He nods before turning to Sienna. ‘Hi.’

‘Hi, Jackson. How are you doing?’ It surprises her how pleased she is to see him, and she wonders if she’s ever felt that before. Now, though, she feels a flood of emotion for Greg’s son, for what this must be doing to him. Sienna is tempted to hug him, but she stops herself; he’s still a teenage boy and it’s probably the last thing he wants.

‘Did you finish your homework?’ Holly asks.

‘Yeah. It didn’t take me long. It was easy.’

Greg is always talking about how academic Jackson is, and she can picture his face now, the way he beams with pride whenever he mentions something Jackson has done. Sienna’s taken it all for granted before, these snippets of conversation about Greg’s son. She hasn’t tried hard enough to bond with Jackson. She needs to put that right.

They don’t speak about Greg while they’re eating, and Sienna senses this is what Holly wants in order to protect her son. When his name does come up, it is Jackson who mentions him.

‘I miss Dad,’ he says, placing down his fork. His plate is still full; all he’s done is shovel food from one side to another.

Holly opens her mouth to speak but Sienna beats her to it. ‘I know it’s so hard right now, Jackson. And I miss him so much too.’ Even though Greg has betrayed her, this is the truth. ‘Isn’t that funny, we’ve got something in common now, haven’t we?’

He shrugs, glances at her for a second before staring at his plate once more.

‘I promise you one thing. I’m going to do everything I can to find him. Okay?’ And she means this with every fibre of her being.

Later she sits with Holly in the living room while Jackson is upstairs in his room. She knows she’ll have to leave soon – it’s nearly nine p.m. – but she’s in no rush. Being here, she is in a protective bubble where nothing on the outside can reach her. She’s almost forgotten that Holly is Greg’s ex-wife, and Sienna is surprised to find herself so relaxed in her company.

‘Does your partner live here with you?’ Sienna asks.

‘Andrew? Oh, no – as much as I love him, I like it being just me and Jackson. I did my time of living with someone – sorry, no offence to Greg – but I prefer things this way.’

‘No, I understand. It’s not always easy to live with people, is it? Even when we love them.’

Holly looks at her. ‘You really love him, don’t you? I’m glad.’