My heart pumped and I gripped Max’s arm. I felt his hand on my leg, pushing me behind him. Eleanor swore again then stumbled to the table and began rifling through the mess of plates and glasses, half-eaten food and bottles. With an air of triumph she snatched something up, turned towards us, her face wild.

It was the knife. The one she’d used to cut the man’s underwear off before they threw him in the pool at her party.

Max swore. Then stepped towards her. ‘Eleanor—’

‘She’s a little whore,’ she spat. Her savage words made me flinch and I stepped closer to Max again.

‘That’s enough now,’ he said.

‘You lied!’

‘I didn’t lie.’ His voice was calm and level like someone in a film talking someone off the roof of a tower block.

‘You said you weren’t fucking her!’ As she spoke she brandished the knife at me. ‘Yet here you are. Right in front of my eyes. But you still try and tell me nothing’s going on? Do you really think I’m that stupid?’

I held on to Max. Though his clothes were sodden his body was warm through his cotton shirt where we touched.

‘Put the knife down,’ Max said. ‘Eleanor. Listen to me. Put the knife down and I’ll—’

‘You’ll what? She’s got no fucking clothes on. I saw you kiss her.’

‘I didn’t kiss her.’ His voice began to lose its cool. Raising incrementally as his frustrations grew. ‘She’s had a traumatic time. She was in trouble in the water—’

Her face twisted as rage continued to consume her. ‘So traumatised she was able to laugh? You think I was born yesterday?’

‘He didn’t do anything,’ I whispered.

‘Excuse me?’ Her anger burned into me.

‘It was… I was… upset. But my grandad… He’s okay…’

‘Upset?’

I eyed the knife as she waved it chaotically. Her hair was mussed up and her eyes rolled and even from where I was I could smell the fumes coming off her. How different she was from the woman I envied through my binoculars. How fake life can be. Lies suffocating truths every moment of every day.

I glanced up at the spot where I watched from the cliff and saw two birds circling. They were silhouetted against the sun and it was impossible to tell what they were. It was then my brother burst out of the house and onto the terrace.

‘Jago!’ I cried. I wanted to break from Max and run to my brother but I was too scared of Eleanor to move.

‘Tam, are you okay?’ Though he spoke to me he stared at Eleanor.

‘Eleanor,’ Max said. ‘Please, this is madness. Put the knife down.’