For seven days solid, Liv wrote around the clock. She nibbled on dried cereal and typed as soon as the sun rose, and until it set. She fell asleep at the writing desk and crawled into bed when she woke in the night, shivering and cold. She asked Jake to keep away so she wouldn’t be distracted.

The end of Georgia’s story spilled out of her, and it was the one she wanted to tell.

When she eventually typed “The End” to the book, Liv burst into tears. They streamed down her face, for the loss of her dad, and Essie, and at finally saying goodbye to Georgia. The heroine had been with her through thick and thin for thirty years. Liv had sometimes felt as if her life depended on her. But not any longer. She was now her own woman.

She wiped her face with her sleeves and sat back in her chair. She imagined her dad’s hand resting gently on her shoulder. “Well done, sweet pea,” he said. “I’m proud of you.”

She was proud of herself, too. She suddenly felt lighter than she’d done in months, as if she’d thrown off a heavy cloak exposing her skin to sunlight. She didn’t need cherubs or trumpets or a new swimsuit to make her feel this way. She had the love of her family.

Liv might not have gone to university or dated around. If things had been different she might not have met Jake, nor had Mack and Johnny either. Maybe Essie was indirectly responsible for the way her life panned out, setting actions in motion the author could never have imagined or stopped. But Liv was in charge of how they progressed from here.

She now knew she wanted to work on things with Jake. Whatever happened, Liv wouldn’t trade the life they’d had, or were going to have, for anything.

Inheriting the flat might mean she could start a new career and cast her financial worries aside. She didn’t want bitterness, regret or anger marring her future.

She had to find it in her heart to forgive Essie, so she could move on. Just like Georgia Rory.

Liv called Jake and told him she would be coming home, but not just yet.

Liv hunched her shoulders as she walked along the path to her mum’s house. The sky was dimming, turning blue to navy. The stars were coming out and the moon was a silver crescent. Halloween pumpkins flickered in doorways and windows displayed spiders, ghosts and cobwebs.

“It’s only me,” she called out, her voice already shaking. What should she tell her mum about Essie? She took a couple of minutes to stand in the hallway, taking a few deep breaths to quell the worry squeezing her lungs.

“Hiya,” Carol said. She frowned when she saw Liv’s rounded posture. “What’s wrong, love? It’s late.”