Grabbing her first-year-at-university inspired dinner and slumping back on the sofa, Bella watched the flames flicker and dance. She put the television on just to fill the house with noise. Her mind was unable to focus on any one particular thing, swamped as it was, by the tumultuous feelings roiling inside her, but sitting in silence was somehow worse. It seemed to magnify the deep feeling of loss, and grief.

A faint ringing from her pocket shocked her back to life and the beginning bars of her favourite Nineties song ‘Groove is in the Heart’ played out. Normally, it never failed to make her smile; this time, though, she could barely see the screen for tears. A part of her hoped it was Evan but even if it was, what would she say to him? And what could he say to her that she’d be willing to hear? Anger surged inside her again, but it was her sister’s voice that came down the line as soon as she’d swiped to accept the call.

‘My feet are like gigantic boats. Meat boats. They’ve swollen up so much I can’t wear anything other than Crocs and you know how much I bloody hate Crocs. I didn’t think there was any excuse for ugly footwear but apparently being seven months pregnant is one. And how am I supposed to wear them in November? My feet are freezing. It’s not like I can wear Crocs with socks. There are some lines that just shouldn’t be crossed. How can they be swollen and freezing at the same time?’

Bella swallowed, willing the corners of her mouth to lift up, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t quite manage it.

‘Are you there?’ Caro asked before launching into a more detailed description of her podiatry ailments. ‘I can barely see my toes. They’re like dumpy little cocktail sausages attached to a slab of meat. Bella? What’s the matter? You’re very quiet.’

Taking a breath, Bella managed to squeak out the words ‘Evan’s left me,’ before dissolving into tears again and nearly spilling her jug of beans over the sofa. The line went dead, and Bella slipped the phone into her pocket, knowing exactly what was happening.

Less than five minutes later, her sister stood on the doorstep, and the voices of their mum and dad were audible from just down the lane.

‘What happened?’ Caro asked, taking her sister in a giant bear hug. It was quite hard for Bella to circle her arms around her sister’s bump. Caro released her and rested her hand on her stomach.

She wiped the tears from her cheeks. ‘I came home and he was on the stairs, trying to get away before I got back—’