You never came back for me.

Click. My hands shake as I read the last message.

I don’t want to die alone.

The cubicle starts to spin and my stomach clenches violently.

“Jane!” Chloe shouts. “Jane, are you being sick? Should I get Daddy?”

My hand is cold and clammy in Chloe’s grip as she drags me through the narrow school corridors. They ring with the sound of laughter, chatter and whining. Excitable children and harassed parents pass by me in a blur. My cheeks are burning, even though I splashed my face with cold water in the toilets, and my tongue is sour with the taste of cold sick.

“I can see Daddy!” We squeeze through the crowds at the entrance of the school and I gulp at the fresh air.

“Daddy!” Chloe raises a hand and waves as she leads me through the playground. “Daddy, Jane’s been sick. Oh, there’s Mummy! Mummy!”

I try to pull away as a tall, slim woman wearing a knee-length red skirt, black boots and black leather jacket turns at the sound of Chloe’s voice, but it’s too late. She raises a hand in greeting then looks me up and down. I pull at the hem of my navy polo shirt beneath my waterproof, suddenly aware that I’m still in my work clothes.

“Hello, darling!” Sara crouches down and opens her arms, then looks up at me as Chloe releases my hand and rushes to hug her. “You must be Jane. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Will, standing by her side, shifts his weight from one foot to the other.

“Jane was sick,” Chloe says, extricating herself from her mother’s embrace. “I heard her puking in the toilets.”

“Chloe, don’t embarrass Jane.” Sara shoots me an apologetic look. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I …” I press a hand to my stomach. “It must be something I ate.”

“You do look very pale.” Will reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. “Here” – he hands Chloe a five pound note – “go and get Jane a bottle of water.”

“Okay.” She takes the money and skips off across the playground, disappearing into a crowd of children surrounding the refreshment stand.

“Sorry.” Sara holds out her right hand. “Will isn’t very good at introductions, so I’ll do it, shall I? I’m Sara.”

I take her hand. She has a surprisingly strong grip. “Jane.”

“Chloe’s told me ever so much about you. She couldn’t sleep last night, she was so excited about going to your sanctuary.”

“Yes, Will said.”

Sara glances at him and smiles tightly. “Of course. So …” She looks me up and down again. “Are you back off to work after this?”

“No, I’ve finished for the day.”

“Do you often work Saturdays?”

“Occasionally, it depends on the rota.”

“Of course.”

“Sara’s an HR Manager,” Will says, a little too loudly. “She works for BT.”