‘I should have, but there just never seemed to be a good time. When I met Pepper, we were so in sync. I couldn’t help developing feelings for her. I didn’t choose to. It just happened.’

If what he said was true, there were far more problems in their relationship than she’d ever noticed. People didn’t fall out of love for no reason. People changed and as she hadn’t, she could only assume Evan had. Though she knew the words were going to hurt, she still had to ask and pushed them past the lump in her throat. ‘Do you love her?’

Finally, Evan lifted his head and met her gaze. Was she ready to hear the answer? She wasn’t sure but it was coming, whether she was ready or not.

‘I do.’

The brightly coloured walls of her classroom swam before her. The strings of artwork criss-crossing the ceiling merged and swirled. The two words she’d always assumed would be said to her at an altar were now being used for the opposite reason. He wasn’t binding himself to her for the rest of their lives, he was saying them to justify his walking away, straight into the arms of another woman. How ironic.

‘After only a few months? Wow. She must be very special.’

‘Don’t be like that, Bella.’

‘Like what? Annoyed? Heartbroken? Angry?’

‘Bitter.’

Her eyes opened wide as she stared at him in horror. When had he become so cruel? He’d never have spoken to her like that before. His guilt was talking. ‘I’m entitled to feel however I want to feel, Evan, and you might not like it because it makes you feel like a shit, but that’s your problem not mine.’

Evan’s eyes scanned the walls behind her and the excerpts of handwriting her class had done. Bella hated that they were doing this here, in the place that had felt like a second home, and she wanted to shout at him to avert his gaze as if he would sully her wonderful children’s work.

The fog of torment and sorrow cleared, giving a moment of clarity. If he was unhappy enough to fall in love with Pepper, he’d have fallen in love with someone else sooner or later. Better now than even further down the line with kids in tow. She had the answers she’d been looking for. Whatever Evan said, she still believed there hadn’t been any signs because he was hedging his bets, seeing how things worked out with Pepper. If things hadn’t worked out, if she hadn’t wanted to make a go of it, Bella was sure he’d still be by her side, and she’d be ignorant of how he felt. If he was like that, she really was better off without him.