My heart in my mouth, I quietly took off my shoes then crept back to look through the peephole. Mike was leaning against the wall opposite, and as I watched he aimed a kick at the lock. I stepped back just in time, as the whole door shook.

There was a movement beside me and I jumped; Anna had woken up, and she must have felt the vibrations from Mike’s assault on the door.

What the hell’s going on? she asked, rubbing her eyes.

Mike’s outside, I told her.

In the street again? she asked.

No, right outside the door. He was here when I got home, but I don’t know how he got into the building.

She moved past me, towards the door, and looked through the peephole.

What does he want?

God knows, I replied. I don’t know if he wants to try and talk me into going out with him again, or if he just wants to have a go at me. I doubt he knows, to be honest. He’s drunk, I added, not that it excused any of his behaviour.

From memory, I knew Mike was his most erratic when drunk. You never knew from one moment to the next if he was going to shout at you or cuddle you, if he was going to come out with some great romantic gesture or tell you a long list of everything that was wrong with you, that you were lucky he put up with you because nobody else would ever want you.

‘Please open the door, Paige.’ Mike’s sorrowful voice drifted through the letterbox. ‘I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry for not listening to you, and for not asking when I could come round, but I didn’t think you’d want me here.’

‘Why did you come, then?’ I asked, sitting down next to the door so I could talk to him.

‘I thought it’d be a nice surprise.’

I paused, wondering whether or not to believe him. Did he really think I’d be pleased to see him? Was he that deluded? Looking up at Anna, I interpreted what Mike had said, and she rolled her eyes in disgust. For a moment I almost defended him, then I stopped. What was I doing, making excuses for this man? Just because he’d given me one token apology that didn’t excuse what he was doing.

‘If you go home now, we can forget this ever happened,’ I said.

‘I don’t want to go home. I want to talk to you. The least you can do is let me in. Don’t make me sit out here.’

I took a deep breath. ‘If you don’t go home, I’m going to call the police.’