What if her plan all along was to get her and Oliver together so she could punish them both at the same time?

She shouldn’t go. The best thing would be to leave well alone. She should go to her parents’, join in on the takeaway evening instead.

But at the same time, she wanted to see Oliver’s face, wanted to hear Melissa’s rage hit him full force. She wanted to hear his side of the story; find out why he’d purposely sought out the sister of the woman Louisa had hit in the lanes, years after it’d happened. The thought he’d done that – gone as far as to marry her, too – made her skin crawl. Oliver really wasn’t who she’d thought he was. He’d lied to Melissa. Lied to Louisa. Lied to everyone. Melissa was right: he’d be unlikely to be found guilty of Helen’s murder – unless her remains were found. And Melissa understandably believed he shouldn’t get away with it. Louisa knew if she could help that process a bit, she had to take that opportunity. And besides, she’d told Melissa she’d do it now, so she owed her. Justice for Helen, for her family, had to prevail.

Was the truth, and confronting Oliver, justice enough for Melissa though?

The evening was crisp, and Louisa pulled her black mac tightly around her to keep the chilly air from sneaking through the gaps. She set off at a brisk pace, but slowed as she passed the church, an ache causing her to clutch her tummy. Tiff’s funeral was tomorrow – she’d already seen the plot that had been dug in preparation when she’d walked through the churchyard with Noah. Was that yesterday, or the day before? She’d lost track.

All she knew was she wasn’t ready for it; it seemed too soon to be burying her friend. But it’s what her parents wanted – Shirley had said she needed to get that part over with, so they could begin the grieving process properly. The newly dug grave was against the far wall of the churchyard, next to the meadow that stretched on for acres and backed onto Tiff’s house. Her final resting place would be next to one of the oldest graves in the cemetery. A lovely spot, if there was such a thing in a graveyard – under one of the two huge oak trees. Tiff would have been happy with that. The reality had hit Louisa when she’d seen it, though – the hole in the ground signifying the end. The end of Tiff. The end of their friendship.