Melanie nodded. ‘Tell me about it. Whenever I talked to Lawrence, he never said anything personal. He always had a story about some deal he’d pulled off, how he was negotiating with big-time CEOs, presidents of companies, top government officials. He was never just any old businessman doing his job.’

‘He used to talk about world events, politics, and his take on things,’ Grace said. ‘At some point I started to go, wait a minute, that doesn’t sound right. I wasn’t allowed to have an opinion that didn’t accord with his. And I found I had to fact-check him.’ She laughed. ‘Not that I would dare correct him; it wasn’t worth the argument. But it just kept reality in my head and proved to me that Lawrence’s interpretation of the world wasn’t necessarily the true one.’

‘He snowed you. Everyone, actually. He still does.’

Grace shrugged. ‘Let’s stop talking about him. I feel like more and more of an idiot the more I think about it.’ She slapped her head in mock fury. ‘How could I not have seen through him?’

‘Because he’s devious, clever, manipulative and a con,’ said Melanie bluntly. ‘And, Grace, my dear friend, it’s not going to be easy to separate from him,’ she added quietly.

‘It’s done. I’m going to stay at Mum’s place for now. I know there’s a mess financially. But it’s over.’

Melanie didn’t answer for a moment. ‘I hope so. For your sake. And poor Daisy.’

‘What do you mean, poor Daisy?’ said Grace quickly.

‘He’ll always have a claim on her. Legally,’ said Melanie. ‘He’ll always be in your life because of Daisy.’

‘Yes, I know. She loves him, like a little child should love her dad,’ Grace said, quietly. ‘So for her sake, I guess I’ll have to make sure he’s always part of our family, no matter how difficult that will be for me.’

‘You’re right. He’ll be in your life at least until Daisy is sixteen, I suppose, and probably forever to some degree. Be careful, Gracie. I suspect he won’t make anything easy for you.’

‘What makes you such an expert?’ said Grace, a bit snippily. Melanie’s words unsettled her.

‘Hey, I did a psych course, remember. I wrote a paper on narcissists.’

‘Is that what Lawrence is? Far out. You’d better tell me all about it.’ Grace spoke flippantly but she didn’t like Mel’s serious expression.

‘I’ll just say this. You’re my friend. If you are truly sure you want to leave Lawrence, then get out. He knows everything about you, your family, all your personal stuff. He knows your abilities, strengths and weaknesses. He’s vindictive and he knows how to manipulate people. You know that already, even if you haven’t fully admitted it.’

They drove in silence for a moment. Then Grace tried to lighten the mood. ‘So. No more Mr Nice Guy?’

‘You or him?’

‘Me.’

‘No. That’s your trouble. You’re a woman. You want things to be nice; we all do. To co-parent and still be friends. But I’m afraid you’re going to have to walk out that door without a backward glance. Talk to your lawyer. Avoid contact.’