Sighing, I pad silently across the room and slip back into bed, the warmth from Rupert’s body raising goosebumps on my skin. He throws his arm over my waist and mumbles ‘love you’ into my ear. I close my eyes, the words he said to Sadie printed indelibly on my mind. I picture myself, standing at the bottom of the stairs that night, seeing the two of them together, and then Rupert telling me the next morning that he hadn’t seen anyone when he went downstairs. Lies by omission. I wriggle out from under his arm, my skin burning. I know what I need to do. I’ll go and see Sadie first thing tomorrow morning and find out exactly what the hell went on that night.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

It’s my turn to lie by omission as I don’t mention to Rupert the video sent to my phone, instead waiting until he has left for the office before I snatch up my keys and my bag and walk the twenty minutes to Sadie’s house. I could have taken the bus, but that intense heat still burns me from the inside out, so I try to walk it off before I arrive.

When I arrive at Sadie’s twenty minutes later, my anger has cooled ever so slightly, no longer white hot, but a fierce red that bubbles and rages in my veins. It’s been a long time since I felt this angry about anything, which tells me my relationship with Rupert is worth fighting for. We might have had our problems lately, but I’m certainly not ready to give up, not by a long shot.

‘Emily! What a surprise!’ Sadie looks immaculate in designer loungewear, her hair tied up in an artfully messy bun – the type that when I tried it before, I looked as though I’d just woken up, and not in a good way. I don’t bother with pleasantries, instead I shove my way into the house, the way Sadie has done to me so many times before. Sadie’s twins gawp at me from where they sit on the living room floor, surrounded by expensive toys.

‘Kids, out of here. Tallulah!’ Sadie shouts for the nanny to come and get the children. ‘Emily, is there a problem?’ Sadie’s porcelain white cheeks are stained with a red flush, and she looks nervous.

‘You could say that.’ I brandish the phone at Sadie. ‘I think you’ve got some explaining to do.’

Sadie is silent as she watches the video, the red flush on her cheeks creeping down to stain her neck in an ugly rash. Finally, with shaking hands, she hands the phone back to me. ‘Really, Emily, this isn’t what you think it is.’