It wouldn’t be long before she found someone better, and if Evan couldn’t see the amazing person she was then she was better off without him. Still, he’d seen the sadness in her eyes, dulling their usual brightness.

Break-ups were awful.

In fact, awful was putting it mildly for him. At least Bella and Evan didn’t have any kids. Steering Freddie through all this had been the toughest job he could ever have imagined. Every word, every decision led to him constantly questioning himself and second-guessing his actions. No matter what he did he always felt like he’d done something wrong.

Every morning when Nick’s hand hit the unused pillow next to him, he imagined seeing his wife lying there. The empty side of the bed where Paige had lain was alien to him now. A no-man’s land he still didn’t venture into. So often the sheets felt cold beneath his fingers and he missed the warmth of her body beside him. Nick wished he didn’t, but it was an instinct. She was his wife; the person he’d intended to spend the rest of his life with, only she’d had other plans. Even though the months before she’d left had been filled with bickering, and tension hung in the air at night when they’d climbed into bed together, he still missed her. Missed the good times they’d had before it all went sour.

Pushing the thoughts deep down, he went back inside to check on Freddie who had now abandoned his mask and gun in favour of his iPad. Nick heard the familiar sounds of YouTube and ruffled his hair as he flopped down next to him on the sofa.

‘Morning, mate. You all right?’

‘Yeah. I’m fine,’ Freddie answered without looking up from the screen.

As that was the end of the conversation, Nick gazed around, wondering what they should do today. The house was a tip. Clothes were left on the floor, toys strewn everywhere. There was a carpet under there somewhere, but he hated to think what state that was in. When was the last time he’d hoovered? He couldn’t actually remember. Cleaning wasn’t exactly a high priority right now and he was barely keeping up with the washing.

It wouldn’t be long and they’d be putting up Christmas decorations. They’d need space for the tree and that always meant shifting around the TV unit and settee to make room. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin that day by having to clean the house first. It was going to be hard enough. This would be the first time without Paige, which meant Freddie would miss his mum even more. Nick too knew he’d feel the loss even deeper, but his anger normally kept the pain at bay.