Sleepy? She was mentally and physically exhausted. Too tired to explain, she simply nodded and saw a satisfied smile appear. ‘You can leave now, if you want,’ she said, wishing he would go. ‘I’ll probably fall asleep. Tell Jack that I’m doing okay. Ask him to come home tomorrow, will you?’

Charlie shook his head slowly. ‘No, I won’t go yet. I want to make sure everything is okay this time.’

This time? Molly didn’t have the energy to ask what he meant.

A wave of exhaustion and dismay washed over her, making her feel faint. Closing her eyes, she rested her head back on the sofa, wishing she could stay like that, in the dark. She heard Charlie move and opened her eyes to see him leaning forward and staring at her, his mouth a tight, pinched line.

‘What’s wrong?’ she said, her words slurring slightly.

‘For a change,’ he said cryptically, ‘I think everything is going right.’ He sat back onto his seat and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees and his hands hanging. ‘Those tablets seem to be working. I think this calls for a celebratory drink.’

Molly didn’t think there was any reason to celebrate but she gestured towards the fridge. ‘Help yourself,’ she mumbled.

The faint sound of him opening and pouring wine were background to the thoughts that were screaming in her increasingly befuddled brain. What did he mean everything was going right? Something was very wrong, but she couldn’t figure out what. Reaching under the cushion, she pulled out her phone.

‘I don’t think it’s a good idea to ring anyone,’ he said, sitting down, a full wine glass in his hand.

She shook her head. ‘I agree, I was checking to see if there were any messages from our children, Freya and Remi. They’re supposed to contact us every day, they know I worry if I don’t hear from them.’ She looked at it for a second before dropping it on top of the cushion with a resigned shrug. ‘Nothing from them yet. You remember, they’re abroad. Freya is in…’ She shook her head and gave a half laugh. ‘D’you know, I can’t remember where she is, but Remi is definitely in… the States, somewhere in the States.’ Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember exactly where they both were, then shrugged. ‘It doesn’t matter, they’re really enjoying themselves. At least our mess won’t have any impact on them.’

She closed her eyes briefly before bringing a trembling hand to her forehead. ‘I feel terrible. I might go up to bed in a minute, but first, tell me, do you know why Jack was suspended?’