‘Calm? Me?’ Had he always been this patronising? She was sure she’d have noticed and had words with him before now if he had been. ‘How dare you say that to me! You’re the one who just upped and left without a moment’s notice. How long had you been planning it?’

Evan showed no emotion. He’d always been the less expressive one in the relationship, but this level of disinterest was unnerving. He seemed cold, as if he’d turned his heart off from her. ‘You said you deserved some answers and that’s why I’m here. The answer is, I hadn’t been planning it for long. This thing with Pepper, it’s all moved quite suddenly. I don’t really know how it happened or why and I’m sorry I hurt you.’

‘I wish I could believe you.’ She wasn’t being dramatic, only speaking the truth. He’d broken her trust and she didn’t know how to tell truth from fiction with him.

‘I am sorry, Bella. I really am.’

‘You don’t sound it. How long has it all been going on? How long have you been sneaking around behind my back?’

‘Please don’t say sneaking, Bella.’

‘Why not? You have been. You’ve been lying and sneaking and …’ She couldn’t think of another word as her brain clouded. ‘Why couldn’t you just tell me that things weren’t working for you anymore? I need to know how long it’s been going on. You owe me that much.’

‘Only a couple of months, Bella. I promise.’

‘Only?’ A couple of months might not seem a long time to him but to her it felt like forever. How many lies had he told during that time? How many times had he said he was going to work when he must have been going to see his other woman? ‘Last month when you had a work conference in Leeds, you didn’t, did you?’

This time Evan dipped his eyes, ashamed of himself. ‘No. I’m sorry, Bella.’

‘You were seeing her. Oh God.’

She pressed her cold hand to her forehead, grateful for the cooling effect on her skin. The thought of them in a hotel in Leeds, romping it through the weekend, made her stomach roll. Had he kissed Pepper as passionately as he had her at the start of their relationship? Had the sex been better? Was Pepper a better lover? All these thoughts had passed through her head since he’d left but she’d managed to keep them at bay, forcing herself not to go to that dark place where she compared herself to the other woman. Now though, they rocketed through at an unprecedented speed, tearing down her self-esteem. The thought of his dirty weekend in Leeds magnified those feelings till she couldn’t distract herself from them.