After a while he could hear her moving about on the first floor. It didn’t sound as if she was going to bed. Frikk decided to show his affection and put his head on Jack’s knee.

Jack stroked the soft ears. ‘You probably know what’s going on, don’t you?’ He sighed. ‘And I had such good news too. But you don’t care about that, do you?’ he said to the dog.

Ninni suddenly appeared in the doorway. She looked even paler than before. ‘I’m sorry, Jack, I should have told you right away, but I didn’t know how to.’

So she had been lying. Jack waited for the explanation with a bad feeling in his stomach.

Ninni hesitated for a second, then talked so fast he almost didn’t understand what she was saying. ‘I’m going back to Bergen. To move in with Karl.’

That was the last thing he had expected her to say. ‘I’m sorry?’

‘I’ve made up my mind. Our summer fling is over, Jack. It’s time to return to real life.’ Ninni looked down and he knew she was lying.

‘That’s rubbish,’ he said.

She smiled then – a sad smile that didn’t reach her eyes. ‘No, it’s not. It’s my decision. I hope you can respect that.’

Jack stayed seated. ‘I don’t believe you,’ he said and didn’t take his eyes off her. ‘For some reason you don’t want to tell me whatever is going on, and you’re feeding me this bullshit. I’m a big boy, Ninni. Don’t lie to me to spare my feelings. Tell me the truth. I deserve that much, don’t I?’

She folded her arms over her chest with an angry look on her face. ‘Fine,’ she snapped. ‘I’m pregnant and Karl is the father. That’s why he was here. Are you happy now?’

Jack felt as if someone had punched him hard in the stomach. He forced himself to talk slowly. ‘You’re pregnant? How do you know?’

Ninni shook her head. ‘I went to the doctor and got a test. That’s why I’ve been ill.’

He believed her. She wouldn’t lie about something like that. At least the truth was out. Jack frowned. ‘So you’re keeping the baby, right?’

‘Yes, I am. I had an abortion when I was seventeen, Jack. It was the right decision at that point; I had no business being anyone’s mum back then. And this time it’s the right decision to keep the baby. I called Karl, he came here and we talked.’

‘You called him? Asked him to come here?’ Jack tried to wrap his head around it, but it seemed too much.

‘Yes, I did. I want to do this right, Jack.’

Jack lifted a hand. ‘Let me get this straight. You’re pregnant with Karl’s child, and you’re going back to a man who cheated on both you and his wife? A man who has no moral qualms about lying to his wife and children. Why on earth would you do something so stupid?’