‘Spencer?’ she said in a croaky voice. ‘Is that you? Please let it be you.’ She started to cry. ‘I have so much I want to say…’

For a long time, there was nothing but silence. No voice. Not even the sound of someone breathing – which, in a rather morbid way, made sense – but she felt a presence. Someone was there. Someone was listening.

And so she started to speak. She began to say everything that had been boiling up inside her for two years, ten months and twenty-two days.

‘Spencer, it’s me…’ She broke off, unable to carry on because her throat was so tight, and she had to concentrate on getting the next words out. ‘I love you, Spencer. I know you always laughed at the idea of soul mates, but you were mine. You are mine. And I miss you so much… Sometimes, I feel as if I’m never going to feel normal again. Strike that, because I feel that way all the time. And how could I go back to normal without you, anyway? I’m not sure how I go on living and breathing without you as it is.’

A sudden wave of emotion hit her. Not something crashing over her from the outside, but something rising up from within.

‘And I’m angry with you for that! I’m cross that you left me here alone, like it’s some big joke. Like you’re going to jump out from behind a corner and shout: “Only kidding!” But it’s not funny anymore, Spencer! It’s just not funny. So stop it, you hear me? Stop it. Because I want you back.’ She hiccupped in a breath and then let out a sob. Her voice dropped to a whisper. ‘Please come back.’

No reply.

Gluey tears had collected under her lashes and she wiped them away with her hands. ‘Please talk to me.’ She waited. Seconds ground past. Still there was no response on the other end of the line, but she could feel him there. She really could.

‘Spencer?’ she eventually said. It felt as if she was tiptoeing beyond the edges of life, of what was real. Maybe the rules were different there. Maybe she shouldn’t take some things for granted. ‘Can you hear me? Do you even remember me? It’s Anna…’

Please, she whispered silently, not knowing if she was appealing to Spencer or God, or the night around her. Please, let there be someone there. I feel so alone.

She waited for him to say her name, waited for him to say it in that soft, sexy way he always had when he’d picked up one of her calls, as if he had a special smile just for her. Anna, he’d say, and he’d load that one word with everything he felt for her. He wouldn’t have even needed to tell her he loved her each day, even though he always had. Just hearing her name on his lips would have been enough.

And then it happened. What she’d been waiting for happened.