I don’t usually ask him what he’s doing, but I’ve had enough of walking on eggshells around him, and this is my home, too. ‘Where to?’ I make no attempt to hide the sarcasm in my voice.

‘What’s this?’ he mocks, getting a mug out of the cupboard. He doesn’t ask me if I’d like a cup of anything. ‘Have you suddenly decided you care?’

‘Let me see.’ I stare him in the eyes, deliberately taunting him. ‘Is it the golf club, Andrew? Or the pub? Oh, silly Elise. It’s Friday, isn’t it. Everyone knows where Andrew goes on Fridays – everyone except his stupid wife. But do you know what, Andrew? She isn’t as stupid as you—’

But before I finish speaking, he comes over, stopping inches in front of me. ‘Bitch,’ he mutters through gritted teeth. Then he raises his arm and slaps me. Above the sound of his hand on my cheek, I hear a gasp of breath. Through the kitchen door, at the top of the stairs, I see Niamh watching.

Anger courses through me, followed by humiliation, my face throbbing painfully. It’s months since he’s done anything like this. ‘You need to watch it, Andrew,’ I mutter under my breath as I walk away from him. Near the door, I stop. ‘Emotional distance and infidelity are one thing. But I’m not sure how physical abuse would sit with your practice manager.’

‘Prove it.’ His eyes are like lasers boring into me. It seems he’s forgotten that we have a witness. ‘But I’m warning you. One mention, Elise, and I’ll dredge up those notes from two years ago. I bet your airline would love to read them. Not to mention the police.’

His words hit me harder than any blow delivered by his hand. He’s talking about the circumstances that, in my desperate state, triggered me to start drinking heavily in an attempt to numb my pain. Andrew had it all documented by the time I stopped, and he held it over me for months afterwards, reminding me constantly that if I’d been thinking of Niamh, I would have asked for help, but instead, I’d been utterly selfish.

Desperately unhappy at the time, I told him I wanted us to separate. I can still remember his look of contempt, his cruel smile as he told me that I could leave, but it would be alone. No-one in their right mind would give me custody of a child – he’d make sure of that. I knew he’d stop at nothing, not caring what it did to me, or to Niamh. I remember how my blood had run cold as I’d realised he didn’t care even slightly about either of us. All he was interested in was controlling us.