Claire and Joshua drove home in silence. He’d done well; he’d dressed exactly how she’d told him to and he’d responded to the questions exactly as they’d practised. Livingstone had been pleased too. Afterwards, Claire and Joshua had left quickly not wanting to be in court any longer than they needed to be. She was relieved not to have seen Rose in court.

Lying bitch.

Occasionally Claire thought about Julia and the firm. She thought about her job and her career and her time spent in court working on cases but it all seemed like a lifetime away, as remote as another planet in the solar system. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been in the office. She wondered if she ever would be again now that Julia had emailed her the offer to buy Claire out.

Now, driving home, Joshua in the front seat beside her, she watched him as he leant his head back and closed his eyes. Despite his youth, he looked tired.

‘Has Dad gone back to work?’ asked Joshua suddenly and although she was staring straight ahead manoeuvring through traffic, she could feel her son’s eyes on her.

‘Yes,’ replied Claire. No point lying about it. Claire and Chris had been in court together, but she could sense Chris couldn’t wait to get back to the office afterwards. ‘Why? Did you need something?’

‘No, I was just wondering.’ Joshua fell silent before adding, ‘When can I go back to school?’ he asked, changing the subject.

‘In September when everyone else,’ replied Claire. ‘Do you want to go back?’

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to miss any more than I already have.’

Claire smiled in spite of the grim proceedings they found themselves in. This was the Joshua she knew.

‘Okay, well let’s have a chat with the head and see what she says. The trial will be over in a couple of weeks.’

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Joshua nod. He seemed like he was about to say something else but then he leant his head back again and closed his eyes for the rest of the journey home.

48

Claire had been watching the trial in court most days. Each time she was there, she could almost believe that it was just another day on the job. She only saw Rose once, her long dark hair tied back primly, her posture ramrod straight. As soon as Claire left court, she would call Chris with an update, their conversations terse and brief. They had decided to keep the state of their marriage to themselves until the trial was over. She wondered whether Joshua had noticed that his father had been sleeping in the guest room. She knew her son was struggling to hold it together.