‘Yes, obviously. I just had to cover his face.’ Louisa couldn’t bear to look into those eyes anymore – eyes that had once been so hypnotic, now lifeless. She got back to her feet and snatched the shovel from Melissa’s hands. They both winced, the friction sending a burning sensation across their palms. ‘Sorry,’ Louisa muttered.

There was excess earth left over once they’d covered him. And one of them had to get back into the grave and flatten the loose earth.

Louisa hesitated.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll do it,’ Melissa said, immediately jumping back in.

Louisa watched numbly as Melissa walked back and forth in the six-foot hole, pressing the earth down with each small footstep. Then she told Louisa to throw in another shovel-load from the mound. This continued until the bottom of the grave looked flat.

Louisa pulled Melissa from the hole, using what little energy remained. She was so exhausted that despite the macabre surroundings, despite the knowledge of what had just taken place, Louisa was sure she could sleep right now, right there.

‘We’ve done it,’ Melissa said.

They helped each other up, and standing side by side at the edge of the grave, Louisa pointed the phone downwards. It looked good – the ground sufficiently compacted, no sign of a body that didn’t belong in there. A bubble of anger at everything she’d been put through erupted to the surface. How could Oliver have done this to her? The anger wasn’t entirely focused on him, though – Louisa was also angry about her own actions; then and now. But there’d been no other way, had there?

‘Claw your way back from that, Oliver,’ she whispered.

‘That’s the last time you’ll ever have to see that lying bastard. We’ve done everyone a favour.’ Melissa grabbed Louisa’s hand.

Guilt burned in her stomach, like acid was slowly eating through the layers. Melissa might be right, but who was she to decide someone’s fate?

‘What’s done is done, I guess,’ Louisa said. ‘We have to live with this.’ Like Oliver had lived with the knowledge he’d taken someone’s life, supposedly for love, if his dying words were to be believed.

Only he hadn’t managed to live with the guilt, had he? Will I?

‘Seriously, Louisa. This has to be the last time Oliver has any control over your life.’ She squeezed Louisa’s hand. ‘The last time you even think of him.’

‘Yes. The last time.’ Louisa closed her eyes, forcing the tears to remain in them. She couldn’t change what had happened, however much she’d like to. But if she was to have any kind of future now, after all this, she knew Melissa was right. Oliver had to be deleted from her mind. They re-covered the dug grave with the plastic sheeting and replaced the stones that had secured it there. ‘Let’s get out of here.’