Maureen and Patrick stand beside the grave until the crowds disperse and people finish telling them that the service had been ‘lovely’ and ‘fitting’ and ‘beautiful’ and all the other adjectives that people hope will make grief that much easier to bear. In truth, what it takes most of all is time, and haven’t Maureen and Patrick had enough of that already? But their grief starts again at day zero, now they have finally laid their daughter to rest.

Most people are heading for the wake, but Maureen and Patrick understandably want to have the last few moments alone with their daughter.

‘Are you sure you’ll be OK?’ Chloe asks Maureen.

She nods. ‘I’ve got Patrick,’ she says, squeezing his arm underneath hers. ‘I just feel that I need to be near her, you know? After all that time that she had to lie there alone, I just need to make sure she’s truly rested now.’

‘Of course,’ Chloe says, planting a kiss on Maureen’s cheek. ‘Take as long as you need. I’ll see you at the wake.’

She slips her hand from Maureen’s, the first time that morning.

‘Thank you, Chloe,’ Maureen says. ‘Not just for today but all these days. You’ve been my rock. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.’

Patrick smiles from behind her shoulder, and reaches out a hand to Chloe’s arm.

Chloe leaves them with Angie, assuring them she will get a lift to the wake with one of the other mourners.

‘I’m sorry we can’t come with you, Chloe,’ Hollie says. ‘But we’ve both got to get back to work.’

‘It’s OK,’ Chloe says. ‘Thank you for coming, both of you.’

Hollie wraps her in a hug. ‘Remember, you’re never alone,’ she says. ‘You’re as good as family to me and Phil. You’ve always got us.’

Chloe breaks away and nods. ‘Thank you,’ she says.

‘Are you going to walk out with us?’ Hollie asks. ‘We could drop you off at the wake?’

‘It’s OK,’ Chloe says. ‘I want to take a little time here . . .’

Hollie nods. It’s not necessary for Chloe to explain herself to her friend. She has been there from the start, after all. She knows all her secrets. She just hopes that one day there will be fewer of them to keep. Chloe has felt the same, of course, each time she has hoped that this would be the one, that she would finally be content. She is as disappointed as anyone that her life has worked out this way.

Chloe waits until the very last of the mourners have filed out of the cemetery and then heads towards what would appear to be the wrong way out. She has one other thing she needs to do first.