Emily sighed loudly. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t know. I thought I was doing something good, to make up for being a total bitch to you lately. But I knew, deep down, it would make things worse if you woke up and he wasn’t in his cot. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Mum.’

‘Oh, Emms.’ Louisa inched forward in the chair, balancing Noah as she stood. She placed him in the cot, hoping he’d be quiet for long enough to give her some time with Emily. ‘Come here,’ she said, her arms held out to Emily. Emily got up and went to her mum. Louisa embraced her, stroking Emily’s hair. ‘It’s been a huge change, having Noah, for all of us. I know I’m the one whose behaviour has altered the most, and I’m so sorry, love.’

‘No, don’t blame yourself, Mum. Me and Dad could do more to help.’

Louisa gave a small laugh. ‘Well, I wouldn’t say no to that, obviously. But it’s not for you to feel responsible – you’ve got enough going on just being a teenager.’

Emily laughed, but as she pulled out from Louisa’s arms, tears were bubbling at her lower lids. ‘I kinda like Oliver, Mum. He was nice to me yesterday, seemed really concerned I was out on my own with Noah.’

‘Yeah? That’s good,’ Louisa said, although she wasn’t comfortable with where this might be going. ‘Where was he when he saw you?’

‘Just at the end of our road, in the car. He was parked by the trees,’ she said.

Louisa narrowed her eyes. Being parked within sight of their house that early in the morning was very odd. ‘And he got out of the car when he saw you?’

‘Yeah. I was walking the opposite way, but he caught up with me. Scared me half to death when he came running up behind me. But he was just worried, he said.’

‘Worried about you being on your own?’

‘Yeah, especially the fact I was out alone that early. He said the roads were practically empty, no one about. Said he wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to me, like it had to Melissa.’

Louisa’s breath caught in her throat. Maybe she was taking a massive leap in the wrong direction – her head was telling her she was, but her instinct was on high alert. To her, that sounded more like a threat. To her, it sounded as though Oliver had done something bad to Melissa, and if Emily wasn’t careful, the same fate would come to her.

‘Did he say anything else?’ Her voice shook. She hoped Emily wouldn’t pick up on it.

‘Oh, we chatted a lot as we walked. Went down past Tiff’s and up near the common.’

‘Jesus, Emily!’

‘What?’