‘It doesn’t feel like it,’ he says, staring into the hall. He steps inside and brushes past her. His coldness chills her but she can’t blame him. ‘I need to pick up some more things.’

Abby watches him head upstairs; she’s nervous but can’t pinpoint why. All she knows is that Rob seems different, a stranger.

It’s half an hour before he comes back down, carrying a black sports bag she hasn’t seen before. He was empty-handed when he walked in, so it must be one from upstairs. Has she really paid so little attention over the years? That’s not surprising when after losing her mum she couldn’t focus on anything. The grief lingers on, though, always there, stopping her fully living. Now she vows to change that.

‘You said you wanted to talk?’ she asks.

He puts down his bag and gestures to the kitchen. ‘I need a glass of water.’

While she fetches it for him, he pulls out a kitchen chair, staring at it without sitting. ‘So are you and Mark together now, then?’

His question catches her off guard – she’s assumed he would avoid talking about it, and she was never going to bring it up. ‘Um. Not exactly. It’s complicated.’

‘How’s that then? This is your great love story, isn’t it? Shouldn’t it be easy?’

‘I don’t think we should talk about this.’ She places his glass on the table, sits down in the hope that he’ll do the same.

‘Does it make you uncomfortable?’ He stays standing.

He’s sneering at her, and it makes her defiant. ‘No. It’s just my own business, isn’t it?’ She realises how cruel this is as soon as it’s out there.

Rob’s eyes narrow and in them she sees something she’s never seen before: hatred. ‘We need to talk about the house,’ he says.

‘I know. At least sit down then.’

He does as she suggests and folds his arms, leaning back in his chair. ‘Obviously, we need to sell it. I’ve arranged for the estate agent to come tomorrow morning. Ten thirty.’

‘That doesn’t give me much time to get it tidy.’

He looks around. ‘It’s fine as it is.’

She doesn’t say anything. It’s clear their separation will be acrimonious. What else did she expect?

‘I’ve also got a solicitor to sort out a legal separation agreement. It shouldn’t take too long.’

It stings to hear this, that he’s gone ahead so quickly. ‘Okay.’

‘There’s no point hanging around, is there?’

‘No.’

She gets up and heads to the sink, stares out of the window.

‘This place should sell quickly,’ Rob is saying. She doesn’t turn around. ‘Then we can split the money and go our separate ways. The sooner the better.’