As she turned into the road that led to the farm, nausea swam in her stomach and she thought she might throw up.

Fight it, Hannah. It’s just a fucking house.

She would not let the bitch defeat her again.

‘Can you pull over?’

Liam’s request took her by surprise, but she did as asked, grateful for the distraction, pulling off the lane and stopping in a clearing by the woods.

‘Is everything okay?’

He didn’t answer her, instead getting out of the car. He opened the back door, clipping on Tank’s leash before letting the dog jump down, then he wandered round to the front of the car, opening the driver’s door. He leaned in, catching her off guard, when he turned off the engine and snatched the keys out of the ignition.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Tank could do with a walk. I only let him out to pee this morning. I thought we could leave the car here and walk down to the farm.’

Was that really why he has asked her to stop or was it part of a crafty plan because he had picked up on her nerves and thought it would be easier approaching on foot?

Either way, she was grateful, getting out of the car as asked.

Liam clicked the locks then pocketed her keys, before offering her his hand.

Hannah took it, comforted that she wasn’t doing this alone. This was a route she had walked many times that summer. Although her legs wobbled and her stomach churned, she pushed herself forward, appreciating that he was in a chatty mood, distracting her with conversation about the party and the people they had met.

As the lane curved and the woods to the side of the road became denser, she spotted the farmhouse in the distance. It was all so familiar and she half expected to hear the chatter of her childhood friends, as they walked beside her. When she slowed her pace, Liam tugged on her hand.

‘Come on, Hannah. You can do this.’

‘Yeah, I can. Just give me a moment, okay?’

They stopped walking, much to Tank’s frustration. He had been pulling ahead, wanting to sniff at and pee on everything, and realising they were going nowhere, he plonked his sizeable bum down and gave Hannah the evil eye, sensing this was her doing.

She stared ahead at the farm, so many memories resurfacing. No one had lived there for a long time and the signs of neglect were evident, even from this distance.

‘How are you feeling?’

‘I’m okay. It’s weird being back here. It’s like being thirteen again. I keep expecting to see her step out of the house with a basket of laundry.’