He’d sat outside before going to bed. He could hear the dull murmur of voices from inside the homestead, and not wanting to eavesdrop he’d stood up and walked down the steps to gaze up at the enormous sky above him. The full moon hadn’t risen yet and the dark sky lay with such a dense carpet of stars, swirls and stick figures of constellations. To the left of his unobstructed view, the glorious Milky Way cut a swathe across the sky like a silver cloud. Even the occasional taunting flicker of a shooting star zipping past and extinguishing out of the corner of his eye seemed fitting in this moment.

Like Ava. A bright star who’d appeared in his world and then was gone.

In the night hours, the brief snatches of sleep Zac managed were filled with the worst of dreams. He was cold, freezing cold, and he could hear a woman’s screams. Somewhere. In smoke. He couldn’t find her. He ran this way and that as he searched for her, but the cries didn’t seem any closer. He had to find her before something terrible happened, something he’d never survive, but then it was too late. Her screams were cut off and he sat bolt upright in bed.

The light from the moon shone into the room at a low angle – it must be setting. It was nearly morning, reminding him where he was and that he’d be leaving today. Leaving Ava to heal the heart, which he could now see he’d broken.

His hand shook as he reached across and took a sip of water to clear the ache in his throat. When he sat on the edge of the bed, his heart pounded in his chest.

Ava was the key. He still believed she could help him remember, but at what cost to her? He’d never felt closer to seeing past the block than he had yesterday, but he’d also seen the toll it had taken on the woman trying to help him.

Because she’d confirmed they’d been lovers, he had more questions. How had he begun a relationship so soon after Roslyn? Why hadn’t he stopped it? How long had it been going on for? He’d only been in Alice Springs a week. How could he not remember that? How had he come to the point where they’d slept together?

He massaged his scalp with tense fingers. If they had been lovers, surely they’d taken precautions? What if they’d made plans he didn’t remember? That would explain her persistence in bringing him here. These were all very serious questions that he should have asked, but it all came back to what had possessed him. Possessed him to become involved when he was transient, when he’d already royally screwed up one marriage with far more chance of success than this balls-up.