Instead, she found herself face to face with Liam Quinn. Something that shocked her into silence. It quickly wore off as he pushed past her, stepping inside her flat and closing the door.

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing? I never invited you in. In fact, I remember you very clearly agreeing that you would leave me alone.’

Even as the words left her mouth, the missing piece of her evening came back to her. Josh dropping her back at her flat just before 10 p.m., the bouquet of flowers that had been left for her, and the phone call she had made before she had passed out drunk.

‘You piece of shit. You promised you would leave me alone.’

‘Hannah?’ Liam’s voice was slow with confusion and sleep.

‘You know it’s me and you know exactly why I’m calling.’ Hannah clutched her phone to her ear, the brandy she had been drinking fuelling her temper. ‘You didn’t really think I would be stupid enough to fall for your bullshit move, did you?’

There was a brief silence before Liam answered. ‘What move?’

‘Seriously? You’re going to pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about?’

‘Honestly, I have no idea. But I’ve got to say you’re worrying me a little. Are you okay?’

‘Am I okay? Oh, I see what you’re angling here. You’re trying to make me question myself. That’s your plan, is it? Make me wonder if I’m going mad or if Eileen Wickham is really coming after me.’

‘Sorry?’

‘I’m not going to fall for it. You’ve picked the wrong person to fuck with, Liam Quinn.’

‘Wait a minute. Backtrack. Why do you think Eileen is coming for you?’

‘You know why!’

‘Hannah, can you shut the hell up for a minute and listen to me. Why would you think Eileen is coming for you?’

The steeliness in his tone momentarily shocked her into silence.

‘Hannah, are you still there? Hannah?’

‘The flowers that you sent me, pretending to be her.’

The last four words were said with less conviction. She had managed to convince herself that it wasn’t Mrs W. The timing of Liam showing up and the flowers arriving was too coincidental. He had to be behind sending them, right?

‘I never sent you any flowers.’

‘You did. They were outside my flat.’

‘Nope. Nothing to do with me.’

Her drunken brain tried to process that. For some reason, she had thought by accusing him he would own up, but she supposed if he was playing some kind of game with her, trying to trick her into letting him interview her for his stupid book, then of course he wouldn’t admit to sending them. That realisation brought with it fresh fury.

If Liam Quinn thought he could mess with her, then she would show him he had made a mistake.