She stopped at the entrance to the lounge, and her heart went out to Mike. His face was drenched in anguish even though he was sound asleep. She crept over and kissed his forehead and moved away before a tear landed on him. Quietly, she tiptoed to the kitchen where she placed her bag on the worktop and prepared some filter coffee. While she waited, she pondered over the last few weeks and felt so sad. Perhaps she was wrong to have doubted Mike’s fidelity. Why hadn’t she given him the benefit of the doubt? After all, would he really cheat on her? Surely not. She’d been over that scene of seeing this younger woman half-naked – it must have been a thousand times in her head – and she knew she wouldn’t be human if she didn’t deduce from that that Mike was two-timing her. But now, she wasn’t so sure. Their last meeting had cast doubt in her mind that she was right to accuse him of playing away, and, in any case, what did it matter now? His son was at death’s door, and he wouldn’t want all that other stuff being thrown in his face again, when, quite rightly, he had greater concerns – namely, his son’s life at stake. She would put her personal issues aside and be there for him. She loved him with all her being, and, right now, it was breaking her heart to see him like that.

Just as she poured the coffee, she heard someone walking down the stairs. She froze and waited; perhaps one of the lads was here? She had become too twitchy lately. But then, like a bolt out of the blue, a leggy woman appeared, dressed only in one of Mike’s shirts and with her hair wrapped in a towel. The sight of her completely threw Zara.

Although Jackie was just as shocked to see Zara, she knew exactly who she was because she’d seen a photo. She was the only woman Jackie could never live up to – Mike’s ex, or was she?

Leaning against the doorframe, Jackie raised her eyebrow, in pretence. ‘And who are you?’

Zara was similarly stunned for a moment, but without the benefit of knowing who this woman was. She just stood gawking, taking the sight in. ‘Um, who are you?’

Jackie took her time to respond. Then, with a cold, hard smirk and a raised brow, Jackie slowly looked Zara up and down. When her eyes landed on the prosthetic hand, she glared for a while, before displaying a malevolent, satisfied smile. ‘Mike’s wife, that’s who.’

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ asked Zara, totally stunned.

Jackie was in her element; she could see the anger and jealousy pulse through Zara’s eyes.