at me shyly as we walked towards the front door, clearly trying to gauge my reaction. ‘Wow!’ I breathed dutifully. ‘It’s beautiful.’ Ben nodded, apparently satisfied with my level of awe.

His mum pulled open the heavy, grey painted front door. I was slightly taken aback by how attractive she was. Slim yet curvy, with shoulder-length blonde hair, expensively highlighted with caramel tones and her skin was tanned yet surprisingly unlined. Probably thanks to Botox, I thought meanly. Immediately, my eye was drawn to her bare feet, which were tiny with perfectly manicured toenails. My large, slightly mis-shapen feet were my Achilles heel and I felt a spike of jealousy at her good fortune. ‘Hello!’ she beamed, revealing straight, white teeth.

She was so much better looking than I had imagined that it threw me momentarily. ‘Hi!’ I managed, proffering the lilies I had bought, not from a supermarket as I would normally, but from a small independent florist near Ben’s flat. ‘I’m Bella.’