A dead ringtone followed before Sarah could reply.

‘Are you sure about this?’

Sarah glowered as her husband spoke. She should bill him for Botox because he had aged her horrendously – she felt a hell of a lot older than her forty years.

‘I mean … are you sure you’re ready?’ he continued. ‘Look what happened last time.’

‘That was down to you.’ Sarah ground her teeth as she broke her vow of silence. David knew how to push her buttons when it came to work. Heading back into the living room, she almost tripped over an empty pizza box. She really should clean this place up.

‘It’s long hours,’ David continued in a patronising tone. ‘You’ll get no thanks for it.’

‘I’m on restricted duties,’ Sarah snapped. ‘I won’t be doing much.’ It was a shitty way to resume her new role. But it did mean regular hours and not taking on more than she could handle until she was cleared. Her husband knew all of this, given his years of experience in the police. Such jobs were fine for the boys, not for the little missus at home. She sighed. Perhaps he was right.

‘The world’s a dangerous place,’ he continued, determined to drive his point home.

‘You think I don’t know that?’ Exasperated, Sarah threw her hands in the air. ‘I know what the world is, and I know what you are. You made this happen and now I’m paying the price. So, do me a favour and keep your bloody opinions to yourself.’

It was true. She’d lost the respect of her colleagues before she’d even begun. Marching down the hall, she walked into her bedroom and slammed the door. This was the one space in the house where David left her alone. Their marriage had long since broken down, but he still popped in on occasion to tell her what to do. Despite her best efforts, she let him. What was wrong with her?

The bed bounced as she sat, making a rusty ew-aw noise. Its springs were the old-fashioned sort, which groaned loudly when she turned in the night. Buying a new bed was also on her checklist of things to do. She slid open the top drawer of her bedside table and fetched a deep sigh. Picking up her ID card, she rubbed her thumb against the picture that had been taken when she was a recruit. She was the oldest person in her intake, and right now, she felt like the least confident. David was simply vocalising what had been in her head all along.