‘I work too much, and I’m feeling like shit about it,’ Yvonne says. I am grateful for the attention to be on someone else. She is a lawyer. She quickly realised having an art degree was utterly pointless and retrained after Falmouth. I’ve always been quite impressed by that. It sounds boring as hell but the level of study is extraordinary, and I think it’s brilliant that anyone should achieve such a qualification without giving up. She’s a clever woman, and maybe my favourite out of the three. Jess works for a women’s health charity, while Sarah does something in the arts that is never clear to me no matter how much she explains it. She doesn’t make art or sell it, but by the time she’s explained that far I’ve usually switched off.

‘I’m actually thinking about going freelance; getting out of the grind, taking on less clients, spending more time with the kids,’ Yvonne says, as Sarah and Jess nod. I join in for show. ‘They’ll have grown up before we know it,’ Yvonne continues. ‘And I’ll look back on these years knowing I missed most of it because I worked so much. I don’t want to feel that way.’

‘You have to follow your heart,’ Sarah says, offering nothing but a cliché.

‘I think it’s good to be a busy working mum,’ I say. ‘Sets a good example.’

‘I agree,’ Yvonne says. ‘But I feel distant from the kids. It makes me …’ She sets her glass down and puts her hand to her face. She is crying. The other women lay hands on her body, Jess leans in to hug her. I remain still.

‘You’re a fantastic mum,’ Jess says. ‘And Ruby’s right, it’s good that your kids see you as a working woman. Providing for your family.’

‘I know, I know. Sorry Ruby, I know this was supposed to be about you—’ blubs Yvonne, nodding and crying. ‘It’s just that when they run to Daddy, and don’t come to me with their problems, or when they hurt themselves … I’ll always blame it on the fact I don’t see them from Monday to Friday, you know? Rob picks them up every day. By the time I get home they are in bed. It’s not what I want anymore. I feel like I’m serving myself and failing my children.’

‘Then you must do what makes you happy. If you think you can do it freelance, then do it,’ says Sarah.

I’m quite surprised. I’ve not seen this side of Yvonne before. She always seems to have it so together these days. I’ve always been a little jealous, to be honest. We actually share the same feelings, in a way. Liam’s relationship with Bonnie is very upsetting for me. I never considered that my issues could apply to other women too.