‘I know this might sound …’ I struggle to find the right word. ‘It might sound a bit mad. But I have a terrible feeling, Nick.’ I stop to take a breath; I’m not doing it to create a dramatic pause, it’s because I’m scared to vocalise it. I’m putting off saying it out loud to my soon-to-be ex-husband because I don’t want him to think I can’t cope without him. And if Richard lived close by, it would be him I was calling now. But he doesn’t. And Nick’s a cop, so in this kind of situation, he’s the one I have most confidence in.

‘Go on,’ Nick says. He sounds impatient.

‘There’s someone in the house, Nick. I think they’ve been hiding themselves in there since Sunday.’ I hold my breath again after I deliver the words.

‘Where are you now?’

‘Outside, in my car.’

‘Don’t go back in. Walk to get the boys, then go to the park. I’ll pick you up from there. I’m on my way now.’ He ends the call.

‘Thank you, Nick,’ I say breathlessly into the silent phone.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Amber

Finley and Leo are excited to be going straight from school to the park – and even more excited that their dad is going to be picking us up. They’ve taken the change in our circumstances remarkably well, I think. Maybe it’s because they weren’t used to seeing Nick a great deal anyway, due to his working hours. And, despite any bad feeling on my side about Nick’s “illicit encounter” with his work colleague, the key focus moving forwards has always been how to minimise the impact of our separation on the boys. Of course, the fact I’m planning on moving away from the area, as well as bringing a new man into their lives, will be tricky to manage. Another transition Finley and Leo will need to make. How Nick and I deal with the situation and each other now will be an important basis for how the boys will cope with what’s to come.

‘Is he staying for tea?’

‘Is he taking us to Maccies?’

‘Are you coming too, Mum?’

I let them gabble out their questions one after another, then when their excitement abates, try to let them down gently.

‘He’s popping in to see you; it might not be for long,’ I say.

‘Is it a spur-of-the-moment thing again then?’ Finley asks, a hint of disappointment in his voice. It’s something I often tell him if Nick makes fleeting visits. I smile at him – he always remembers such sayings and stores them away for future reference; he makes me laugh.

‘Yes. I think he had a slow day at work and finished early, so wanted to take the opportunity to see his boys.’