She was certainly struggling with the concept right now. She couldn’t even trust herself. Having resisted the urge to text or message Oliver on Facebook, Louisa now knew she would have to see him again. Her earlier thought about backing off, not letting him in the house, had been premature. There were things she needed to know first – things only Oliver could tell her. If she got answers to her questions, then she could begin the cooling-off period. Then she would shut Oliver out of their lives entirely. He didn’t belong there.

As Louisa let her head fall back, her own eyes closing, she mulled over the questions she wanted to ask Oliver:

Why was he at Tiff’s?

Why couldn’t she find any record of the missing woman she’d hit in the lanes?

Why had he come back after all this time?

Where was Melissa the night of the party?

Louisa let her thoughts drift. If it wasn’t for the police involvement, she would be questioning whether Melissa Dunmore even existed, or whether she was merely a figment of Oliver’s imagination. Louisa wished she knew more: what the police had discovered, what Melissa’s family were saying about her disappearance, where they thought she might be. She was obviously a real person, and Oliver must have evidence of their marriage, but there were aspects of this whole thing that didn’t add up. Like it was all a carefully planned ruse.

But to what end?

Usually, she considered, the people who duped others into thinking they’d disappeared and died were those trying to defraud their life insurance policies – like the man who’d staged his death during a canoeing trip, and despite his body not being found, his wife successfully claimed on his life insurance. He’d later turned up at a police station claiming memory loss, but it went on to be proven that he and his wife had obtained the pay-out by deception and they had both been jailed.

Could that be Oliver’s plan? Melissa was actually safe and well somewhere awaiting her share of the insurance money? Louisa’s tired mind was running through ridiculous scenarios now, but they kept coming – she seemed powerless to stop them. But, in the end, none of them held water. Apart from one.

The one where Oliver had killed Melissa, disposed of her body – possibly in the same place he’d got rid of the other woman’s – and then tried to give himself an alibi by being at Louisa’s party.

‘Hey, Mum.’

Louisa’s eyes flew open and she jerked upright. ‘Oh, Emily. What time is it?’

‘Just after six, sorry to wake you, but you don’t look comfortable and Noah’s slipping off your lap.’

She was astounded how she’d fallen asleep like that. Louisa watched, her eyes cloudy and unfocused, as Emily took Noah from her.