“You’re wearing a posh new green dress,” Jake said, exasperated.

“It cost a lot less than a twenty-thousand-pound marketing plan.”

Jake hesitated. “I’ve already called the bank to sort things out.”

“How?”

“Um, a loan.”

Fury surged through Liv’s system. She slapped her hand to her forehead. “That’s not the right way, and we can’t afford to throw twenty thousand away on branding and coffee table books. We need to get the basics right with the business. Katrina’s head is in the clouds.”

“I didn’t realize it would cost so much. Those branding guys could sell ice lollies in the Antarctic.”

Liv didn’t laugh. “Why do you always let her get her own way?”

He ran his tongue around inside his mouth and let out a defeated sigh. He seemed to turn something over in his head before he spoke. “I promised her I’d never utter a word...”

“About what? You need to start talking.”

He nodded, his voice turning gravelly. “Before you and I met, Katrina was going to get married. She spent thousands on a fancy white dress, booked a big country house, and invited all her friends and our family. But her fiancé didn’t show up on the day. He left her standing at the altar. It was bloody awful. Katrina took on a huge debt for their wedding and is probably still paying it off. Mum and Dad insisted she move back home with them. They fussed over her and she’s got used to it. She always thinks she’s right. Being let down like that really changed her. She always wanted to have kids, but couldn’t trust anyone after what happened.”

Liv understood how adverse events could upend your life. The repercussions from her childhood always floated around her like embers from a fire. It wasn’t an excuse to be ignorant. “Katrina refused to listen to my ideas,” she said.

“She’s suspicious about anyone outside of the family.”

“We’ve been married for over twenty years.” Liv threw up her hands. “What did the bank say?”

“They looked through the company’s books. Paperpress’s income has dwindled greatly, and there’s not many tangible assets in the business. We need to secure collateral against something else...” His words petered out.

Liv’s stomach swilled. She felt like throwing up. “Not...our house?”

The way his eyes dropped told her she was right.

“Y-you can’t do that,” she stuttered.

He dug a hand into his pocket. “It’s my name on the mortgage.”

Liv clenched her fists so tightly her fingernails dug into her palms. “I can’t believe you just said that. It’s been our house for two decades. What will happen if the business fails?”

“It won’t.”

“We could lose our home.”

“Sorry,” he said quickly. “It was a stupid thing to say. I’m really knackered.”