I wince and am about to shout out, but Patrick quickly steps between them, both arms outstretched pressing against their chests to keep them apart. ‘Don’t do it, Nicholas,’ he yells. ‘There’ll be time enough for that. We have other things to discuss. Leave it for now. Come on, we have to go somewhere else.’

‘Fine,’ Nick spits, backing away from his brother. My heart breaks. Will Nick ever forgive him? Me? ‘Well, my flat isn’t feasible, and neither is your apartment in the complex, Mum,’ Nick says, caustically. He starts to pace again. ‘So, if we can’t go home, where can we go?’

No one speaks for the moment. I watch Amber; she’s barely uttered a word since finding out Richard is Tim, her husband’s brother. Shell-shocked is all I can describe her as right now. What on earth was Tim playing at seeking her out? I knew there was something wrong with this Richard – the whole “meeting on the internet” thing rang alarm bells right off the bat. And then his reluctance to meet me or Nick added to my mistrust. But I didn’t expect this. To risk coming back to Stockwood is ridiculous. As wonderful as it is to see my son again – to finally be able to acknowledge he’s alive and well – turning up like this is falling right into their hands. It’s the most dangerous move he could make.

‘No,’ Patrick says, shaking his head. ‘It has to be the house at Apple Grove. I need to see it.’

‘It’s just a house,’ Nick says. ‘What are you expecting to see, exactly?’

Patrick looks to Tim, then sighs. He doesn’t add anything further. It’s Tim who speaks now.

‘He wants to see where it all started,’ he says quietly.

All heads turn to Tim.

‘Tim. No,’ I say, moving towards him. He lays a hand on my shoulder and gives me a look which I read as “it’s time”. I close my eyes. I can’t control this anymore. Tim and Nick are no longer naive children.

Beside me, I hear Nick suck in a ragged breath. ‘Fine,’ he says. ‘There can’t possibly be anything more shocking than this … this bloody reveal, surely to God. Right, me and Tim will search the house for bugs, spyware and whatever, then we can sort this shit out.’

‘How long will that take?’ I ask. ‘Can’t we do it tomorrow? I’m so tired now.’ I’m not ready to handle more tonight; can’t bear to see the further hurt and anguish on Nick’s face when the past catches up with us. I want to put it off for as long as I possibly can.

‘No, it has to be now,’ Patrick says, firmly. ‘There’s no telling where you two will disappear to overnight.’ He jabs a finger towards me and Tim.