It brought a brief smile to her lips but then she considered what Stuart had told her.

Jack had been suspended. He was making multiple trips to Vegas for reasons that had nothing to do with work.

He’d been lying to her. For months. Maybe for years.

27

By the time Molly arrived home, she felt as if she’d been knocked down again. Despite walking slowly and taking care not to be crushed or pushed on the tube, every part of her ached. It would have been sensible to take some painkillers but even though she popped two paracetamols from the packet, she couldn’t bring herself to swallow them and threw them into the rubbish with a groan of despair.

Too much coffee had made her jittery and given her heartburn. She took milk from the fridge, poured a glass and drank half straight off. Taking the rest, she lay down on the sofa, kicked off her shoes and tried to relax. There was no point in going over and over what Stuart had told her, she needed to speak to Jack.

Taking out her mobile, she rang his number. It wasn’t a surprise when it went straight to answerphone and she was invited to leave a message. He went to so many meetings, his phone was frequently turned off. Except, according to Stuart, he wasn’t going to meetings at all. Where the hell was he?

She composed a text asking Jack to ring her but deleted it without sending. She didn’t want him phoning and telling more lies. It was better to wait until he came home.

The feeling of weakness that had swept over her earlier returned. Unsurprising, since she’d hardly eaten anything recently. Struggling to her feet, she went to the fridge and peered inside. Almost hidden behind bottles of beer, she found some hummus only a day past its best-before date. She made tea and toast, took everything to the coffee table and lowered herself onto the sofa. The hummus was a good choice; she spread it on the toast and ate the two slices before sitting back with her mug of tea.

A ding from her phone told her she had a message. It was from Jack. He must have seen a missed call from her. Meetings all day. You okay? Text if you need anything, x

The lie made her stomach heave; she made it to the sink before vomiting all she’d eaten, the spasm causing her to flinch and clasp her ribs. She turned on the tap, closing her eyes as the undigested food swirled around the basin before being washed away. She scooped water from the tap with her hand, rinsed her mouth and spat. When the taste of vomit had been washed away, she splashed water on her face a few times before grabbing a towel to dab it dry.