‘No.’ He shakes his head, genuinely confused, then the mist seems to clear. ‘Oh, I get it. You think I’m having a dig? I’m seriously not. Ask Caroline. She said there’d be no way she’d let a young woman live with us, wandering about in a towel and so on.’

‘And you agree with her, do you?’

‘Yeah—’ He stops abruptly as he realizes what he’s just said.

‘Well, if you can’t trust yourself …’ I leave the sentence hanging and smile sweetly as I get up from my chair. ‘Do you know what, Stephen? I think perhaps I made a mistake coming in today. I’m not ready to go back to work just yet. I need to be with my family and I’ve got a mountain of laundry to wash. I think Kira had a shower this morning. I’d better get her towel in the machine before I catch Mark sniffing it.’

I stroll across the office, reach for the door handle, then turn back. ‘Bye, then!’

Stephen doesn’t reply. He’s slouched back in his seat, gawping at me, his mouth a perfectly formed ‘o’.

I slip into the car and take my phone from my bag. I can’t believe I ever sided with Stephen over my own husband. Mark always said Stephen was jealous of him and I thought it was his ego speaking. But Mark was right. For Stephen to keep taking pot shots at him, this long after their argument, and with Billy missing too, he must be seriously screwed up. I won’t let him draw me in. Not any more.

My thumb slides across the screen as I tap out a text.

Mark. I’m sorry. Going into work was a mistake. Can we talk when you come home tonight? Maybe go out for dinner, or to the pub?

I’m just about to start the engine when the phone bleeps in my hand. But the text isn’t from Mark, it’s an answerphone message. I must have missed a call when I turned my phone to silent before I went in to work.

‘This is a message for Mrs Claire Wilkinson. This is Hartfield Road Surgery, just ringing to let you know that your test results are in. If you could give us a ring back on—’

I stab my index finger onto the green phone icon to return the call.

‘Hello, this is Claire Wilkinson. I’m ringing about my test results. Yes, I’ll hold …’

Chapter 18

‘Cheers, son,’ Mark says as Jake picks up his empty dinner plate from the table beside his armchair and adds it to the pile of dirty dishes he’s carrying.