‘Paige, for God’s sake. Open this bloody door. By rights half of this flat is mine anyway, you know.’

That comment made my blood boil and it was all I could do to stop myself from wrenching the door open and shouting in his face. I’d used the scant inheritance I received from my parents to put the deposit down on this flat, and I’d managed to scrape together the mortgage payments even when Mike was taking most of my money. Thankfully, I’d set up a direct debit that went out as soon as my pay hit my account, so he never got the chance to get his hands on it. The deeds were in my name, and only mine, and that he had the audacity to suggest he should own half of it simply because he’d lived here for a while enraged me.

The thumps stopped, and I risked looking out of the peephole again. I couldn’t see him, which worried me – I knew better than to think he’d left.

The letterbox clattered open and I stepped back. He was sitting on the floor in front of the door, and his fingers snaked through as he sat there.

‘Paige, you need to listen to me.’ His voice was stern. ‘I know you’ve got some crazy idea in your head about me, but you have to remember you’re not always right. Sometimes you make mistakes. And this time you have definitely made a mistake. All I want is to talk to you, and now you’re making me sit outside like a complete idiot. Your neighbours are going to be really pissed off at you, Paige. You’ve made me shout, and I bet some of them have woken up and are wondering what the hell you think you’re doing.’

His voice sounded so reasonable, so plausible, and I remembered just how easily those words could snake their way into my subconscious and implant themselves there, ready for any moment of weakness. He didn’t have the same effect on me any more, however, and I just stood back from the door where he couldn’t see me and waited for him to give up.

What’s he saying? Anna asked.

I signed the basics and she shook her head in disgust. Does he really think that shit will work?