Absolutely fuming, Mike returned home from the hospital. It was now three times that Zara had misunderstood a situation, and two of them he could have explained, given time, but not the third.

He slammed the door shut and growled to himself. What Zara had witnessed didn’t look good at all; yet, he wasn’t interested in the nurse in that way. Of course, he found her pretty, but it was only because she reminded him of Zara. Retrieving his phone, he looked up Constance’s number and decided to text her. The initial attraction was nothing more than that. He couldn’t lead the sweet nurse on. He was worlds apart – the villain and the nurse, it sounded like a porn movie. Besides, he loved Zara, whether she loved him now or not. He had values.

Hi Constance. I need to be fair and honest. We are two very different people. I am very sorry. I think it is for the best that we remain as friends. I hope you understand. Mike Regan.

He hesitated whether to leave a kiss but thought better of it.

The noise upstairs brought him back to the darker side of reality. He’d left Jackie locked in one of the spare bedrooms all day. He realized that there was no point in keeping her here for ever: if she wanted to be a junkie, then so be it. Ricky was on the mend, and, really, he didn’t want to see his mother, so all she was good for now was signing the divorce papers.

He wasted no time and hurried up the stairs. As soon as he unlocked the door, he was quite amazed to see Jackie looking a more fresh-faced thirty-eight-year-old; she was sitting upright at the end of the bed.

‘Right, Jackie, I’m taking you back home. First, though, I want you to sign some papers I have downstairs. I’ll call my dad’s solicitor to witness it.’

Jackie stared up at her husband, her mind now clear. The drugs were out of her system, and, for the first time in fifteen years, she was completely sober. ‘Do you mind if I have a shower and get dressed first?’

Mike was surprised by how more softly spoken she was. Her animalistic expressions and disgusting foul mouth had disappeared. He nodded. ‘Yes, a good idea. You do that, and I’ll make you some coffee.’

She smiled sweetly. ‘Actually, I would prefer tea.’

Without replying, he left the room.

Jackie couldn’t wait to get cleaned up. The sweat that had coated her body a hundred times left her smelling like a dirty fox. Her hair, hard and gritty, needed a damn good wash. She wondered if all of her clothes had been dumped years ago when she’d left.